Rosa Manus Lecture | Latin American Feminism: A new Wave?

Professor Maxine Molyneux (UK) will give the second Rosa Manus Lecture titled 'Latin American Feminism: A new Wave?'. There will be a comment by Professor Giselinde Kuipers. Maxine Molyneux will reflect on women's movements and activism in Latin America, relating current struggles to the history of feminism in the region.

NL: Op dinsdag 23 januari geeft Prof. dr. Maxine Molyneux (VK) de tweede Rosa Manus lezing getiteld 'Latin American Feminism: A new Wave?'. Co-referent is Prof. dr. Giselinde Kuipers. De lezing (EN) gaat over vrouwenbewegingen en activisme in Latijns-Amerika en de verhouding van huidige bewegingen tot de geschiedenis van feminisme in de regio.

Latin America is notable for the strength and variety of its women’s movements and for the widespread activism that from the 1980s brought legal reforms, qu­otas for female representation in politics and other gender equality measures. Yet in many areas change has been slow and there have been reverses. High levels of gender based violence are but one indicator of this, and the lack of certain reproductive rights another.­ These issues have become a focus of recent large scale protests such as the Ni Una Menos campaign that brought tens of thousands onto the streets of five Latin American countries last year, and young feminists appear to be leading a new wave of activism. Maxine Molyneux presents her reflections on the history of Latin American feminism, focusing on the five decades since the ‘Second Wave’ of the 1970s. She asks how different are the struggles, tactics and challenges that confront the new wave of young activists as compared with previous generations? How different are the challenges today, and does feminism confront the rise of a more organised and self confident anti-feminist, anti-LGBTQI, pro-family religious opposition?

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Maxine Molyneux Professor of Sociology and was the founding Director of the Institute of the Americas at University College London. She was Director and Professor of the Institute for the Study of the Americas, at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study. She has written widely in the fields of gender studies, feminist history, human rights, poverty and development policy, and has authored books on Latin America, Ethiopia and South Yemen. She has served as senior consultant to UN agencies (UNRISD, ILO, UNFPA, UN Women) and NGOs (Oxfam, Care International), the Canadian IDRC, and UK’s DFID. She is currently working on an oral history of Latin American second wave feminism in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.

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Giselinde Kuipers is a professor of cultural sociology at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

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The Rosa Manus Lecture is a tribute to a woman who is of historical importance for the development of women’s position as fully-fledged political citizens and also in the field of history. Rosa Manus (1881–1942) played a crucial role in the women’s suffrage movement and the peace movement at both a national and international level. Through this annual lecture, Atria wishes to provide a critical, internationally oriented focus on academic developments that are relevant to women’s and gender history. It is therefore also perpetuating the memory of Rosa Manus and the historical significance of her work.

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LOCATION: Doelenzaal, University of Amsterdam-Library, Singel 425, Amsterdam

DOORS OPEN: 7.00 p.m.
START LECTURE: 7.30 p.m.

At 9.00 p.m. the programme will be concluded with a festive drinks reception.

The event is free of charge, but please register via Atria's website.