Introduction
Welcome! This book contains the final papers written for Gender and Development in Latin America, taught by Prof. Esther Hernández-Medina. Divided into four roughly thematic sections, the book looks at a diverse set of topics exploring identity and resistance in Latin America. From the role of women at home and in the media, to large scale social movements, these papers will offer a sampling of the myriad experiences of women in Latin America.
The first section of the book explores care work, tasks which disproportionately fall on women in Latin America and around the world. The first essay, The Effect of COVID-19 on The Toll of Women and The Subsequent Care Policies Implemented by The Latin American Governments, specifically analyzes the effects of the pandemic on the phenomenon, as well as the measures put in place to combat the burden of carework. In the second essay, Feminism in Ecuador: Reproductive Rights and Rural Housework, the Ecuadorian feminist movement is analyzed through their focuses on reproductive justice and care work.
The second section contains analyses of media, sports, and entertainment. Representation is an important aspect of identity formation, as well as a key avenue for resistance. The first paper Challenging Gender Norms through Sporting: The Power and Potential of Ultimate Frisbee as a Tool to Challenge the Gender Binary addresses the gender-neutral innovations this sport has the potential for. Like many other media representations, the American TV show Modern Family leans into racist and overly-sexualized portrayals of Latinas, a topic explored in Fierce, Fabulous, and Forgotten: Reimagining Latin American Women in Media. In Womanhood in the TV Show “One Day at a Time”, a slightly more positive representation of 3 generations of Cuban-American women can be found. This paper explores the characterization of these characters and their implications with a critical lens. Finally, “Warmikuna quñusqa kasun” or “Women, we are united”; Indigenous Feminist Rap Music as a Form of Resistance looks at the work of Peruvian rapper Renata Flores to examine how music is used as a method for activism and self-articulation.
In the third section, the focus shifts from everyday life to social movements. This segment zooms in on Latin American Feminist movements, which is an umbrella for the diverse set of goals and tactics used by women to resist. The first paper, Feminist Encuentros in the 21st Century acts as a wonderful introduction to these movements by analyzing The Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encounters, 3 day meetings where feminists across Latin America come together. Then, On Breaking the Chains: Hegemonic Masculinity and Abortion Dynamics in Latin America’s Feminist Uprising provides a comprehensive overview of abortion in Latin America, as well as the impacts of colonialism and patriarchy in the fight over abortion. The next paper, Haitian Feminism since the 2010 Earthquake, gives an overview of the Haitian feminist movement, focusing on the impact of both the 2010 earthquake itself and the influx of foreign aid following the tragedy. Lastly, “Democracy in the Nation and in the Home”: The Fight Against Patriarchal Authoritarianism in Chile looks at Chilean feminist organizing under the Pinochet dictatorship, particularly regarding the challenges of patriarchal violence and conciousness-raising.
The fourth and final section of the book looks at a variety of social movements related to third genders, Indigenous rights, and racial discrimination. Resistance and Resilience of Brazilian Travestis examines the travesti community, whose gender non-conformity challenges the colonial gender binary. Transformation and Liberation: Women in the Zapatista Army explores the role of Indigenous women in Mexico’s Zapatista Army, focusing on the personal and societal transformation that was won through their work. The next work, Muxes, Gender Diverse Communities, and The Power of Language, looks at Mexico’s Muxe community, a third-gender group that demonstrates the diversity of pre-colonial conceptions of gender. The final paper of the book, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, & the United States: a (Purposefully) Untold Story, explores the role of the United States in facilitating division between Haiti and the Dominican Republic and obscuring their own imperialist practices.
