Biografiando mujeres: ¿qué es la diferencia?

Abstract

The recent "biographical turn" has provided a wealth of new themes and methodologies. This article raises two questions: 1) What are the different challenges faced by biographers wishing to research and write about the life of a woman as opposed to that of a man? and 2) How have the new issues and methodologies influenced recent biographies of Mexican women? In order to appreciate their influence, the article reviews recent biographies of Mexican women, including the one being written by its author. It concludes that they have had a positive influence on the search for sources, narrative, the importance of context and the treatment of issues such as gender, subjectivity, identity, agency and representation. These biographies seek to recover women forgotten by history and establish them as historical subjects, thereby generally transforming the writting of history.