Group items tagged

This article explores the roles of women in Latin America and the Caribbean. The article begins with the traditional view of women and their stereotypes. Then it moves into the feminist movements and how women are trying to recreate their identities. It discusses the conflict of feminism in a patriarchal society and the women of Latin America and the Caribbean can rise above the traditions and have equal rights. Women are trying to transform this exclusive society in to an inclusive one.

The military's efforts to exercise power through terrorizing during the civil war in Guatemala (1960-1966), resurfaces today through the acts of gender-based violence, committed by gangs in Guatemala. This exemplifies how war and violence shapes society and how it has influenced gender equality. There is as much terror and torturing of women as there was during the war. However, now this reality is being reinforced by members of society-since such crimes go unnoticed/unpunished-, normalizing terror and fear in Guatemala.

This article talks about violence against women in Guatemala and how it is not only happening more these days, but the crimes are also seeming to get worse. It also talks about the difference between the murders of both men and women and possible reasons for why they were caused. Recently however, there have been marches in the streets and increased awareness domestically and internationally of the problems facing the country regarding violence.

This article discusses Machismo and the Dominican Republic. The authors explore the cause of such a aggression and the idea that this male role is so deeply rooted in Latin American Society. Also, it questions the roles that women play in relationship to this "manly man" and how the men view the women. This exaggerated masculinity is deeply rooted in the Dominican society along with many other places in Latin America.

The macho culture of Latin America can be traced back to the time of the Conquistadors. Maria Elena Ramos Tovar addresses that at the time of the conquistadors men dominated women through their masculinity. In today's Mexican culture the movies from Hollywood and those produced in the country portray the image of man, which in turn reinforces the preexisting image of the 'machismo' in Mexican culture. Longevity of the ideals of machismo are being confronted by the women in Mexican society and this can be seen in the levels of divorce rates in the society. Women are becoming less tolerant of men who retain the image of macho. This article does a comparative analysis between the male dominance in the Mexican culture versus the culture in the Nigerian village of Lagos.

Homosexuality in Mexico is the main subject of this article. They go on to talk about masculinity and how that relates to being gay and whether it is accepted within society. The article also discusses HIV/AIDS and how it is connected to homosexuality and the various acts of men in Mexico.

An audio clip of a woman telling her story of her illegal abortion and the repercussions it had on her body and her presence within her society. Again, we see the struggle between the religion of Mexico and the push for women's rights.

This article focuses on how the idea of masculinity or "machismo" influences domestic violence. If a man does not fight back or show his strength then he is not considered a man in the Dominican Republic culture. This article also explores how difficult it is for women to get recognized in Latino culture due to its patriarchal society. Women have to work twice as hard to succeed than men do.

A radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and justice. Due to religious influences and beliefs, women do not have the rights to their bodies by law, so they seek alternative methods to have abortions, with a large number resulting in death. Similar to our discussion of sexual education in schools, the 'reality' does not match up with what is taught in schools (especially Catholic ones). Instead of being proactive and preventative, abstinence is taught. iolence against women is coming to the forefront as a major concern in Latin America. Termed "femicide," violence against women by men because they are women is a poor result of the hierarchy of the cultural society in Latin America. Machismo and masculinity influence men to feel that they must act this way from a young way in order to exert their power and strength, but it is unacceptable. This article also discusses women's movements and their fight for equal rights as well as rights to maternity leave and other aspects that women who work must take into account.

This article discusses about a group of mothers/grandmothers and their attempt to reconstruct their lives during and after living in Argentina's "Dirty War". They protested to be reunited with their children/grandchildren who were kidnapped by the military. We see here a group of women trying to strengthen a post-conflict society. Through passive activism, "Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo" confronted the government and voiced for those who were silenced; restoring what was lost during the war.

This is the website of a human rights group that, while specific to Argentina, reflects the nature of the political turbulence which many Latin American countries have endured, contextualizing the contemporary political situations. Their continued work provides insight into the role that women play in Latin American society and activism.

This excerpt attempts to define the word "machismo" in the Latin American culture. It goes on to describe how "machismo" is a main influence in making a man a "real man". A survey is taken in two different locations, reaffirming the idea of a machismo male-dominated society.

This cite is valuable because it has a large compilation of articles pertaining to a multitude of current issues in Venezuelan society. Such topics include; the economy, social change, internal and external politics, current events, etc.. There are audio recordings as well as the literary ones.

Eco Del Sur was founded nine years ago with the idea to preserve the traditional music and culture from different countries in Latin America. In this way, the indigenous groups that have been integrated with the rest of society can still keep their past alive. The audience is taught about the origins of the music, so that they can know where it all came from.

This article talks about the affects of violent crime on Latin American Society. It discusses the ways in which the government is trying to instigate new programs to reduce the crime rate relating to sexual abuse, drug-trafficking, kidnappings, gangs, substance abuse. The government plans to begin early education regarding these issues as well as encourage and strengthen citizen and community participation.

I read an article titled, "El milagro está en casa Gender and Private/Public Empowerment in a Migrant Pentecostal Church," by Lois Ann Lorentzen with Rosalina Mira through this website and thought it would be incredibly helpful in understanding gender roles within a Pentecostal, Latin American society. This article looks at a community of migrants in the San Francisco/Bay Area in a specific church. I thought this would be interesting to see how their perspectives may change after moving to the United States.

This source looks at how issues of violence and crime have effected the development of Latin American societies.

This blog discusses how Evangelicalism works as a frame for civil society in Venezuela due to the restrictions that the church enforces. This particular blog post also happens to be written by David Smilde, the author of the current book we are reading.

The article entitled "Guatemala's 'Femicide' Crisis" seeks to explain the implications of the unnecessary and brutal mass killings occurring amongst women in Guatemala mostly by male gangs. Because the killings have exceeded such an unusual extent, it has been deemed a "Femicide", otherwise known as a "Gendercide" or a genocide directed mainly against females. The ages of girls or women discussed in this article being raped, beaten, and murdered range from three year old toddlers to middle aged women. Not only do gangs of men perform these acts for no reason other to establish masculinity within their affinity groups. Moreover, the law enforcement agencies are so corrupt that it was said, "justice imposed by the state is non-existent" and "only two per cent of crimes against women are solved." This article seeks to establish the problem that is still going on even after the forty-year civil war while other chosen articles are determined to look for solutions.

Indigenous groups of Guatemala are making efforts to pass a bill which will create a wave band or community radio stations. For indigenous cultures, which makes up 80% of the Guatemala population, the radio is the only form of expression through their own language. Community radio stations are vital for indigenous groups because many indigenous women are illiterate and the prominent forms of media are only carried out in Spanish. A lack of communication between indigenous cultures could result in death. If this bill is passed, it will give indigenous groups the opportunity to contribute to Guatemalan society and will help them gain free speech.