Moving beyond scholar-practitioner binaries: Exploring the liminal possibilities of the borderlands

The recent discourse connected to the notion of scholar-practitioner in human resource development commonly uses the metaphor of a "gap" between these two binaries that must somehow be bridged or that otherwise requires linking. This article examines the contemporary expression of this gap in the AHRD literature and the nature of the duality it implies.An alternative metaphor based on Anzaldúa's borderlands and the mestiza consciousness that emerges there is suggested. This reframing and its implications are explored with an eye toward the possibilities of prompting new dialogue and creative responses across the many types of work, interests, and personas that comprise and enrich HRD as a field.