Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Dergisi (Dec 2017)
Social Movements and Women in Latin America: The Case of Zapatista
Abstract
Mexico became a Spanish colony at the beginning of the 16th century. Indigenous people of the region had been exposed to murders, tortures and slavery committed by the Spanish colonists. Almost all of the indigenous cities were completely destroyed and colonial cities were established in this process. San Cristobal de las Casas is one of the colonial cities where it is still possible to see the signs of colonialism and its new types. It is meaningful that the short rebellion of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) started in this city in January 1994. During the uprising and later on, the Mayan women of Chiapas played important roles in the Zapatista movement. Mayan indigenous women who resisted patriarchal life styles and traditions in Chiapas and Mexico in general, had joined Zapatistas to stand against exploitation and to gain their rights as women for gender equality. In this article the historical formation of the Zapatista movement and the place, demands and struggles of women in this movement will be examined, especially through the interviews with Zapatista women.
