Cartography of Southern Feminisms: Contributions of decolonial feminisms and community feminisms

• Published in: International social work Vol. 66; no. 3; pp. 842 - 854
• Main Authors: Martínez, Silvana, Agüero, Juan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01-05-2023; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Cartography; Colonialism; Decolonization; Dominance; Epistemology; Feminism; Hegemony; Matrices; Oppression; Professional practice; Social work; Social work theory; feminisms of the South; decoloniality; social work; Community; patriarchy
• ISSN: 0020-8728; 1461-7234
• DOI: 10.1177/00208728211001417

This work is based on a theoretical research study on Southern Feminisms and Social Intervention developed at the National University of Mar del Plata, Argentina. The South is understood as a metaphor for human suffering systematically caused by the oppression and domination of an imperialist, capitalist, colonial and patriarchal North. It is a very powerful geo-corporate-political and epistemological metaphor because it reveals and problematises the devices used for oppression and domination. This article uses cartography as a methodology to make explicit the analytical and interpretative matrices present in decolonial feminisms and community feminisms. It also makes explicit the criticisms that these feminisms make of hegemonic-academic-Western feminism. Contributions from feminist experiences in Australia and New Zealand are included and the specific contributions of Southern Feminisms to the theory and practice of social work are made explicit.