Women of Chiapas

This book presents the concerns, visions and struggles of women in Chiapas, Mexico in the context of the uprising of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). The book is organized around three issues that have taken center state in women's recent struggles-structural violence and armed conflict; religion and empowerment and women's organizing. Also includes maps.

"This is a beautiful and extraordinary work of solidarity with those who live in political and economic marginality: the indigenous people of Chiapas. Anyone who wants to know what it means to be a woman in Mexico should read it. It is the deepest understanding of social change in Chiapas that has ever been written." -- Elena Poniatowska, author of Massacre in Mexico and Here's toYou, Jesusa!"From June Nash's forward through plays, prayers, songs, testimonies, and insightful academic articles, this wonderful collection provides a rare window on contemporary gender relations in Chiapas. Women ofChiapas is essential reading for understanding the wider context out of which women's struggles emerge. The book provides a deeply human, collaborative, and richly textured description of a range of women's experiences in urban and rural Chiapas." -- Lynn Stephen, author of Women and Social Movements in Latin America: Power FromBelow and Zapata Lives! Histories and Cultural Politicsin Southern Mexico"Women Of Chiapas goes behind the evocative image of the masked and armed Zapatista female warrior to document the much broader struggle for survival, dignity, and justice being waged by hundreds of thousands of women in southern Mexico. The essays provide history and a context for an unanticipated social-change movement which has truly come 'up from under.' Anyone concerned about what is really going on in Chiapas today will want to read this book." -- Carter Wilson, author of Crazy February: Death andLife in the Mayan Highlands of Mexico"This is the book to read if you want to learn about women in Chiapas in the wake of the Zapatista rebellion. It introduces indigenous women, mestizas, activists and researchers who speak from a broad range of perspectives. You will learn about the experiences they draw upon, the challenges they face, and the alliances that inspire them as they seek gender equity and social justice through grass-roots religious, productive, and political organization." -- George Collier, author of Basta! Landand the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas