1 / 8

Casa Amiga : Feminist Community-Building in Ciudad Juárez as an Alternative to the Structural Violence of Globalization

Casa Amiga : Feminist Community-Building in Ciudad Juárez as an Alternative to the Structural Violence of Globalization. Joanna Swanger. Presentation by: Meghan Murphy. Casa Amiga.

sloan
Download Presentation

Casa Amiga : Feminist Community-Building in Ciudad Juárez as an Alternative to the Structural Violence of Globalization

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Casa Amiga: Feminist Community-Building in Ciudad Juárez as an Alternative to the Structural Violence of Globalization Joanna Swanger Presentation by: Meghan Murphy

  2. Casa Amiga The first crisis center for women in Northern Mexico.  It is located in Ciudad Juárez, which is on the border next to El Paso, Texas. • -It focuses on issues of Domestic Violence, and addressing the "femicide" that was occurring.   • Femicide: a wave of unsolved murders of 340 women in the past twelve years (2005). Most were young (teenage-to early 20's) and worked in the maquiladoras, and many share indigenous features that would mark them as outsiders.  • -In 2004, Casa Amiga had 20 paid workers: 13 of whom worked in Casa Amiga, and 7 of whom worked in the Refugio (the shelter for families in high-risk situations).  They also had 40 volunteers. 

  3. Thesis "I argue that  Casa Amiga does indeed make a connection between globalization and violence against women and children, in that both are processes of dehumanization and manifestation of alienation; and that Casa Amiga creates a local alternative to globalization through working to restore a sense of empowerment and multidimensional humanity--i.e., through community building."

  4. Globalization and Violence against Women: Manifestations of Alienation on the Border • Globalization as a reason for domestic violence and "femicide" • -Because they want cheap laborers, women take up jobs; giving them more financial freedoms, and less time in the home. • -Women began to have social lives-- going against the cultural norms of Mexican society • -People said that the victims of the "femicide" brought it upon themselves when they transgressed gender roles. • -The understanding of gender is changing faster than the men can tolerate and accept.. • Globalization as a structural violence towards women • -The maquiladoras are exploiting the women.  Treating them as instruments of production rather than as humans.

  5. Globalization and Violence against Women: Manifestations of Alienation on the Border contd. • Globalization leads to Alienation • - Most of the women (and their families) migrated from other areas of Mexico, and so they lack a sense of community.  • -People in the border region feel the pressures of high unemployment rates, and have the mindset of struggling to survive on one's own. • -There is a diminishing sense of culture as well, as globalization/corporations homogenize the different communities • -"femicide" is seen as the most severe manifestation of alienation

  6. Tearing Down the Walls Upholding the Culture of Impunity: Demanding Accountability -"Culture of Impunity": The people committing the "femicides" got away with their crimes because the authorities took no drastic action against them.  -This can be translated onto a global scale...  • -culture of capitalism as ways of rewarding unethical behavior and punishing ethical behavior •  -the workers of Ciudad Juárez can not take collective action against the corporations for fear of  relocation-- resulting in mass unemployment and poverty. They must resort to individual survival skills further encouraging alienation.  • -"Individual responsibility" as the key to economic growth-- while the "public good" and "community" are seen as economic hindrances...

  7. The Radical Act of Creating Community -Casa Amiga as a alternative way of living amidst the alienation and violence that is brought into Ciudad Juárez by globalization -Culture of Solidarity: Through the community that is created through Casa Amiga, the burdens of one are shared and confronted collectively destroying the ideas of alienation.  -Feminism: Casa Amiga uses "Feminist Therapy" and workshops to help empower the victims of domestic violence.  • -Feminism as a struggle for equality • -Consciousness-raising -Convivio: the qualities that arise when people congregate with a common purpose that includes the enjoyment of life [sharing,  positive energy, warmth, good humor, etc.] • -creating an atmosphere of contentment and security

  8. Conclusions -Subtle resistance (like that of Casa Amiga) play a crucial role in the social movements because of it's endurance and lack of major confrontation and alienation that leads to violence and unintended consequences • -greater opportunity to create alliances across lines of race, nationality and class -By building and spreading a culture of respect and solidarity each day, Casa Amiga is helping the steady creation of a new social consciousness, culture, and form of ethics that is necessary to challenge globalization and capitalism.

More Related