Deforming and Transforming: Towards a Theory of “Viral Mestizaje” in Chicano Literature

The article asks what is created when blood-mixing oscillates between a marker of Chicano/a racial and cultural identity and a facilitator of HIV transmission. Reading across Chicano/a discourse, disability studies, and HIV/AIDS scholarship, the article evaluates the shaping influence of blood-mixing for narratives of Chicano/a hybridity, relatedness, and reimagined kinship. This synthesis, which is termed “viral mestizaje,” proves a unique critical optic through which to revaluate blood-mixing in Chicano literature responding to HIV/AIDS.