Gendered Revolutionary Bridges

Abstract

Is a liberated nation an inherently male concept? What happens if women insurgents do not map out a site for gendered demands within the revolutionary movement? If women had been fully encouraged revolutionary actors, could there have been a military triumph for the guerrillas in El Salvador? In other words, are women a strategic sector with the potential to alter revolutionary outcomes? The answers to these questions may expand the current boundaries of sociological theories of revolution and the literature on gender and revolution. By focusing on the case of women revolutionaries in El Salvador, we can move toward unpacking the significance of these issues. I argue that women revolutionaries served the unconscious yet highly strategic role of gendered revolutionary bridges. In short, armed and unarmed women revolutionaries were able to bridge gaps between the guerrillas and unincorporated Salvadoran civilians, thus expanding the revolutionary base and movement. Salvadoran women demonstrated a revolutionary capacity that proved eminently effective but was consistently belittled, and this has had both practical and theoretical consequences. This article aims at addressing the latter.

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