Historias de las luchas de mujeres
El objetivo de esta sesion es empezar a desvelar las historias inspiradoras del movimiento de mujeres. Muchas cosas guapas han pasado en los ultimos cien años, pero todavia hay mucho desconocimiento, hasta en el ambiente mas “radical”. Para mi muchos de estos grupos de mujeres fueron realmente revolucionarias en su analisis, estrategias y tacticas, y “nuestro” movimiento es en varias formas la continuacion de la forma de pensar de nuestra abuelas quema-sujetadores.
Para empezar, es bueno explicar los objetivos de la dinamica, y tu motivacion para hacerlos. Luego explica las reglas del juego.
Entonces, escribe el nombre de cada grupo, junto con la fecha y el pais, cada una en una tarjeta. Reparte las tarjetas entre las participantes. Si son varias, pueden trabajar con en pares, o si son menos, puedes dar 2-3 tarjetas por participante.
Luegoi deberian empezar a mezclarse, como en una fiesta de cocteles. Busca a alguien quien sabe un poco sobre el grupo que pone en tu tarjeta, o ayuda a las de mas si sabes algo sobre los grupos que han tocado a ellas. La idea es tratar a juntar informacion sobre el grupo, de que se trataba, que hicieron, como funcionaron, anecdotas etc. La mayoria de nostras sobemos cosillas de muchas cosas, y con esta dinamica estamos tratando a juntar toda esta informacion colectiva a un conjunto comprensible. Como la moderadora de la dinamica, tu obviamente sabras un poco de todos los grupos. Ofrece este informacion a todas.
Despues de 10-15 minutos, o cuando se va apagando la discusion, pide que los partici0antes se sientasn en un circulo, y toman turnos explicando que les contaron o que saben sobre el grupo en question. Cuando la persona ha explicado todo lo que sabe, las de mas pueden añadir cosas. Es una dinamica guay para mirar las estrategias bastante innovadoras de las mujeres militantes.
A continuacion tienes 15 sugerencias de grupos para este juego. Son cosas que yo sabnia o me interesaba, añade otras o cambialos por completo si quieres. Es bueno tener algunas tarjetas en blanco para que la gente puede añadir mas grupos que conozen.
Union Social y Politica de Mujeres - Women´s Social and Political Union
est. 1903, Reino Unido
Las sufragistas mas famosas de Inglaterra. Fundado por Emmeline y Christabel Pankhurst y unas otras como un
Women´s Social and Political Union, est. 1903, UK
The epithet of British suffragists. Founded by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst and a few other ladies as a splinter group form a larger, non-militant coalition fighting for women s right to vote. Their first rally slogan was “Deed, not Words” Had a monthly journal and only-women conferences. A few years on started demonstrating outside the parliament and had those photo-opportunities of them chained into the gates. Adopted more confrontational tactics when the vote debate, along with all the other wrongs of the world, was not moving anywhere. Did serious property destruction, especially shop windows of prominent industrialists and members of the house of lords, burned the house of the prime minister and put a bomb in Westminster abbey, to name just a few of their antics. Faced serious repression and many were imprisoned. Used prisoner hunger strike first time in the UK.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_Social_and_Political_Union
Abolitionists, 19th century, US and elsewhere
On both sides of the atlantic many early feminists got their organizing experience form the anti-slavery struggles. In the first International Anti-Slavery Convention in London 1840, some of the female US delegates received a really shit treatment in the conference, and met up with a few british powerful ladies and chewed fat about patriarchy. This led to the US delegates, for example Lucretio Mott, to organize the first women s conference in the US in 1848, where thay came up with the famous Seneca Falls “Declaration of Sentiments”, that campaigned for women´s rights to be included in the constitution.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Falls_Convention
Mother Earth, Journal est. 1906, US
Emma Goldman´s monthly journal that covered current events from an anarcha-feminist perspective, with very radical articles about birth control and abortion, marriage, worker s power, political murders…
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Goldman
Mujeres Libres, 1930´s, Spain
Officially founded in 1936, in its heyday Mujeres Libres had a member base of 40 000 women . They insisted on remaining autonomous from the anarchist unions of the time like CNT, feeling that the large mixed anarchist organizations and dogma ignored the question of women s rights, or rather, waited for it to sort itself out “after the revolution”. Mujeres Libres didn t proclaim to be feminist, because at the time in Spain feminism was mainly a bourgeois movement concentrating on the right to vote. Instead M.L. organised schools for women, a newspaper and discussion groups, and fought for their right to carry arms and fight in the frontline during the Spanish Civil War.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujeres_Libres
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/ws98/ws54_mujeres_libres.html
Redstockings, est. 1969, US
The original bra-burners. Another splinter group from a wider New York Radical Women, which worked with consciousness raising groups. Founders include for example Shulamith Firestone. Redstockings the stage in 1969 Miss America contest protesting against the objectification of women and burned the bras on live TV. Throughout 70´s they organised speak-outs and zap actions, combining disruptive protest and street theatre, particularly around the issue of abortion.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redstockings and http://fsweb.berry.edu/academic/hass/csnider/berry/hum200/redstockings.htm
Rote Zora, 1970´s and 80´s Germany
Rote Zora is a militant women's group that carried out over twenty attacks and various other offences in Germany in the eighties. They fought against atomic, gene and reproduction technologies; the corresponding targets of their attacks were companies such as Bayer, Schering and Siemens, research institutes and property of the "representatives of the patriarchal order". Rote Zora formed a radical political opposition to the existing power which they carried out through a politics of property damage. It was their principle to avoid injuring anyone.
