Subversive Visibility: Gender, feminist protests, and public spaces in Argentina
Overview
The paper explores the intricate character of public urban spaces, unveiling their almost contradictory nature as both a source of gendered fear and as potential spaces where subjects gain political visibility through collective interventions. Globally, nearly 90 per cent of young women below 30 years of age report feeling unsafe in public spaces. Despite the fear of public spaces, feminist mobilisations, exemplified in the paper by the dynamic movements for women’s rights in Argentina between 2015 and 2022, carry the potential to reclaim public spaces. The research examines the Ni Una Menos (Not One [Women] Less), the National Campaign for the Right to Legal, Safe and Free Abortion, and the Plurinational Meeting of Women and Dissidents protests to understand young women’s experiences of political mobilisations. I introduce the concept of ‘subversive visibility’ to capture instances where public spaces become fear-pacifying rather than fear-inducing spaces, disrupting traditional gendered spatial logic. The disruptions in the form of protests and occupations challenge the conventional division of private and public spaces, showcasing transformative potential. The paper employs theoretical perspectives on the gendered implications of the public–private binary, urban safety, and draws on scholarship related to massive protests and women’s rights struggles.
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/13552074.2024.2362495ISBN
1355-2074How to cite this resource
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