South American Independence: Gender, Politics, Text

The struggles for independence in Latin America during the first half of the nineteenth century were accompanied by a wide-ranging debate about political rights, nationality and citizenship. In South American Independence: Gender, Politics, Text, Catherine Davies, Claire Brewster and Hilary Owen investigate the place of gender in that discussion, considering the textual construction of gender categories in independence discourse and the published and unpublished writings of particular women. Focusing on Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Colombia, the book traces the contradictions inherent in revolutionary movements that, while arguing for the rights of all, remained ambivalent, at best, about the place of women. Through an examination of women's material, cultural and symbolic interventions in the conflict, South American Independence: Gender, Politics, Text reveals the complex role of women in shaping and challenging the vexed ideologies of independence.

About the Author:
Catherine Davies is Professor of Hispanic and Latin American Studies at the University of Nottingham

About the Author:
Claire Brewster is Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham and Lecturer in American History in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Newcastle

About the Author:
Hilary Owen is Professor of Portuguese and Luso-African Studies at the University of Manchester