Women & Feminism

The feminist movement in Latin America grew along side, and sometimes in conflict with, feminist activism in the United States. The movement first emerged near the end of the 19th century among middle class professionals within rapidly growing capital cities, like Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janiero, and Lima.

Latin American nations were, however, marked by extreme inequality. A small number of extraordinarily rich families dominated landownership and the export economy, making incredible wealth by selling off their nation’s natural resources and raw agricultural products (like sugar or bananas). These super-rich families also collectively controlled the federal governments and employed its power and resources to buttress their economic interests (the term for this is an oligarchy). The vast majority of the population, however, lived below poverty. Some comprised the urban working class, but most lived and worked on the vast agricultural and mining estates of the rich (these were called haciendas, or sometimes, latifundios). While the rich were nearly exclusively of European descent and thought of themselves as “white,” the poor were ethnically and racially mixed, including people of European, African, indigenous, mixed (mestizo), and (to a lesser degree) Asian descent. This varied greatly regionally: in Peru, for instance, the majority of the rural poor were indigenous and mestizo; in places where slavery was more important, like Cuba or Brazil, the rural poor were largely black.

Early on, the feminist movement was deeply marked by its white middle-class origins. But the feminist movement has transformed dramatically since the early 20th century: the last 100 years was rife with serious conflicts and schisms over what the movement should be about, who should be included, and what women’s liberation really means. This internal debate and conflict has been an invaluable source of strength for the movement, providing it strength and resilience in a unsteady and changeable world.

The challenge of this theme is that it is easy to simply agree and sympathize with these women.  However, that is not an effectively way to do historical research nor is that the best way to honor the history of this movement.  We can best respect this history by critically assessing feminists of the past, for it is in this way that we can judge what feminism can be, and should be, within our lifetimes.  In other words, we can both honor and critique prior generations.

Stage 1

Pick one of the following early feminist tracts

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Choose one of the following (or, if you are really into studying Latin American feminism, use both)