Week 12: Gender and Liberation Theology in Social Change

In a conversation I had with a friend, he said that atheists are the best theologians. This struck me as profound and it became my way of thinking, as well: who could be better to study religion than someone with very little stake in it. However, in my time spent in Central America and Mexico I have seen religion and theology take completely different forms.

Graffiti that says: "Women to Power, Happy Women´s Day."

In response to military/governmental oppression in the forms of torture, disappearances, and overwhelming economic disparity in Latin America, certain sects within the Catholic Church began to question what their role was in the process of social change, and re-read the bible in a different perspective—one that took a preferential stance on the side of the poor. Priests and Bishops took off their gold jewelry and priestly robes, to walk in solidarity with the poor.
Dr. R Aida Hernandez Castillo, a cultural anthropologist who lived in Guatemalan refugee camps in Chiapas Mexico, talked to us about her research on women and religion in the context of social movements such as the Zapatistas in Chiapas. The Zapatista movement, which is an ongoing struggle of indigenous people demanding that their voices be heard by their country, is a continued struggle against contemporary conquest in the form of Neoliberalism. The initial armed struggle was a result of three main issues: economic structural reforms that negatively affected the rural economy, racism and exclusion against indigenous peoples and state violence against peasant and indigenous organizations. The Zapatistas took control of certain areas within the state of Chiapas using guerilla warfare tactics, but what made the movement different from others was their inclusion of women, their anti-racist approach, and the fact that they were the 1st guerilla movement to have a gender agenda as a part of their political demands[1]. Liberation theology played a large role in organizing the people, and manifested itself in Chiapas in nuanced ways compared to the role it played in Central America. It saw a transformation from a strictly Marxist analysis of class and economic oppression, to include racial, sexual and gender oppression in its analysis.

"To take communion is to become dangerous
We come to cause trouble
With faith and commitment your kingdom will come"[2]

Similar to the use of religion as a tool for social change, we visited a women’s education center that used feminist theory in a Latina American context to empower women. They talked about the politics of the body, and for a feminist movement to take hold the body needs to be the first thing that is recovered. This means that women need to have access to nutrition, health, protection from domestic violence and safe and legal abortions. They talked about the difficulties they face working in a conservative and patriarchal system, and offered that feminism needs to be incorporated into our daily lives, because theory is theory, but it has to be lived[3]. This I how my perspective of theologians and theorists has changed, because it doesn’t matter who is doing the theorizing as long as it is used to strip the power from systems of oppression and bring it back to the people.

A mural depicting a woman and her child.

-by Walter Gies

[1] Talk with Dra. R. Aida Hernandez Castillo 4-15-2008 titled: Social Movements in Chiapas- Women and Religion
[2] Hymn from the diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. Translated by Ann Lutterman- Aguilar.
[3] Talk at CIDAL, 4-18-2008

Week 11: "Mi Casa es su Casa"

“Marta…no, Estela…no, Lydia.....no.....ahh, Ofelia, there she is, my mom for the next month!” On Saturday, April 5th we got to meet our Mexican families that we are going to be living with for the next month. Before we loaded the taxis with our luggage and excitement, the families and students entered into a large group to discuss the essential pieces of the pie in order to have a successful homestay. After easing any concerns or doubts that either the students or families had, we said our good byes to one another and off we went to settle into our new homes. I believe the purpose of this homestay is for us to learn more about the customs, the traditions, and the culture of Mexico and of course I cannot forget the desire to improve our Spanish speaking skills. We all live with different families ranging from single moms to big “traditional” families to same sex couples. After spending a week in my homestay I think that this experience has been and will continue to be a very enriching part of our stay here in Mexico because we are not only reading about the customs and traditions of Mexican families but we are living them and breathing them as if they were our own. We are all very grateful to our families for opening their homes and their hearts to us and treating us as if the same blood ran through our bodies. In response to this hospitality, I believe many of our hearts and minds have been opened to a new way of thinking. The U.S culture tends to have the mind set, “what’s mine is mine” and “to each their own.” But here in Mexico, life is different. The majorities of people are always considerate of one another and want to make sure that the other is taken care of. A common saying here in Mexico is, “Mi casa es su casa.” What’s mine…is yours.

