Embodying Memories: The Women Rights Movement '#NiUnaMenos - and the Women Narratives about State Repression in Argentina
| Autor | Verónica Ada Abrego |
| Cargo | Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies. University of Mainz/Germersheim |
| Páginas | 115-135 |
Verónica Ada Abrego
Cadernos Prolam/USP, v.16, n.30, p.115-135, jan./jun.2017
115
EMBODYING MEMORIES: THE WOMEN RIGHTS MOVEMENT “#NiUnaMenos”
AND THE WOMEN NARRATIVES ABOUT STATE REPRESSION IN ARGENTINA1
Verónica Ada Abrego2
Abstract: Since 2015 a new human rights movement struggle against violence against
women, Ni una menos. From the perspective of cultural studies, there is a strong link between
these women struggling for cultural transformation and the long lasting battle against
oblivion carried out by Argentinas Human Rights Movement and especially, by the Mother
and Grandmother of Plaza the Mayo. Against the background of state terrorism and its
literature written by women, this contribution reflects on methodology studying Argentina
women’s literature on state repression and also on the role of women as agents of social
transformation.
Keywords: Violence against women; intersectionality; literature on state terrorism.
Resumo: Desde 2015, um novo movimento de direitos humanos luta contra a violência contra
as mulheres: Ni una menos. Do ponto de vista dos estudos culturais, existe uma forte ligação
entre essas mulheres, que lutam pela transformação cultural, e a batalha duradoura contra o
esquecimento realizada pelo Movimento dos Direitos Humanos argentino e, especialmente,
pelas Mães e Avós da Plaza de Mayo. No contexto do terrorismo de estado e sua literatura
escrita por mulheres, essa contribuição reflete a metodologia que estuda a literatura feminina
da Argentina sobre a repressão estatal e também sobre o papel das mulheres como agentes de
transformação social.
Palavras-chave: Violência contra mulheres; interseccionalidade; literatura sobre terrorismo
de estado.
Resumen: Desde 2015, un nuevo movimiento de derechos humanos lucha contra la violencia
contra las mujeres: Ni una menos. Desde la perspectiva de los estudios culturales, existe un
fuerte vínculo entre estas mujeres que luchan por la transformación cultural y la duradera
batalla contra el olvido llevada a cabo por el Movimiento Argentino de Derechos Humanos y,
especialmente, por las Madres y las Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. En el contexto del terrorismo
de Estado y su literatura escrita por mujeres, esta contribución refleja la metodología para
estudiar la literatura femenina de Argentina sobre la represión estatal y también sobre el papel
de las mujeres como agentes de transformación social.
Palabras clave: Violencia contra las mujeres; interseccionalidad; literatura sobre terrorismo
de estado.
1. INTRODUCTION
The new human rights movement “#NiUnaMenos” provides at present an appropriated
occasion to reflect on the role women play as agents of cultural transformation. Founded in
1 My gratitude to Richard Pearson in Germersheim for reading this manuscript.
2 Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies. University of Mainz/Ger mersheim. E-mail:
abrego@uni-mainz.de.
Verónica Ada Abrego
Cadernos Prolam/USP, v.16, n.30, p.115-135, jan./jun.2017
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Buenos Aires in 2015, #NiUnaMenos - which translated means “one less is also too many”,
literally not even one less - echoed immediately in Brazil and continues to spread throughout
Latin America, and the World.3 Seen from the study of the literature of women on
Argentina’s state repression, my field of research, it makes sense to link the current struggle
against violence against women with the historical situation surrounding the disappearance of
people, and specially the case of women, between 1975 and 1983 in Argentina, as well as
with the work done by society to keep alive the memory of those disappeared. As we all
know, partnerships on equal terms in just societies, the establishment of more egalitarian
relationships at all levels, especially between the sexes, while respecting the need for personal
autonomy and sexual diversity are a main issue in the struggle for de-colonialization of
thinking and knowledge. Thus, de-patriarchalization of societies is one of the most important
and pressing issues in theoretical and political debates.
From the perspective of literature studies on the forced disappearance in the 70es/early
80es in Argentina and taking into account the work of Mothers and Grandmothers of Plaza de
Mayo, as well as #NiUnaMenos, a substantial desideratum emerges for a different approach to
dealing with the women in question. One which does not perceive feminine agents as
“subalterns”, i.e. as subordinated social agents with an intrinsic, essential position -, but rather
as subalternized subjects who have been forced into subordinated position through daily
actions based on an intersectional legitimation discourse of discrimination. As soon as we are
aware of the power of discourse, this perspective obliges us to direct our attention to precisely
those discourse coordinates that subalternize subjects in a precise context, in a precise
materiality, in a precise territory. In this way, we are in a better position to understand how
discriminating discourse functions – even when discourse acts in an implicit and subtle way –
that is what the concept of intersectionality is all about. From my point of view, in the
examples I quote, the individuals refuse to be seen as subalterns nor as passive victims. They
demand their own position as agents of transformation. And for this reason, as well as from
our view-point which recognizes their agency, we are able to construct together another
epistemological approach and to contribute to promoting that which we call a de-colonial
discourse of transformation.
3 The organizers of this year’s event noted, a new feminist movement may be in the making: “… # 7N in Spain,
# 24A in Mexico, # 1J in Brazil, # 3J2016 in Argentina, August 13 Ni Una Menos Peru, on October 3 in Poland,
on October 19 the first women's strike in Argentina, # 26N Non Una di Meno in Italy, the Women's March in the
United States on January 21 and # 8M with the International Women's Strike, which brought together more than
50 countries worldwide…” (¡NI UNA MENOS!: 2017). Women's March leaders to Washington pointed to Ni
una menos as an inspiration https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/06/women -strike-trump-
resistance-power.
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