INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN THE RESISTANCE: A DECOLONIAL, COMPARATIVE-HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF MEXICAN REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS

Mainstream sociological research on social movements has tended to focus on activism within the context of the United States; moreover, it has generally applied traditional theories of movement emergence and development. Recent research has moved beyond this focus to include movements-and theories-outside this context. I add to this literature by studying revolutionary movements in Mexico-with a particular focus on the role of Indigenous women in the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in comparison with the Mexican Revolution eighty years prior. To do so, I employ comparative-historical analysis and decolonial methodology. I find that in both the EZLN and the Mexican Revolution Indigenous women played an instrumental role in shaping the ideologies and trajectories of the respective insurgencies-a fact that is often downplayed in traditional treatments of the movements, which tend to focus on men. These findings carry implications for both theory and research in the field. With respect to theory, the findings add nuance to our understanding of movements from both the resource mobilization and collective identity perspectives; they also suggest the utility of decolonial thinking in social movement scholarship. In terms of research, the findings imply that decolonial methodology should be used when studying the role of disenfranchised groups (e.g. women, minorities)-especially in contexts in which imperialism and colonialism have shaped both historical and contemporary realities.

Level thesis:degree_level

M.A.

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Nava Ramirez, Susana G

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Peoples, Dr. Clayton

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Gayles, Dr. Prisca
• Huerta, Dr. Lydia

Language dc:language.iso

en_US, English

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://scholarwolf.unr.edu/handle/11714/11401

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/11401