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Women's Movements


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Questions | Bibliography

Chapter Reference: Neocolonialism; Nationalism; Revolution; Reaction

Women's movements in Latin America have, over all, seemed tame in their rhetoric and goals when compared to those in Europe and the United States. Perhaps that is because of the radical challenge they pose when viewed from within Latin America, with its still quite vigorous traditions of male dominance. Women's movements in Latin America have not generally sought to redefine women's social roles, but rather to advocate for women's welfare and empower them within fairly traditional social roles. Rather than downplaying the importance of motherhood, for example, women's movements in Latin America have tended to emphasize it and to put it at the center of their reformist thinking. Often, they have worked closely with the Church. In recent years, there have been some tensions between movements that explicitly identify with feminism, on the one hand, and popular women's movements whose goals may be more oriented to survival needs (such as combating state terrorism or staffing soup kitchens) on the other. Of course, there are issues, such as violence against women and workplace rights, around which they can unify. A paper on this topic may address the differences between women's movements in the U.S. and in Latin America. When thinking about movements in Latin America, students should be sure to take into account the role of the Church, as well as the efforts made by women to change their social roles since the colonial period.

Questions for Analysis and Further Reflection:

  1. Though women's movements in Latin America, as well as in the U.S. and Europe, are often discussed as a historical development of the twentieth century, the efforts of women to redefine their social roles go far back into the past. What are some examples of these efforts during the colonial period? In order to respond to this question, it may be helpful to think about the spaces or arenas where women exercised authority and about how they used this authority to improve their status or condition.


  2. When the initiative to establish national systems of public education got underway toward the end of the nineteenth century, women were considered better suited than men to serve as teachers. What qualities made women "natural" teachers, and how did their participation in education—as students and as teachers—contribute to changing their social roles?


  3. Measuring the "effectiveness" of women's movements can be difficult, but accomplishments can be documented that shed light on just how movements have helped redefine women's roles in Latin America. What are some of these accomplishments in the twentieth century, and how do you see them illustrating the effectiveness of different women's movements?

Bibliography: (Titles with ** are good starting places.)

Bergmann, Emilie, Janet Greenberg, Gwen Kirkpatrick, Francine Masiello, Francesca Miller,
           Marta Morello-Frosch, Kathleen Newman, and Mary Louise Pratt. Women, Culture,
           and Politics in Latin America: Seminar on Feminism and Culture in Latin America.

           Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990.

Castro-Klarén, Sara, Sylvia Molloy, and Beatriz Sarlo, eds. Women's Writing in Latin
           America: An Anthology.
Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1991.

Hahner, June Edith. Emancipating the Female Sex: The Struggle for Women's Rights in Brazil,
           1850—1940.
Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1990.

** ________, ed. Women in Latin American History, Their Lives & Views, rev. ed. Los
           Angeles: UCLA Latin American Center Publications, 1980.

Jaquette, Jane S., ed. The Women's Movement in Latin America: Participation and
           Democracy, 2nd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994.

** Küppers, Gaby, ed. Compañeras: Voices from the Latin American Women's Movement.
           London: Latin American Bureau, 1994.

** Lavrin, Asunción. Women, Feminism, and Social Change in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay,
           1890—1940.
Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.

Stoner, K. Lynn. From the House to the Streets: The Cuban Woman's Movement for Legal
           Reform, 1898—1940.
Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1991.


Other Resources:
Brazil
Uruguay
Honor