The dilemma of difference. Reflections from feminist political theory on violence against natives women in Argentina

Abstract

Violence against indigenous women and girls has increased because of the isolation and confinement measures applied due to the pandemic in the making. Faced with this situation, a series of questions arise that motivates this article: what is the place of the politics of difference in times of pandemic? How are institutional-state responses managed to channel the complaints and particular demands of indigenous women? And how can the politics of difference perpetuate or overcome gender inequality and inequity within indigenous people and nations? All these questions lead to the equality-difference dyad and the debates between feminism (s) and multiculturalism. The starting point is a dilemma around recognition (of differences), redistribution (of resources), and representation (political participation) as key dimensions of social justice, more so of gender justice. The main objective is to reflect on the current situation of indigenous women - with special attention to Mapuche women - in the face of the multiple forms of violence and inequality that affect the region. To this end, we propose a theoretical approach capable of articulating characteristics of grounded theory, biographical methods such as life history, and data constructed from ethnographic work in different communities in the Argentine North Patagonia.