360°: Feminisms in Latin America
As part of a genealogy of feminisms within the Global South, feminisms in Latin America have critically engaged with mainstream euro-centric feminist debates but also contributed theoretical, political, epistemological, and socio-cultural approaches and tools to identify, examine, interrogate, contest, and dismantle structural oppressions.
As part of a genealogy of feminisms within the Global South, feminisms in Latin America have critically engaged with mainstream euro-centric feminist debates but also contributed theoretical, political, epistemological, and socio-cultural approaches and tools to identify, examine, interrogate, contest, and dismantle structural oppressions.
In this cluster students learn from and engage with historical and present contributions of feminist movements in Latin America. As part of a genealogy of feminisms within the Global South, feminisms in Latin America have critically engaged with mainstream euro-centric feminist debates but also contributed theoretical, political, epistemological, and socio-cultural approaches and tools to identify, examine, interrogate, contest, and dismantle structural oppressions.
Students explore the struggles and resistant practices of feminist leaders, facing issues as divergent yet interconnected as gender-based violence; land dispossession; truth and reconciliation processes after civil war; reproductive rights; labor and economic justice, among others. Beyond the issues, students learn feminist pedagogies and strategies, including mutual-aid, communities and economies of care, community-led organizing, and local-level sovereign governance, which have allowed these feminist collectives to exercise their individual and social agency against a patriarchal system of oppression. This 360 also offers students methodological tools for research within the fields of sociology, history, and cultural studies.
The 360 cluster travels to Colombia during Spring Break to engage with a wide and dynamic diversity of feminist collectives based in this region of Latin America. Students experience and contrast urban movements and regional/rural movements. The cluster engages with grassroots organizers, as well as movements associated with universities in the region.
Courses
Indigenous Women, taught by Marlen Rosas, is an intensive course designed around two goals: The first is to give students an introduction to some of the themes and debates at the intersection of Latin American History, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Indigenous Studies. We learn about gender relations beginning in pre-hispanic societies, discuss how Spanish imperialism and later modernity altered these relations, and explore the diverse movements that women have led to rectify the inequalities imposed on their communities. We highlight the gendered, ethnic, and class-based subjectivities that have shaped Indigenous women’s experiences and politics. The second goal of the course is to provide hands-on practice toward doing critical historical analysis of primary and secondary sources. We will explore texts including 17th-century poetry, colonial wills, novels, testimonios, speeches, manifestos, oral histories, all written or recorded by Indigenous and other marginalized women. Students will learn how to use these sources to make informed arguments about the past that allow us to understand women’s places in societies today.
This course is designed to provide an in-depth exploration of feminist epistemology, decolonization praxis, and the lived experiences of feminized bodies in the Global South. Throughout this course, we examine how traditional modes of knowledge production and dissemination have marginalized the voices and experiences of marginalized groups, particularly women of color. We also discuss the ongoing struggles for decolonization and how feminist thought can support these efforts. In addition, we delve into the unique challenges and experiences faced by feminized bodies in the Global South, including issues of intersectionality, violence, and resistance. By engaging with the work of feminist scholars and activists from a variety of disciplinary and cultural backgrounds, we aim to develop a nuanced understanding of the complex issues facing feminists in these contexts. We also engage with a range of theoretical approaches, including decolonial, queer, and intersectional theory, to better understand the intersections of race, gender, class, and other forms of social difference. Overall, this course provides students with the tools to critically examine how power, privilege, and oppression operate in the world and to develop strategies for working towards social justice. Taught by Veronica Montes.
This course, taught by Lina Martinez Hernandez offers a panoramic overview of contemporary feminist movements in Latin America, with special attention given to the intersection of political intervention and performance, literary, and artistic practices. We review movements in response to and resisting Euro-centric feminist traditions, as well as movements that respond to Latin American ideological and cultural tropes including, “nacionalismo”, “mestizaje” and “machismo”. As we move through the history of 20th and 21st century movements, we explore the different languages created by feminists through their modes of intervention, languages that allow us to speak differently about issues including: reproductive rights, femicide, neoliberalism, anti-racism, south-south networks of connection, queerness, among others. The course will be taught in English, with materials in English, Spanish, and Spanglish.
NOTE: Spanish language facility is NOT required for this cluster, however, due to the nature of feminist activism and language justice principles, some readings and manifestos from feminist collectives and authors do not have English translations. Students are encouraged to approach these readings with curiosity and the help of translation software if needed.