However, the existence of some people’s homes are being threatened by massive housing developments. On Friday, April 11th we were very fortunate to have Don Saul Roque share with us the visions and the goals of an organization he belongs to called 13 Pueblos (towns). Don Saul Roque, who is a resident of one of these towns stated, “It’s not the housing developments that we are against because we know that people need a place to live. We are against the fact that the government is allowing the developments to be built where natural resources are being severely affected.”[1] The people of these towns believe that nature gives life and that it should be reserved. There are natural springs located within these pueblos in which the townspeople rely on for drinking, bathing, cooking and washing clothes; the basic necessities which water should provide all people with. I have a lot of respect and admiration for this organization because they are fighting with all their soul for something I consider to be a basic human right. As my compañera (classmate) Hyacinth said, “Although it may seem like housing developments are a good idea from the outside looking in, we aren’t always aware of whom it may negatively impact.”[2] I want to thank Don Saul Roque for sharing this information with a culture of students who are known for consumption; I can’t imagine it was easy. He helped to open our hearts and minds to understand the ‘true value’ of something as simple as water.

-by Julie Schellack

[1] Don Saul Roque, speaker from 13 Pueblos, April 11th 2008
[2] Hyacinth Mosse, social work student, April 11th 2008

Weeks 9 &10: An Exchange Between Social Work Students From Mexico and the U.S.

The past two weeks have been filled with new friendships, new experiences, and new outlooks on the varying differences between Social Work in Mexico and in the United States. In the first week we had the great opportunity to visit one of the best universities in Latin America and one of the most prestigious in the world, UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) in Mexico City. According to Mtro. Rogelio Castillo Trápala, UNAM currently consists of 320,000 students and 26,000 teachers throughout the university.

One of many murals at UNAM.

2,000 of those students are currently in the Social Work program. [1] A tour of the campus showed beautiful murals and an impressive library. Also impressive were the speakers who talked to the class about the great research projects that had been done and future projects. Many of the students within the Social Work program participate in these projects that focus on social and political issues. From that they are able to build experience working with diverse populations and to learn new skills, insights, and solutions to social and political issues.

Some of the 80,000 books that the UNAM has in its libraries.

They also build experience by working in a practicum for one year. Two of the many options that the students have and two of the places that we visited were a health center and a psychiatry institute. We were able to talk directly to the students and make comparisons and contrasts to practicums in Mexico and the United States. Towards the end of our visit in Mexico City, we met with Victor M. Inzùa who had completed a study on children “in” and “of” the streets in Mexico. You see, in Mexico there is large population of children that sell many types of goods from gum to hacky sacks or who may be working in restaurants or factories along with other types of work that generate money for them and for their family. In his study he found that 35% of the children are working for themselves without a family and 64% are working to help their families to obtain basic needs.[2] To what lengths would you have to go to ensure all members of your family have food, drinking water, and a roof over their heads?

Boat rides in Xochimilco, near Mexico City.

Some UNAM students visited us in Cuernavaca for one week during Sexual Diversity week. The discussion over the differences and comparisons in Social Work between Mexico and the United States showed that Social Workers in both countries have similar goals and objectives but the needs of the clients that we serve are different. After listening to a panel of speakers regarding gender and sexuality, I couldn’t help but repeat in my head several times, “ascribed gender”. Why is it necessary to put little girls in pink outfits and dolls in their hands? Little boys in blue, toting trucks? Let’s allow everyone to identify their own gender and sexuality, no matter how long it takes.

Group photo of visiting UNAM students, CEMAL students, and teachers.

1: Mtro. Rogelio Castillo Trápala, DIA/Depto. Enseñanza , Presentation on study plans and licensure on March 24, 2008 in Mexico City at UNAM.

2: Victor M. Inzúa Canales, Coordinación de Investigación, Presentation on research, March 27, 2008 in Mexico City at UNAM.

-by Jessica Luehring