Overview

Originally published in 1987 and revised in 2004, Compañeras speaks with the voices of Latina lesbians who are puertorriqueñas, chicanas, cubanas, chilenas, hondureñas, brasileñas, colombianas, argentinas, peruanas, costarricenses, mexicanas, ecuatorianas, bolivianas, dominicanas, and nicaragüenses; women who met to speak about what it implies to be both Latina and lesbian in our communities, whether we live in Latin America or the US. Each time a woman begins to speak, a liberating process begins, one that is unavoidable and has powerful political implications. In these pages we see repeated the process of self-discovery, of affirmation in coming out of the closet, the search for a definition of our identity within the family and our community, the search for answers, for meaning in our personal struggle, and the commitment to a political struggle to end all forms of oppression. The stages of increasing awareness become clear when we begin to recount the story of our lives to someone else, someone who has experienced the same changes. When we write or speak about these changes, we establish our experience as valid and real, we begin to analyze, and that analysis gives us the necessary perspective to place our lives in a context where we know what to do next. Compañeras becomes an instrument of unity, a political tool. Compañeras habla a través de la voz de lesbianas latinoamericanas, chicanas, puertorriqueñas, cubanas, chilenas, hondureñas, brasileñas, colombianas, argentinas, peruanas, costarricense, mexicanas, ecuatorianas, bolivianas, dominicanas, y nicaragüenses; mujeresque se encontraron para hablar sobre lo que significa en nuestra comunidad ser ambas cosas, latinoamericanas y lesbianas, sea que vivamos en América Latina o en los Estados Unidos. Cada vez que una mujer comienza a hablar, comienza el proceso de liberación; es algo inevitable que tiene implicaciones politicas ponderosas. En estas paginas vemos repetido nuestro propio proceso de descubrimiento, la afirmación al asumirnos ante los demás, la búsqueda de una definición de identidad dentro de la familia y de nuestra comunidad, la búsqueda de repuestas significativas a las muchas personales y el compromise en la lucha politica para acabar con toda forma de opresión. Las etapas de crecimiento o de desarrollo de nuestra conciencia se hacen claras cuando comenzamos a reecontar la historia de nuestras vidas en alguien más, alguien que ha experimentado los mismos cambios. Cuando hablamos sobre estos cambios afirmamos nuestra experienca como válida y real, y ese análisis nos da la perspectiva necesaria para colocar neustras vidas dentro de un context que nos permita saber cuál es el próximo paso que temenos que dar. Compañeras viene a ser un instrument de unidad, una herramienta politica.

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9781032334868

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Reviews

"Reviews for the second edition: ""Compañeras is one of the most exciting books I’ve picked up in a long time. The stories are well told and compelling and the entire collection is rich with the excitement of women spreading the truth about their lives, with breaking silences, with saying in print what has never been said before."" –Feminist Bookstore News ""Compañeras celebrates Latina lesbian history and existence. The volume as a whole documents the struggle of Latina lesbians to understand the systems of oppression that seek to invalidate their lives."" – Sojourner ""The women here speak from the specifics of lesbian experience in their various native lands (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and the US). For women who identify as lesbians – that is, not under the protection of a man – there is no refuge from the battle."" – Jewelle Gomez, New Directions for Women"

Reviews for the second edition: Companeras is one of the most exciting books I've picked up in a long time. The stories are well told and compelling and the entire collection is rich with the excitement of women spreading the truth about their lives, with breaking silences, with saying in print what has never been said before. -Feminist Bookstore News Companeras celebrates Latina lesbian history and existence. The volume as a whole documents the struggle of Latina lesbians to understand the systems of oppression that seek to invalidate their lives. - Sojourner The women here speak from the specifics of lesbian experience in their various native lands (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and the US). For women who identify as lesbians - that is, not under the protection of a man - there is no refuge from the battle. - Jewelle Gomez, New Directions for Women

Author Information

Juanita Ramos is the co-founder of the Latina Lesbian History Project, and is Professor of Sociology; Latin American & Caribbean Studies; Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies at SUNY-Binghamton, USA.

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