Gender Justice, Citizenship and Difference in Latin America

This article surveys feminist citizenship practices and scholarship on gender, justice, citizenship and rights in Latin America. Feminism’s critique of patriarchal privilege expressed a modern desire for greater individual freedom and collective recognition, a combination that produced tensions and some inconsistencies in regard to the «difference» question, notably in its encounter with indigenous populations. However, central to feminism’s project was the pursuit of both recognition and redistribution, which achieved greater success in the realm of law and politics than in the distribution of public and private goods. A review of Latin American feminism’s achievements reveals a history of substantial advances but a striking persistence of gender inequality, which provides a rich agenda for further investigation.