Simone de Beauvoir, María Lagunes, Silvia Federici, María Mies, Rita Laura Segato, Gabriela Mistral, Gertrud Stein, Guerrilla Girls, W.I.T.C.H., Alejandra Pizarnik, and more feminist women are part of this first anthology called Feminist Anthology (Editorial Debate, 2021), which the LASTESIS collective presents with the aim of showing the diversity of feminisms that have developed throughout history.
Daffne Váldes Vargas, Paula Cometa Stange, Lea Cáseres Díaz and Sibili Sotomayor Van Rysseghem are part of the artistic, interdiciplinary and feminist collective LASTESIS of Valparaiso, Chile. Together they are dedicated to spreading feminist theory through performance with an interdiciplinary language that combines the performing arts, sound, graphic and textile design, history and social sciences.
Read: Feminism is getting a virulent and dangerous reaction for activists: specialist
For the collective LASTESIS Feminist Anthology is also a collage that brings together diverse voices of feminist women with which they show their vision on feminisms. As they point out in the book, they seek that readers immerse themselves among the ideas and experiences of writers, poets, essayists, thinkers, artists and activists who over time have given the guideline to question, tension and promote changes in them.
In an interview with one of the members of the LASTESIS collective, Daffne Váldes Vargas, she explains to Animal Político that the anthology is a way of bringing together the feminist references they share, from different areas, where not only theory is part of the content of the book but also visual proposals, dramaturgy, poetry, among others.
Although, LASTESIS brings together the voices of feminists with whom the feminist movement has been built in Chile, in the anthology there are also authors who seemed fundamental to gather and rediscover them, as a space in which their access was easier for other people because “perhaps they have not been able to meet them yet”, Daffne says in an interview.
“Without a doubt, the feminist movement in Latin America is a movement of great strength but it also has many differences; as well as common struggles. We thought it was important to highlight an intersectional perspective that takes us all differently, in addition to gender,” she explains.
A feminist collage
Although this anthology contains various texts to delve into the diversity of feminisms that are present in Latin America, LASTESIS also includes images and photographs that are part of the artistic diversity that characterizes the activism of this group.
Such is the case of Paz Errázuriz with La manzana de Adán, from 1983; the photographic composition Nest by Birgit Jürgenssen from 1979 or, from the series Binarios.Idiomas secretos de Marina de Caro from 1996.
“It seemed important to us to continue working with what we do, which is to spread feminist theories but this time in a textual format,” adds Daffne.
So far, Feminist Anthology is a first approach that LASTESIS makes with a series of feminist visions throughout the 491 pages that make up the book, which undoubtedly lacked many more voices that due to copyright issues failed to achieve contact with some authors for the use of their texts in this book.
Valdés tells Animal Político that they would also have liked to have had much more visual works, although they do not rule out that in the future they can do another job with many more references.
Among texts of dramaturgy, photography, performance, essay and poetry LASTESIS not only include current feminist proposals but also old. That is, feminisms that began to form several centuries ago that, although they are fundamental in some way, it was important for the collective to make this historical journey of ideas and reflections.
“A little bit also looking for this debt that we have with the history of women’s art or the history of feminist thought, then it becomes a bit vindictive for us,” she adds.
It should be noted that, although they do not coincide with certain feminisms that occurred in certain historical events, Daffne recommends analyzing the context in which these ideas appeared to be important and just as revolutionary as those of today.
Feminism, a lifeline for women
Daffne Váldes explains that feminism becomes a lifeline in women’s lives when they feel the feeling of being alone, when they are going through a situation of domestic violence or sexual violence or when they have no one to turn to.
“Perhaps it is one of the great successes of patriarchy with this idea of keeping us alone, disorganized, isolated. So, feminism as a meeting point is fundamental to staying alive, which is the main thing. The number one activism is staying alive,” she says.
In the LASTESIS collective, intersectional feminism was fundamental. They explain that if a woman can be in a privileged situation with respect to other people, there are also other intersections that are forming her path and her way of thinking about things in a region such as Latin America, where it is equally important to consider black feminisms, transfeminisms, anti-capitalist feminism, among others.
With more than 30 feminist proposals, ideas and voices, Daffne recommends readers who want to know and enter Feminist Anthology to start with the text they like, that is, there are people who connect more with historical facts or poetry. There are even people who will first see the images that appear in the book.
“I, personally, like this game of opening it on any page and seeing what this day wants to tell me, like the daily bread that Christians make but feminist,” says the member of LASTESIS to this medium with a laugh.
The book is already on sale in bookstores throughout Mexico.
What we do at Animal Político requires professional journalists, teamwork, dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us keep going. Be part of the team.
Subscribe to Animal Político, receive benefits and support free journalism.#YoSoyAnimal
