Explain why women have mobilized against the state in authoritarian contexts, and why have they succeeded? Compare women’s roles in bringing about democracy in Uruguay and Chile: analyze the obstacles they have faced, both as part of the broader pro-democracy movement and in terms of gendered barriers; and discuss the determinants of their movements’ success and their broader impacts on democratic transitions.
The essay should be 10 pages in length (12 pages max.), double-spaced, 12-pt. font, normal margins, plus a bibliography (which does not count towards the page count).
Required Readings:
Waylen, G. 1994. “Women and Democratization: Conceptualizing Gender Relations in Transition Politics” World Politics, Vol. 46(3), pp. 327-54
Noonan, R. 1995. “Women Against the State: Political Opportunities and Collective Action Frames in Chile’s Transition to Democracy,” Sociological Forum 10 (1) pp. 81- 111
Sharnak, D. 2017. “Uruguay’s long transitional decade and a new era of gendered
activism” Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies, 23(3), 383-398
Viterna, J., & Fallon, K. 2008. “Democratization, women’s movements, and gender-
equitable states: A framework for comparison” American Sociological Review, 73(4),
668-689
