THE SYMBOLIC DISPUTE OVER THE AUTHENTICITY OF FEMINIST PROTESTS: THE NATIONAL STRIKE OF WOMEN IN MEXICO

Abstract

Following the theory of the civil sphere, it is analyzed how two competing discourses disputed the meaning of the National Women’s Strike against feminicide carried out in Mexico in 2020. On the one hand, it was interpreted as the proposal of autonomous women to make visible the conditions of violence against them. On the other hand, as an initiative by conservative groups to undermine the legitimacy of the government. Each discourse attributed a pure and impure character to the strike and the groups that supported it. An analysis of the political columns of five national newspapers was carried out to observe how civil and anti-civil motives, relationships and institutions were attributed to those who supported or criticized the strike. The results show that the dispute questioned the contours of feminism, the ways in which women protested, and the way in which the government evaluated the authenticity of their demands.