Dissident Women Chapter 2

This chapter titles “Indigenous Women and Zapatismo: New Horizons of Visibility” by Margara Millan Moncayo speaks about the ways in which these activist women have wanted to change their perception as women in Mexican society by changing “gender relations” through their three horizons of visibility. The first horizon of visibility is women first placing themselves into these activists groups such as the EZLN (Zapatista National Liberation Army), OCEZ (Emiliano Zapata Pesant Organizacion Campesina), CNPA (Coordinadora Nacional Plan de Ayala), or CIOAC (Independent Confederation of Agricultural Workers and Peasants). These organizations were a presence of women who were fighting gendering issues such as “reproductive health, civil rights, and humans rights”(78) as well as providing “support for communities and women’s organization with a genders perspective” (78).
The second horizon of visibility is the insurgentas. These are women who have taken control and have tried to re-define gender in their own way, rather than that of what tradition calls for. These are the women who joined the militia as young women. Because they are apart of a group that chooses to look at gender differently than tradition dictates, they “begin to look different to their counterparts who have remained in the communities. They are women of eighteen or twenty who have not had multiple births, have eaten well, and speak Spanish. They speak with confidence” (83).
The last horizon of visibility is gender negotiations at the community level in the Zapatista context. This women would do gender negotiations and try to make changes in their own communities. They would negotiation marriage where they wanted their own “rights” to choose whom and when they will marry. These young women are a new generation of women who are looking to gain change, not just talk about it. Another part about gender negotiations is the role of domestic violence. Rather than men just physically abusing their wives a if a situation of violence should occur, “it is taken before the community institution, like any other conflict, and a punishment is meted out” (91). I think the involvement of community show that everyone should be working together and also it helps to protect the women from dangerous situations, and lastly provides an alternative than being abused and told to shut up about it.
The last key part of the visibility of gender negotiation is women rights. These are the right to more economic opportunities and resources, the right to choose whom they will marry and when they will marry, the issue of inheriting land. These women are finally able to have the rights in which they want. It is exciting to read about these women who went against the gain and challenged what they grew up with. These women proved to be fearless and expected change. I think just the story of these women if very empowering and makes me turn to myself asking what can I change in my own life and personal & societal expectations.