Sexual activism and ‘actually existing eroticism’: The politics of victimization and ‘lynching’ in Argentina

Abstract

Focusing on the case of Argentina, this text discusses two issues. The first refers to the tension between progress in feminist and LGBTIQ+ politics, on the one hand, and erotic-affective practices, that is, ‘actually existing eroticism,’ on the other hand. This tension is analyzed on two levels: first, through the construction of identities, theoretical perspectives, and political strategies in the sex-gender arena from a stance of victimization; and second, through examining new ‘normativities’ that resulted from the achievements by feminist and LGBTIQ+ movements in transforming their demands into laws and policies. The second issue calls attention to a particular form of political action: public shaming and what the authors refer to here as ‘lynching,’ which describes extreme methods of a sexual politics of victimization in a context of neoliberal governance.

Making Choices in Discourse: New Alternative Masculinities Opposing the “Warrior’s Rest”

“…Since the 1980s, researchers have noted the sexual double standard that influences men’s and women’s sexual behavior by penalizing women, being less permissive for them, and alternatively forgiving or rewarding men for the same sexual behavior ( Lyons et al, 2011 ; McClintock, 2011 ; Dunn et al, 2014 ; Zaikman and Marks, 2014 ; Pecheny et al, 2019 ; Álvarez-Muelas et al, 2021 ). In this regard, Manago et al (2015) examined in a study the double standards in the messages about sex that adolescents receive from their friends, showing how girls were conveyed more values linked to relational sex and boys to recreational sex.…”

online public shaming as a feminist practice for social change, a double-edged sword for fighting gender violence: the case of the ‘feminist funa’ in Chile

“…While effective in punishing someone, this practice is rather limited in solving the structural problem of gender violence. As a result, there is a risk of constraining the understanding of, and possible solutions to, this complex and deep sociopolitical problem (gender violence), transforming it into a 'fight' between two people and reducing it to a personal/private matter (Pecheny, Zaidan and Lucaccini, 2019).…”

“…As described previously, current feminist movements have played a relevant role in using this practice as a means to bring about social change. Worldwide, women have recognised themselves as victims and are seeking to shame the men who have committed abusive acts of physical violence, sexual abuse and rape (Pecheny, Zaidan and Lucaccini, 2019). Online public shaming in regard to gender violence can be interpreted as a symptom of a broken legal system where victims of gender violence frequently do not achieve justice through institutional judicial processes (Atwood, 2018).…”

“…From this perspective, online shaming can effectively democratise and empower actors to pursue social justice (Mielczarek, 2018; Clark, 2019). In doing so, it can be a tool that enables social problems, such as sexist violence, to be made visible, generating support and even modifying cultural approaches to those topics (Pecheny, Zaidan and Lucaccini, 2019). For some authors, public shaming is understood as a constructive tool to overcome oppression that can be used only under certain conditions (Adkins, 2019).…”

Actions to Promote the Employment and Social Inclusion of Muslim Women Who Wear the Hijab in Catalonia (Spain)

“…In short, as revealed by a recent exploratory metaanalysis that reviewed the specific discrimination experienced by Muslim women who wear the hijab in the workplace in Western countries [20], this population is at higher risk of unemployment or underemployment, as they are much more likely to experience discrimination in employment, not only compared to other women or men who belong to majority religions or who are not religious, but also compared to Muslim women who do not wear the hijab or any other type of religious clothing. As the Pecheny et al [21] pointed out, being seen only as victims makes it difficult for certain groups to participate in the feminist debate, this being the case for Muslim women wearing hijab.…”