"The spiritual is political": feminisms and womens spirituality in contemporary Argentina

Abstract

This article analyses the circulation of feminist ideas and practices in women´s circles and connected workshops geared to urban middle-class heterosexual cisgender women, and the presence of spiritual elements in massive feminist mobilisations in contemporary Argentina. It uses a qualitative methodology based on ethnographic observations, interviews and analyses of digital content carried out between 2014 and October 2019. In a national and international context of feminist visibility and broad availability of spiritual goods and services, I explore the relations between secularisation and sexual politics, and spirituality and feminisms. The outcomes show a secular-based feminism permeable to spiritual practices and an increasing participation of women who define themselves as spiritual in feminist demonstrations. They also suggest that this convergence assists in the dissemination of sexual and reproductive rights in a definition that integrates notions of bodily knowledge, self-management, empowerment and spiritual wellness.