Women’s contributions to national independence in Argentina

Jul 12, 2022

***read Spanish below***

The Museo de la Mujer in Buenos Aires has recently opened the new exhibition “Mujeres por la independencia nacional“, which shines a light on the contributions of women to the national independence in Argentina.

CURATORIAL AXIS: The denial of the popular character of the revolution and the emancipatory deed is fueled by the invisibility of the leading role of women in the independence process as well as that of Indians and blacks.

When the May riot of 1810 happened, the social role of women was very neglected; so much so, that among the participants of the Cabildo Abierto of 22 no woman was present. That place in the shadows was accentuated because the historical records of that time were written by men and for men. The compilations of the writings for the time of the transition between the colony and the independent republic made by historians and history academies until the 1960s do not include women or their texts. The assumption that women could not be military and, therefore, neither protagonists of the wars of independence, has been shown as a myth by historical research in recent decades. Moreover, their participation was not exceptional, thanks to the feminist struggle and its historians, today the names of hundreds of them can be recovered without whom independence would not have been possible.

 

EJE CURATORIAL: la negación del carácter popular de la revolución y la gesta emancipadora se alimenta de la invisibilización del protagonismo de las mujeres en el proceso independentista como así también la de indios/as y negros/as.

Cuando sucedió la revuelta de Mayo de 1810, el rol social de las mujeres estaba muy postergado; tanto, que entre los participantes del Cabildo Abierto del 22 ninguna mujer estuvo presente. Ese lugar en las sombras se acentuó porque los registros históricos de entonces eran escritos por hombres y para hombres. Las compilaciones de los escritos para la época de la transición entre la colonia y la república independiente realizadas por historiadores y academias de historia hasta la década de 1960 no incluyen a las mujeres ni a sus textos. El presupuesto de que las mujeres no podían ser militares y, por consiguiente, tampoco protagonistas de las guerras de independencia, se ha demostrado como un mito por la investigación histórica de las últimas décadas. Más aún, su participación no fue excepcional, gracias a la lucha feminista y sus historiadoras, hoy pueden recuperarse los nombres de cientos de ellas sin las cuales la independencia no hubiera sido posible.

Graciela Tejero Coni

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