Description
Book SynopsisFrom her personal diary as an eleven-year-old in a Catholic girl''s school, in which she chastises herself for the sin of wearing a bathing suit, through erudite analysis of the patriarchal structures on which most world communities stand, Elena GarcZs examines culture, history, economics, law, and religion as they apply to her native Colombia. In so doing, she promotes ideas which demolish the ''forced enclosure'' of women in that society. Eighteen Colombian women, selected at random from many regions and ethnicities, and from up and down the socioeconomic ladder, tell life stories almost universally tragic, regardless of the wealth, education, age, or status derived from positions held by their husbands. Their experiences, in particular the ways in which family and institutions are used against them, illustrate the feminist theories around which GarcZs shapes her arguments. This book will be ideal for undergraduate students of Women''s Studies, Latin American Studies, Religion, and
Trade ReviewWith passion underlying cool scholarship, Elena Garcés exposes Colombia's patriarchal system, a catastrophe for women and for the nation. Home, government, and Church collude to rob women, first, of their voices and, then, of the economic and political power by which they might thrive. Informed by her female subjects, the author links tradition and social science, to empower women, to encourage mutual respect between women and men, and to establish, perhaps, a model for Latin America. -- Elinor Hiller
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Pages of My Diary When I was Eleven Years Old Chapter 2 Chapter 1. Myself: My Life Chapter 3 Chapter 2. Feminist Research and Methods Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Empowerment Through Our Own Voices: Reflections on Woman-Centric Research Chapter 5 Chapter 4. The Symbolic and Social Construction of Female Sexuality: Theoretical Background on Desire, Discourse, and the Body Chapter 6 Chapter 5. Family Models and Colombian Women's Participation in History and Politics Chapter 7 Chapter 6. Focus on Socioeconomic and Political Realities Chapter 8 Chapter 7. Female Socialization and Stages of Life in Colombia Chapter 9 Chapter 8. Oppression, Violence, and Discrimination Against Women in Colombia Chapter 10 Chapter 9. Part I. The Virgin Mary Mother and Women: A Semiotic Metaphor in Aid of Colombian Women Chapter 11 Chapter 9. Part II. The Catholic Church Incursions on the Law of the Prelates Chapter 12 Chapter 10. Conclusion: Life as a Work of Art
