Description
Book SynopsisIt has been argued that the first presidential campaign of Michelle Bachelet in Chile and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina used a rhetoric of newness. Some political observers have said that as the first women to successfully run for the highest office in these countries, they were presented as the new faces of democracy. These observers argued that gender was not a determining factor in their electoral success, but the focus on this first women frame did generate heavily gendered criticisms of these two candidates. Negotiating Gendered Discourses addresses these views by asking how the gender factor is negotiated when women from the Southern Cone of Latin America run for high political office. In particular, Jane L. Christie examines how Bachelet and Fernández positioned themselves in relation to the numerous women-led social movements, and in doing so, reveals points of intersection between these contemporary political discourses and existing sources of female authority wh
Trade ReviewThis book contributes to the ongoing discussion of women’s representation in executive politics. Through the use of feminist CDA, the author aptly shows how gendered frames, expectations, a country’s political history and a politician’s own history all are factors in how women presidents see themselves and how they want to be seen by the political elite and general population. * International Feminist Journal of Politics *
Jane Christie's provocative study examines a pivotal point in a period of political change in South America. It highlights the strategic appropriation of resonant discourses around the maternal body and the continuation of life; the family and the strengthening of community; the ethics of care; and the functions prescribed to female political leaders that have inhibited their full engagement in a rights-based feminist agenda. This is an exciting contribution to the growing discussion of female political leaders in Latin America and is sure to stimulate debate. -- Raylene Ramsay, University of Auckland
Negotiating Gendered Discourses provides convincing evidence of the ways Cristina Fernández and Michelle Bachelet skillfully negotiated culturally specific gender-coding as they became the first elected women presidents of Argentina and Chile. Most fascinating is the study’s juxtaposition of these two leaders´ framing of economic policies designed for the majority of citizens: women. Christie’s feminist discourse analysis of women and political power has larger implications for understanding women’s leadership during crisis, and provides insight into strategies used by other world leaders to soften their image, such as those of Angela Merkel in negotiating the refugee crisis in Europe. -- Kathryn Lehman, The University of Auckland
Table of ContentsChapter I: Women as Political Subjects and Agents in Chile and Argentina Chapter II: Human Rights Icons: Feminized Political Leadership Frames Chapter III: Economic Policy Claims Chapter IV: Feminist Policy Claims
