Sociolinguistics Symposium 19
Freie Universität Berlin | August 21-24, 2012
Programme: accepted abstracts
Abstract ID: 203
Part of Session 196: Discourse, Politics and Women as Global Leaders (Other abstracts in this session)
"Breaking the Glass, Keeping the Ceiling?": Discursive Practices of Two President of Latin American Michelle Bachelet & Cristina Kirshner
Authors: Cortés Conde, Florencia (1); Boxer, Diana (2)
Submitted by: Cortés Conde, Florencia (Goucher College, United States of America)
During the last half of the 20th century grass root women's movements were instrumental in the transition to democracy in Latin America. These social movements were followed by an increase in political representation of women not only at the congressional level, but 5 women have been chosen to the highest office: Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1990-97), Nicaragua; Mireya Moscoso de Arias (1999-2004), Panamá; Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010), Chile; Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2011), Argentina; and recently elected Dilma Rousseff. In this paper we propose to analyze the discursive practices of two of these women who have come to represent two very different political discursive practices in Latin America, the 'populist rhetoric' and the 'pragmatic left.' Bachelet, a self proclaimed agnostic, separated mother of three, rose to power on a center-left ticket and the promise to reduce the gap between the social classes in Chile, had "gender solidarity" on her side (The Washington Post, December 2005). With political experience of her own Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was backed by the Peronist political machine headed by Néstor Kirchner, her husband. Kishner did not rely on the feminine vote and is said to work better with men (Levitsky & Murillo 2008). In our paper, we hope to examine the discursive practices that allowed these two women to win their respective presidencies examining their position on gender, human right, and economic issues.