Leiden University Student Repository

Douglas, Jessica (2019)

Redefining Gender Identity: An Analysis of the 2018 Argentinian Abortion Legalisation Campaign

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

The following thesis uses Critical Discourse Analysis to perform a qualitative examination of four statements made by pro-choice campaigners during the 2018 abortion legalisation campaign in Argentina. On August 8th, 2018 the Argentinian Senate held a historic vote in which they rejected the request to make reproductive laws less restrictive. The following work hypothesises that the statements released by pro-choice campaigners were made to rebel against the concepts of marianismo and motherhood in order to attempt to reconstruct the traditional female gender identity in Argentina. It finds that the campaigners used the discourse within their statements to try to create a new framework for Argentinian women in which they could rebel against the traditional constraints of marianismo and redefine their position in society. Furthermore, within the statements, the research identifies the formation of a collective sisterhood against patriarchal institutions and oppressive structures.

Gender Performativity

Critical Discourse Analysis

Gender Identity

Reproductive Rights

Abortion

Marianismo

Argentina

Author

Douglas, Jessica

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Alves Vieira, Eduardo

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en