Feminist Democracy and Buen Vivir in Latin America
| PhD ceremony: | A.G. (Gabriela Gallardo Lastra) Gallardo Lastra, PhD |
| When: | September 25, 2025 |
| Start: | 09:00 |
| Supervisor: | prof. dr. M. (Mónica) Lopez Lopez |
| Co-supervisors: | dr. R. Ramírez Gallegos, J. (Joram) Tarusarira, Dr |
| Where: | Academy building RUG / Student Information & Administration |
| Faculty: | Behavioural and Social Sciences |
The main objective of this dissertation is to examine how feminism contributes to new forms of feminist democracy in Latin America, in relation to the Buen Vivir model of well-being and development. From a decolonial and intersectional feminist perspective, hegemonic forms of knowledge production are questioned, with emphasis on the experiences of subaltern women. This approach reveals how oppression and privilege intersect in political participation, care work, and community relations, thereby shaping a broader framework of democracy and Buen Vivir.
The dissertation consists of six empirical studies combining qualitative and quantitative methods. The first analyzes how Ecuadorian women parliamentarians (2013–2017) approached intersectionality, showing how personal identities influenced their political agendas. The second focuses on community democracy and the intergenerational transmission of values by Indigenous women during the national strike of June 2022, highlighting tensions around gender-based violence and structural racism in their political participation. A third study examines Buen Vivir from the perspective of Indigenous women leaders, theoretically informed by feminist approaches. The fourth article studies time and care work, showing that care can be both emancipatory and alienating, and unequally distributed between men and women, thus limiting Buen Vivir. A fifth study uses survey data from Mexico (2020) to analyze the relationship between feminist values and democratic participation. Finally, a comparative study of presidential elections in seven Latin American countries demonstrates how feminist movements mobilize women toward progressive options, in contrast with men’s voting behavior.
This dissertation underscores the transformative potential of feminism and contributes to a holistic understanding of democracy and Buen Vivir in Latin America, grounded in social and environmental justice, gender equality, and respect for plural knowledges.