Negotiating Gendered Discourses: Michelle Bachelet and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Latin American Gender and Sexualities)

It has been argued that the first presidential campaign of Michelle Bachelet in Chile and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Argentina used a rhetoric of newness. Some political observers have said that as the “first women” to successfully run for the highest office in these countries, they were presented as the new faces of democracy. These observers argued that gender was not a determining factor in their electoral success, but the focus on this “first women” frame did generate heavily gendered criticisms of these two candidates. Negotiating Gendered Discourses addresses these views by asking how the gender factor is negotiated when women from the Southern Cone of Latin America run for high political office. In particular, Jane L. Christie examines how Bachelet and Fernández positioned themselves in relation to the numerous women-led social movements, and in doing so, reveals points of intersection between these contemporary political discourses and existing sources of female authority when negotiating complicated ideological debates about human rights, the economy, and women’s rights. It has been argued that the first presidential campaign of Michelle Bachelet in Chile and Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner in Argentina used a rhetoric of newness. Some political observers have said that as the "first women" to successfully run for the highest office in these countries, they were presented as the new faces of democracy. These observers argued that gender was not a determining factor in their electoral success, but the focus on this "first women" frame did generate heavily gendered criticisms of these two candidates. Negotiating Gendered Discourses addresses these views by asking how the gender factor is negotiated when women from the Southern Cone of Latin America run for high political office. In particular, Jane L. Christie examines how Bachelet and Fernndez positioned themselves in relation to the numerous women-led social movements, and in doing so, reveals points of intersection between these contemporary political discourses and existing sources of female authority when negotiating complicated ideological debates about human rights, the economy, and women's rights. --Kathryn Lehman, The University of Auckland "International Feminist Journal of Politics" Negotiating Gendered Discourses Analyzes The Discourse Surrounding Michelle Bachelet's 2006 Presidential Election In Chile To That Of Cristina Fernandez De Kirchner's 2007 Election In Argentina. Christie Reveals Key Points Of Intersection Between The Contemporary Political Discourse Of These Elections And The Women-led Human Rights Campaigns In The Southern Cone Region--provided By Publisher. Women As Political Subjects And Agents In Chile And Argentina -- Human Rights Icons : Feminized Political Leadership Frames -- Economic Policy Claims -- Feminist Policy Claims. Jane L. Christie. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 199-215) And Index. Negotiating Gendered Discourses analyzes the discourse surrounding Michelle Bachelet's 2006 presidential election in Chile to that of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's 2007 election in Argentina. Christie reveals key points of intersection between the contemporary political discourse of these elections and the women-led human rights campaigns in the Southern Cone region