‘Modalidades de violación’ in Lidia Falcón’s En el infierno: Ser mujer en las cárceles de España (1977) | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Volume 35, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1364-971X
  • E-ISSN: 1758-9150

Abstract

The nefarious nexus of patriarchy and nationalism that characterized Francoist Spain (1939–75) made sexualized violence inflicted on the state’s female prisoners an immanently political act. Focusing on (1977), the prison memoir of the communist and feminist activist Lidia Falcón, this article draws on theories of trauma, victimhood and memory to interrogate how Falcón navigates questions of (self-)representation and agency through the portrayal of rape and sexualized violence in Franco’s women’s prisons. Rape, for Falcón, is a multifaceted act that violates both the female body and the collective body politic, while the various manifestations of abuse – ‘las modalidades de violación’ – reify sexual and political dominance. By speaking on behalf of the female prison population, Falcón utilizes the collective voice so as to presuppose a collective victimhood that fosters solidarity amongst women and resists subjugation by the masculinist state.

Resumen

El nexo nefario del patriarcado y el nacionalismo que caracterizaba la España franquista (1939–75) demuestra que podemos entender la violencia sexuada que sufrían las mujeres en las cárceles del estado como una forma de abuso intrínsecamente política. Empleando las teorías sobre el trauma, las víctimas y la memoria, este artículo examina el testimonio de la activista feminista Lidia Falcón, (1977). A través de la representación de la violación y la violencia sexuada en las cárceles de Franco, Falcón navega las cuestiones de la (auto-)representación y la subjetividad. Para Falcón, la violación es un acto polifacético que viola al cuerpo femenino y al cuerpo político colectivo, mientras ‘las modalidades de violación’ manifiesta la dominación sexual y política. Hablando por las mujeres presas, utiliza la voz colectiva para proponer una victimización colectiva que fomenta una solidaridad entre mujeres y resiste la subyugación del estado masculino.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Leverhulme Trust (Award SAS-2020-053)
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2022-03-01
2024-05-03
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