Reactivating feminist historical memories as a political practice in the face of right-wing politics in Chile

Rosario Freire Saray I Scuola Normale Superiore: Reactivating feminist historical memories as a political practice in the face of right-wing politics in Chile

The reactivation of historical feminist organisations has become an important feature of contemporary feminist politics in Chile, particularly in a context marked by the consolidation of far-right forces and renewed concerns over the erosion of rights. Among these historical references, the Movimiento Pro-Emancipación de las Mujeres de Chile (MEMCH) occupies a particularly significant place. Founded in 1935, the MEMCH developed a broad political project centred on women’s emancipation and was explicitly opposed to fascism, war, and the restriction of women’s participation in public life. Its historical legacy has increasingly been mobilised by contemporary feminist actors seeking to situate present struggles within a longer history of resistance. This presentation analyses how these historical dialogues are enacted through specific repertoires. It argues that the strategic reactivation of feminist memory functions as a form of political praxis through which activists situate themselves within longer genealogies of resistance while simultaneously producing critical reflections on the limits and possibilities of contemporary feminism under increasingly hostile political conditions. The presentation draws on ethnographic work in feminist spaces in Chile and archival research and seeks to contribute to debates on social movements, memory politics and feminist strategies in the context of the far-right.

Next Seminars:

17 November, Aula Pollaiolo | Palazzo Strozzi - h 14:00

laria Santoema I Scuola Normale Superiore: The non-human reproduction turn. Assessing ecofeminist perspectives and non-human agencies contributions in Social Reproduction Theory

1 December, Aula Pollaiolo | Palazzo Strozzi - h 14:30

Uxia Reboiro Del Rio I Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona: Anti-gender violence and the targeting of feminist advocates: Experiences from Spain

FIRE - Working Group on Feminism, Intersectionality and Gender

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