Mosquera 1

Ana Luca Mosquera Rosado

Dr. Rachel May
Humanities and Popular Movements in Latin America
February 9, 2017.

Stories of struggle and resistance of Argentine women

Barbara Suttons Bodies in crisis

Barbara Sutton Bodies in crisis explores the political and economic crisis in

Argentina through the bodies of their women, combining feminist theory with a closer

approach to the experiences of Argentine women and their constant struggle with sexism,

violence, and discrimination.

In order to do so, she positions her analysis in the context of the generation and

evolution of social movements that arose during these crises, motivated by different

demands, in which women had and have an important participation.

In this book, thus, Button decides to examine multiple aspects of the social and

cultural life of Argentine women that go from the effects of the increase of poverty in the

country to the situation of sexual and reproductive rights, among others; and also how these

events affect women differently depending on their economic status, class, gender, race, age

and sexuality.

She also calls into questions the concepts of feminity and womanhood created and

maintained by a patriarchal system that relates women to motherhood, specific beauty

standards and social behaviors. By reviewing the testimonies of Argentine women, she

questions and challenges these concepts and preconceptions by showing diverse forms of

resistance and rebellion against the system.

When describing the process of transformation of womens bodies, the author refers

to the military dictatorship to emphasize the generations of policies that affected gender

equality and their self-image for women, by providing an example explaining how recovery
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programs for disappeared women required a change in their body appearance; or the

imposition of dress codes during the dictatorship to maintain feminity among them.

These standards were reinforced by the media and the beauty industry, despite the

fact that these were initially seen as a form of liberation, in contrast to the repression

women suffered during this period; that led to the creation of stereotypes and expected

appearance associated with feminity.

The transformation of womens bodies in the times of economic crisis transformed

not only to affect their personal lives but also their social interaction and dynamics. The

book, then, shows the transformations of the performative aspect of the body and also

presents the effects of the crisis on the bodies related to the fulfilling of basic needs. 1

It is interesting how the author draws attention to the complex experiences of

violence that women have to face during their lives and highlights violence as a serious

situation for Argentine women: according to official numbers, 1 in 4 women are victims of

violence in Argentina2. This unfortunate reality, thus, becomes a part of the women

movements agenda, as many public activities are done to confront and reduce the alarming

numbers.

To Button, violence is intersected with the diverse realities of women and is not

strictly related to interpersonal interaction, but instead can also be manifested through

government regulations and forms of control that limit their liberties. The universe of

possibilities that a woman can suffer any type of violence during her lifetime, regardless of

the space in where she locates, is terrifying; and constitutes a constant struggle in a society

that has normalized violence and justifies violent behaviors for decades.

A common relation is here established between personal violence and violence

occurred during the dictatorship, as a proof of how this period affected cultural lives of

1 Sutton, Barbara. Bodies in crisis: culture, violence, and women's resistance in neoliberal
Argentina. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2010, 45

2 Sutton, Bodies in crisis, 132.

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Argentines, and how the violence produced during this period affected to women as well,

suffering from a double transgression.

Sexual and reproductive rights are also analyzed in the book, as the relation between

motherhood and womanhood is further explored, bringing into the discussion the role of the

state and the Catholic Church in the recognition of these rights to women; identifying as a

consequence unwanted children or clandestine abortions that put in danger the womens

lives.

Thus, the book gives an intersectional approach that seeks to recognize the

particular experiences of women, bringing diverse social categories to explain how these

may configure a specific problematic context for every woman, emphasizing the particular

situation of indigenous, migrant and afro-descendant women and how the combination of

their multiple identities can represent more violent situations on their daily basis.

The story of women is also a story of struggle and constancy: Poner el cuerpo to

Argentine women means to truly compromise with the social movements 3. The real

engagement of these women can be seen in multiple ways that go from social mobilization

to community association to overcome poverty.

Despite this, it is fair to say that the differences of these women do not only

configure different experiences and perceptions of violence but can also generate

confrontations and fragmentations in a complex movement when not all the demands

respond to the same kind of needs.

Bodies in crisis thus provides an interesting and integral view on the uses of the

body, presenting it as a proof of the existence, empowerment, and courage of women.

Through their bodies, women have been able to confront their realities and resist, even in

the most difficult times.

3 Ibid, 162