#208 Opening New Paths: Research on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean
By Edna Acosta-Belén
From the Preface
In the paper, "Opening New Paths: Research on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean," Dr. Acosta-Belen reviews the major research trends and scholarship on women in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last two decades. The paper summarizes the evolution of women's studies from an effort to gain the recognition and inclusion of women in traditional disciplines to the current focus on the social construction of gender and its links to class and ethnicity. In her review of the major literature on Latin American women, Dr. Acosta-Belen points out the unique contributions and challenges of feminist research, mainly the use of interdisciplinary approaches and the analysis of testimonies to give a "voice to the voiceless." Dr. Acosta-Belen also suggests areas that need to be addressed further, including commonalities between the subordination of women and that of people of color within the capitalist mode of production, the development of interdisciplinary approaches within a global framework, and the study of "Latinas" in the United States.
Related Program
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
