South American Independence Gender, Politics, Text

The struggle for independence in Latin America during the first half of the nineteenth century was accompanied by wide-ranging debates about political rights, nationality, and citizenship.South American Independenceinvestigates the neglected role of gender in that discussion. Examining women writers from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia, the authors trace the contradictions inherent in revolutionary movements that, while arguing for the rights of all, remained ambivalent, at best, about the place of women. Through studies of both published and unpublished writings,South American Independencereveals the complex role of women in shaping the vexed ideologies of independence.

Catherine Davies is professor of Hispanic and Latin American studies at the University of Nottingham. Claire Brewster is a research fellow at the University of Nottingham. Hilary Owen is senior lecturer in Portuguese at the University of Manchester.