Casa Amiga: Feminist CommunityBuilding in Ciudad Juárez as an
Alternative to the Structural Violence
of Globalization
Joanna Swanger
Presentation by: Meghan Murphy
Casa Amiga
The first crisis center for women in Northern Mexico. It is located in
Ciudad Juárez, which is on the border next to El Paso, Texas.
-It focuses on issues of Domestic Violence, and addressing the
"femicide" that was occurring.
Femicide: a wave of unsolved murders of 340 women in the
past twelve years (2005). Most were young (teenage-to early
20's) and worked in the maquiladoras, and many share
indigenous features that would mark them as outsiders.
-In 2004, Casa Amiga had 20 paid workers: 13 of whom worked in
Casa Amiga, and 7 of whom worked in the Refugio (the shelter for
families in high-risk situations). They also had 40 volunteers.
Thesis
"I argue that Casa Amiga does indeed make a connection between
globalization and violence against women and children, in that both
are processes of dehumanization and manifestation of alienation; and
that Casa Amiga creates a local alternative to globalization through
working to restore a sense of empowerment and multidimensional
humanity--i.e., through community building."
Globalization and Violence against Women:
Manifestations of Alienation on the Border
• Globalization as a reason for domestic violence and "femicide"
-Because they want cheap laborers, women take up jobs;
giving them more financial freedoms, and less time in the
home.
-Women began to have social lives-- going against the
cultural norms of Mexican society
-People said that the victims of the "femicide" brought it
upon themselves when they transgressed gender roles.
-The understanding of gender is changing faster than the
men can tolerate and accept..
• Globalization as a structural violence towards women
-The maquiladoras are exploiting the women. Treating them
as instruments of production rather than as humans.
Globalization and Violence against Women:
Manifestations of Alienation on the Border contd.
• Globalization leads to Alienation
- Most of the women (and their families) migrated from
other areas of Mexico, and so they lack a sense of
community.
-People in the border region feel the pressures of high
unemployment rates, and have the mindset of struggling to
survive on one's own.
-There is a diminishing sense of culture as well, as
globalization/corporations homogenize the different
communities
-"femicide" is seen as the most severe manifestation of
alienation
Tearing Down the Walls Upholding the Culture of
Impunity: Demanding Accountability
-"Culture of Impunity": The people committing the "femicides" got
away with their crimes because the authorities took no drastic action
against them.
-This can be translated onto a global scale...
-culture of capitalism as ways of rewarding unethical behavior and
punishing ethical behavior
-the workers of Ciudad Juárez can not take collective action
against the corporations for fear of relocation-- resulting in mass
unemployment and poverty. They must resort to individual
survival skills further encouraging alienation.
-"Individual responsibility" as the key to economic growth-- while
the "public good" and "community" are seen as economic
hindrances...
The Radical Act of Creating Community
-Casa Amiga as a alternative way of living amidst the alienation and violence
that is brought into Ciudad Juárez by globalization
-Culture of Solidarity: Through the community that is created through Casa
Amiga, the burdens of one are shared and confronted collectively destroying
the ideas of alienation.
-Feminism: Casa Amiga uses "Feminist Therapy" and workshops to help
empower the victims of domestic violence.
-Feminism as a struggle for equality
-Consciousness-raising
-Convivio: the qualities that arise when people congregate with a common
purpose that includes the enjoyment of life [sharing,
positive energy, warmth, good humor, etc.]
-creating an atmosphere of contentment and security
Conclusions
-Subtle resistance (like that of Casa Amiga) play a crucial role in the
social movements because of it's endurance and lack of major
confrontation and alienation that leads to violence and unintended
consequences
-greater opportunity to create alliances across lines of race,
nationality and class
-By building and spreading a culture of respect and solidarity each
day, Casa Amiga is helping the steady creation of a new social
consciousness, culture, and form of ethics that is necessary to
challenge globalization and capitalism.