Feminism in the Global South

In March, doctorate candidate Maria Auxiliadora Castillo Soto was invited to participate in an event titled “Feminism in the Global South: Shedding a Light on Underrepresentation,” organized by UNICEF Student Team Utrecht and Feles in Felium (FIF) at Utrecht University. Castillo Soto presented her experience as a Latin American early-career scholar in the Netherlands, where she is completing her PhD trajectory. She talked about her research and the Euterpe project and the different output that the consortium has developed so far.

The stage was shared with Ana Maria Miranda Mora, an Assistant Professor of Gender and Postcolonial Studies, and Vinícius Garcia Fonseca, a PhD candidate in Gender Studies. On the one hand, Miranda Mora presented her work on different feminist groups in Mexico, positioning structural violence and imperialism as undeniable players in violent acts against women. She explained how different feminist groups raise their voice and act against these social and governmental oppressors. On the other hand, Garcia Fonseca presented her personal experience and connections to feminism in Brazil, his home country, and how the work he does on memory studies focuses on uncovering stories and voices purposely left out from hegemonic historical accounts.

At the end of the evening, there was a panel discussion where participants asked questions to the three speakers. The conversation was fruitful and engaging around the topics of transnational feminism(s), academia, legislation, and important topics around the event’s main theme.