Gender Studies and Feminist Movements Reshape Brazilian Academia and Society
In 2001, academic circles in England experienced a resurgence of feminist theories from the 1970s, particularly through Gender Studies and queer theory, which intersected with cultural studies and post-colonial theory. Prominent figures in this movement included Gayatri Spivak, Jacques Derrida, Stuart Hall, Raymond Williams, and Slavoj Žižek. The challenges faced, such as administrative burdens, were exemplified by the case of neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel. Over the past decade in Brazil, feminist collectives and LGBTT movements have gained prominence, reshaping views on gender relations. The exclusion of women from interim president Michel Temer's ministry highlighted outdated political attitudes. The fourth feminist wave, driven by the internet, focused on practical indignation and reform in daily life, suggesting a potential fifth wave to tackle identity politics and intersectionality.
Key facts
- Gender Studies emerged from 1970s feminist theories, intersecting with cultural studies, post-colonial theory, post-Marxism, post-structuralism, and critical psychoanalysis.
- In Brazil, gender theories were initially underrepresented but gained substantial visibility over a decade, with feminist collectives in São Paulo schools and expanding LGBTT movements.
- Everyday relationships and habits are seen as replicating power dynamics, making gender a performative practice rather than a fixed biological or anatomical condition.
- Dissenters often frame gender demands as ideological threats to family and power, obscuring inequalities and discrimination.
- The fourth feminist wave was propelled by the internet, with campaigns like #PrimeiroAssédio thematizing oppression and driving daily life reform.
- University delays in gender issues reflect Brazil's over-reliance on institutionalizing differences, while new feminism focuses on pre- and post-institutional relations.
- Identity politics requires performative criteria but risks segregation without transversality and intersectionality, necessitating a potential fifth wave.
Entities
Locations
- England
- Brazil
- São Paulo