More info in http://www.medienwerkstatt-wien.at/files/titles/rote-zora_main.htm
Combahee River Collective, est. 1974, US
A collective of black feminists, founded in 1974. Their “mission statement”
reads:
“eliminating racism in the white women´s movement is by definition
work for white women to do, but we will continue to speak and demand acoountability
on this issue”. The collective took its name from the river where Harriet
Tupman (an incredibly inspiring woman, go google!) helped hundreds of slaves
to escape before the amercan civil war.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Feminism and
http://www.buffalostate.edu/orgs/rspms/combahee.html
Women in Black est. 1988, Palestine/Israel
Started as a strategy by a group of Israeli women during the first Palestinian Intifada, who started holding vigils in protest against the atrocities in the occupied territories. Nowadays spread world wide.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Black and http://www.womeninblack.org.uk/
Consciousness raising groups, 1970´s US
A strategy adopted by American feminist groups of the 60´s and 70´s. Only-female discussion groups looking at issues of body politics, sexuality, patriarchy in the day-to-day life, parting from the “Personal is Political”
Women on Waves, 1999, Netherlands
A Dutch group of doctors, nurses and other women performing off-shore abortions in a mobile clinic on a boat.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_on_Waves and www.womenonwaves.org
RAWA - Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan, est. 1977
Founded in 1977 by Meena, who was later assassinated for her politics. A women s organization opposing all forms of religious fundamentalism and developing ways to survive in the midst of it. They ve organized underground schools, health clinics etc, and held seminars and other consciousness raising events. Strongly oppose the US invasion.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_Association_of_the_Women_of_Afghanistan and http://www.rawa.org/
Asociación de Mujeres Nicaraguenses Luisa Amanda Espinosa, 1977
A massive women s group (over 80 000 card carrying members in the 80 s) founded by women who fought in the frontlines of the Sandinista revolution but got fed up with their issues always being sidelined. Did loads of work around workplace equality, women in arms, rape, abortion etc. Went quite mainstream in the end.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMNLAE_(Asociacion_de_Mujeres_Nicaraguenses_Luisa_Amanda_Espinosa)
Wimmins Fire Brigade, 1980´s Canada
A five women militant groups bombing and burning porn stores in Canda in 1980´s, strategy that continues in many countries today.
Lesbian Avengers, est. 1992, US
A new yorkian phenomenon of the 1990´s , now spread around the States and UK. Street theatre and symbolic actions, include all kinds of queers, but no men. Slogan “Be the bomb you throw”…
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian_Avengers and http://geocities.com/gainesvilleavengers/aboutavengers.htm
Mujeres Creando, Bolivia 1992
A Bolivian anarcha-feminist collective that participates in a range of anti-poverty
work, including propaganda, street theater and direct action. They are most
famous for their beautiful graffitis. Members include Bolivia´s only openly
lesbian activists. Mujeres Creando publishes Mujer Publica , produces a weekly
radio show, and maintains a cultural café named Carcajada.
More info in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujeres_Creando and www.mujerescreando.org
(in Spanish)
There thousands of groups that could and should be included here, it s a very
euro-anglo centric list…
Have fun doing the workshop! This is a good template use with manyh other issues as well.