Sin Mujeres No Hay Revolución”
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“SIN MUJERES NO HAY REVOLUCIÓN” TRANSVERSAL FEMINIST POLITICS IN THE DIGITAL MEDIATED ACTIVISM OF THE ARGENTINE COLLECTIVE NI UNA MENOS _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by AYLEEN A. CABAS-MIJARES Dr. Cristina Mislán, Dissertation Supervisor JULY 2019 © Copyright by Ayleen A. Cabas-Mijares All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled “SIN MUJERES NO HAY REVOLUCIÓN” TRANSVERSAL FEMINIST POLITICS IN THE DIGITAL MEDIATED ACTIVISM OF THE ARGENTINE COLLECTIVE NI UNA MENOS presented by Ayleen Cabas-Mijares, a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Journalism, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Assistant Professor Cristina Mislán Associate Professor Yong Volz Associate Professor Ryan Thomas Associate Professor Victoria Johnson Associate Professor Rebecca Martínez ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS So, this is it. This is the culmination of work and sacrifice I cannot describe. My body and my mind feel the weight of what I am about to accomplish. A pressure has been lifted and, yet, I need to sit down and process. I am tired. I am proud. I am excited. I am sleepy. I am profoundly grateful. I will take this space to honor the people who have brought me here. Every person in these acknowledgements was instrumental for me to reach my potential. The cliché is true: I would not be here without these people. I hope I do justice to my beloved mentors and friends here. There is no way Cristina is not the first. She made me, even when she will not admit it. Cristina always knew how to give me space to grow. She also knew when to put the pressure on. She simply understood me. She let me cry and rant. She healed me many times. Hers is a tough love, but love nevertheless. I want to make her proud forever because she deserves it. She deserves whatever praise I can earn in her name. So, here is my work and effort. If you see an impressive piece of thought here, know Dr. Cristina Mislán made it possible. She crafted this brain and sensibility first-hand and created a confident researcher and teacher. Not everyone can say that. She has a legacy. The rest of my committee members have also left a big mark on me and my scholarship. Dr. Young Volz, I will always try to emulate her thoughtfulness and methodic ways. She helped me approach qualitative methods with confidence. Thank you for being a great role model for women scholars. Dr. Ryan Thomas is so helpful he writes papers about it! I will forever be grateful for the useful readings and discussions we ii always had. I also thank him for laughing so generously at my bad jokes. Dr. Victoria Johnson brought sociology into my life and that is nothing but a gift. Plus, she wrapped this valuable present with delightful sarcasm and wit, so what else can I ever ask for? Lastly, Dr. Rebecca Martínez showed me the struggle and the strength you need to survive and thrive in academia as a woman of color. She shows the hardship and the hope. Her openness and honesty helped me ground myself in this work. As a bonus, I want to acknowledge the work of Dr. Earnest Perry. His leadership and care gave me the confidence to grow bolder in this program. Knowing that he had my back allowed me to take risks and be me. In a world full of academics who try to ‘tame’ women of color, Dr. Perry enables our own ways in greatness. Now is the time for my brother in arms, Rob. Robbie has been a blessing since day one. The laughter he has given me these three years has been life-saving. Our friendship is deep and true. It is healthy and level-headed. Robbie is all you will ever need when you shoot for greatness. He will humble you but never let you doubt yourself. He will take you seriously but lighten up the mood whenever necessary. He never let me despair. He gave me family when mine was away. I love Rob with all my heart, and I am forever grateful for him. I also need to thank the Tigers that are gone. Dr. Rachel Grant… that’s my sister! My God, her love is so reliable and genuine that it can scare you sometimes. We loved each other instantly, and that love took us through thin and thick. She also made a home for me in Columbia, and that is just priceless. Then, we have the Joy of my life, Dr. Joy Jenkins. The master of puns and hospitality. Joy taught me a lot about being a person devoted to the service of others. She makes people feel safe and welcomed in meaningful iii ways. I’d trust her with my life. Plus, she made me make friends with a reverend, her husband, who will take care of my soul. In short, this is the best friendship bundle I’ve ever gotten! The current Tigers earned big shout outs, too. Namyeon was the most beautiful addition to our cohort. She just brings balance to the force with her smile. Sarita, you are something else. My love for you runs deep and I am grateful for all the wine and the confidence you’ve given me. Joe, thanks for pushing me to think so deeply about scholarship and life. I hope the messiness of life doesn’t torment you much. To my Sociology folks – Nathan, Julien, Melina, Alexis, and Jen –, thank you for making me smarter and for feeding my desire for justice. Dorothy, Sue and Charlotte, my J-Library fairies! They have been so patient and helpful! I will never be able to repay them for all their kindness. Outside the school, many people have kept me sane and pushing over the years. Mike Sweeney, you guide my heart. Thank you for being a light in my life. Alicia Gatts, boo, thanks for the sisterhood, the healing and the salsa nights. Frank, hun, you give me invaluable love and peace. I love you. I love you. Mom, dad, Ashly, Celso, Sebas… we did it again. We keep breaking the mold and conquering. We’ll keep leaving marks in the world, finding freedom and dignity. Seguiremos guarachando! Finally, much respect and admiration must go to the activists involved in Ni Una Menos worldwide. These people put their bodies in the frontlines of the fight for liberation, and for that we are all indebted to them. All my appreciation goes to these extraordinary women. iv As I said before, my gratitude for the people in these acknowledgements is infinite. I will always try to honor the teachings, friendship and love I have been given. I am so happy to have shared such a defining part of my life with all of you. How lucky I was to end up at Mizzou! How lucky I am for having all of you! v TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. ii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ viii Chapter One: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 Structure of the Dissertation ........................................................................................... 4 Chapter Two: Literature Review ...................................................................................... 10 Media and Power .......................................................................................................... 10 Mediated Activism in Shifting Media Environments ................................................... 15 Media and Journalism in Argentina .............................................................................. 23 Feminism and Women’s Movements in Latin America ............................................... 31 Intersectionality and Ni Una Menos: A Transnational Critique ................................... 40 Sharpening Intersectionality through Transversal Politics ....................................... 46 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 50 Chapter Three: Methodology ............................................................................................ 52 Postcolonial and Feminist Approaches to Ethnography ............................................... 55 Ethnographic Fieldwork in Digital Spaces ............................................................... 61 Semi-Structured In-Depth Interviews ....................................................................... 71 Critical Discourse Analysis....................................................................................... 74 Data Analysis ................................................................................................................ 77 Chapter Four: The Transversal Politics of Ni Una Menos ................................................ 80 Violencia Machista at the Core of Feminist Interventions ........................................... 81 Forming Collective Identity through Flexible Solidarities ........................................... 95 Embodying Transversal Feminist Politics in Argentina ............................................. 108 From Intersectional to Transversal Politics ............................................................ 109 The Digital Challenge to Transversal Politics ........................................................ 116 Chapter Five: Transversal Feminist Politics Online: The Mediated Activism of Ni Una Menos .............................................................................................................................