Between the public and private sphere. Experiences and stance on mapuche sexualities and maternity

Abstract

Sexuality and motherhood are often issues that generate tensions in various societies. These tensions are related to oppressions of gender, social class and racism. Thus, in this study we position ourselves in an intersectional perspective, in order to reflect on the particular experiences of Mapuche women. Specifically, we address the stance on sexuality and motherhood that Mapuche women experience in their family, work and political militancy contexts. The latter refer to the lof, family and socio-historical territorial settlements in the Wallmapu and also in the city of Santiago. We conducted fieldwork between 2017-2018 in the Metropolitan, Biobío, La Araucanía and Los Ríos regions. Such work contemplated in-depth interviews and participant observations. The results show generational transformations of the experiences of the actors in this study. Such transformations are linked to socio-historical contexts and political positioning, related to the struggles of the actors for gender equity and the revitalization of Mapuche identity with their own adaptations.