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The Brazilian 2013 protests and the issue of gender

Abstract

This paper discusses gender in the process of the demonstrations that happened in June 2013 in Brazil. It analyzes tensions and gender conflicts within groups involved in this process, as well as the strategies employed to challenge these forms of oppression. The article is grounded on three theoretical perspectives: social movement theories, Honnethian theory of recognition and feminist debates about autonomy. Empirically, the article is based on 20 interviews with activists from Belo Horizonte, which are part of the research project titled Protests and Political Engagement. Our findings show the existence of oppression within movements seen as emancipatory, while also pointing out to the transformative potential of disrespect, as collective actors are challenged to reconsider themselves throughout their struggles.

Keywords :
protests; gender; justice; feminism

Universidade de Brasília. Instituto de Ciência Política Instituto de Ciência Política, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro - Gleba A Asa Norte, 70904-970 Brasília - DF Brasil, Tel.: (55 61) 3107-0777 , Cel.: (55 61) 3107 0780 - Brasília - DF - Brazil
E-mail: rbcp@unb.br