Feminism in Latin America

by Thaiana Zandoná

Feminism has boomed in popularity and discussion in Latina America. The debate around it has become more public and eloquent due to more mainstream media access.

This political movement is even more significant precisely because of Latina America's history with political civil war and military regimes in the 20th century. Thus, it can give the impression of a late surge in feminism in the region because the most popular names in feminist Latin America are from the past century, and the genealogy of this philosophy is quite hard to track.

Latina America itself, however, is diverse and has an immense history of colonies of exploration, slavery, native erasement, and controversial interventions from western countries even after democratization.

So when we talk about the history behind feminism in Latina America, we have to think plural, considering the diversity in culture and problems in each country. For example, racism in each country works differently because of the way they were colonized, and sometimes Brazil is not even much considered part of Latina America for its inhabitants speaking Portuguese and was the last country to abolish slavery. More importantly, most of the first Latina feminists didn’t make it to the books due to sexism, race, and ethnic struggles, and that most of their resistances for women’s rights and freedom started with collective perspectives.

To name a few, Sor Juana Inés de La Cruz (1665), also known as “The Mexican Phoenix, ” was a girl passionate about learning in a time when women couldn’t think about anything but marriage. She resiliently pursued her thirst for knowledge. She even became a nun, so she could continue her studies. As it is well put, Sor Juana was a feminist even before the word existed. She fiercely defended girl’s rights to education which later inspired many women during their own pursuit to freedom and learning.

Another name in history would be Maria Firmina dos Reis, a Black Brazillian woman, who was recognized as the first female writer in the country. She made a revolution when in 1860 she published a romanticist book, a genre not ever wrote before, about slavery in Brazil. Most of the works during this time period lacked a track record but were revived during the consolidation of Latina America Feminisms in the 20th century.

As for talking about this century, it is a complex work. For a better understanding, we can divide the timeline in half. The first part of this period laid out the foundation for feminism in Latina America, especially when associated and inactivated by the political awareness regarding education, human rights, labor rights, and rising civil participation. But the last half of the century was met with civil war, the Cold War, and militarization in Latina America. Most countries experienced a decay on all fronts when it came to freedom. And for feminism, it was a period of silence; most of its work was through literature and art, as shown in the iconic Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits and arguable questions of women’s place in society and Lelia Gonzalez ’s essays on intersectional feminism and how it was like to be a Black woman in Latina America.

Thus, we arrive in the 21st century, the culmination of all its history and the vibrant breath for freedom after the last dark decades. The feminist is restructuring itself into its true meaning, leaving behind liberal ideas and taking into account race, sexuality, ethnicity, and identity.

While there is still a long way to go especially when we consider a sustainable development to all Latina America, we can still celebrate our victories like Argentina’s abortion legalization, the rising of Black and trans-women in Brazil 2020’s election all over the country, and Chile’s new constitution that could set a game- changing moment for gender equality.