The subaltern speak
Indigenous women's judicial activism in Brazil
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2248267 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Janet Chernela (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-6 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Anthropology Today (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0268-540X • E-ISSN: 1467-8322 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-8322.12936 |
| OpenAlex | W4407069411 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 8 |
To answer Gayatri Spivak's question, 'Can the subaltern speak?' this article examines a historic case in which Indigenous women from Brazil filed a claim of illegal trafficking before the Russell Tribunal on human rights. By means of the 'soft' litigation of international human rights mechanisms, the tribunal provided a platform for marginalized victims and witnesses to provide testimony before a global audience. The case opened new legal pathways and influenced the growth of Indigenous women's associations throughout the country, including the creation of AMARN, founded by the plaintiffs, and now Brazil's oldest Indigenous association. The example demonstrates that the capacities of the speaker alone are inadequate to answer Spivak's question. A listening audience, and the historical conditions in which the speech interaction takes place, are of equal, if not greater, importance. For the vulnerable to speak, there must be an arena in which they can do so and be heard
Human rights · Indigenous · Media studies · Plaintiff · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Subaltern · Tribunal · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Gender Studies · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Law
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |