Widows, Mothers, Activists: Indigenous Achí Women’s Experiences of La Violencia in Rabinal, Guatemala

Citation:

Dorion, Fabienne. 2010. “Widows, Mothers, Activists: Indigenous Achí Women’s Experiences of La Violencia in Rabinal, Guatemala.” Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement 1 (1): 77-90.

Author: Fabienne Dorion

Abstract:

This paper explores Indigenous Achí women’s experiences of militarisation and armed conflict in Rabinal, Guatemala during the period known as La Violencia (1978-1985) and its aftermath. The aim of this paper is to challenge accounts of armed conflict that portray women as essentially passive victims of violence by examining widows’ resiliency in ensuring their own and their family’s survival after the loss of their husband and their agency in organising around issues of truth, justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of the conflict. The discussion is especially focused on the influence that women’s role as mothers has had in shaping their experiences of the aftermath of armed conflict, as recounted in participant-led interviews with survivors of La Violencia. Interviews were conducted in rural Rabinal communities between December 2005 and May 2006 in the context of Master’s thesis research and fieldwork with the Association for the Integral Development of the Victims of the Violence in the Verapaces, Maya Achí (adivima).

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Gender Roles, Women, Indigenous, Justice, Military Forces & Armed Groups, Militarization, Post-Conflict, Violence Regions: Americas, Central America Countries: Guatemala

Year: 2010

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