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Abstract

This article provides a critical exploration of alliances amongst women’s groups within the feminist movement in Spain during and prior to the International Women’s Day strike on the 8th of March, 2018. The main focus of the article is on the Spanish feminist fight against gender violence, aiming to understand how this debate is framed, who makes the claims, and what structural inequalities are being preserved in this process. Following on from previous work on this topic, it aims to identify positions of power and privilege within the feminist movement in Spain. Drawing on social movement theory as well as intersectionality theory, it examines activism, participation and voice in the preparation of the strike. Using critical frame analysis, this article offers a critique to meanings of participation, voice and sisterhood solidarity as represented in the discourse, focusing on two cases of gender violence that drew media attention in Spain in 2018. It attempts to capture voice and representation as illustrated in various online campaigns and national media in response to these cases. The analysis shows that the mainstream feminist discourse in Spain still lacks key mechanisms to include ethnic minority and migrant women. The article suggests that new alliances need to develop inside the Spanish feminist movement, to reach across the divides of class, religion, ethnicity, country of origin, disability and sexuality and develop inclusive policies for all women.

Author Biography

Adriana holds a PhD from Syracuse University, in the US. For the past 15 years Adriana's research has focused on issues of social justice linked to gender, ethnicity and migration. Her methodological interests include feminist approaches, giving voice to marginalized women through biographies and visual narratives. Currently a senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, Adriana is involved in doctoral supervision, teaching and research. Currently she is working on projects supporting the inclusion of women refugees in the East of England.

Victoria holds a MA in Gender and Development from the Institute of International Development in the UK. She first graduated from International Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid. Her interest and experience with feminist issues in Spain has influenced her choice of topics while doing her MA in the UK. Victoria is working in London within the charity sector, connecting organizations with community projects and supporting grassroots initiatives in community campaigns across the UK'.

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