Women and War in Latin America, 1950–2000

Abstract

War is broadly and historically considered to be the most masculine of domains, and histories of war tend to reflect this conception. As the historian's lens adjusts to focus on women and war, it expands the scope through which to study war and we engage more closely with categories of people not traditionally viewed as central to war stories: mothers of soldiers, prostitutes, rape victims. Scholarship on war, even when it includes women, tends to focus upon the great powers. With further adjustments to the historical lens, Latin American wars also come into view. Women have long participated in struggles for liberation and other wars in Latin America, yet scholarship on this history is still fairly new and emergent. This article provides a synthesis of scholarship on women and war in Latin America from 1950 to 2000. Such a synthesis entails going beyond the more familiar accounts of women as maternal peacemakers or combatants to include women's support for military dictatorships, prostitutes’ work as rebel spies, and maternal anti‐draft activists. As we incorporate a broader array of women's roles in war, we stand to gain new insights into the history of war itself – how war has been conducted, the mundane but absolutely essential tasks required to keep a military functioning, and the popular support necessary to fill the ranks.