‘We Are Learning How To Organize Ourselves’: Feminist Intra-Movement Dynamics

Abstract

The paper explores activists’ political organization strategies and obstacles they faced in achieving consensus during the feminist protests that exploded in Chilean universities between April and May 2018. Drawing on the intra-movement dynamics literature and analyzing qualitative data about the mobilization in one of the oldest universities of the country, the research sheds light on the movement's internal dynamics, reviewing the activists’ decision-making processes and conflict management to position their demands in light of three styles of activism: autonomous, militant and performative. The study highlights that despite the substantial alignment of student demands with the feminist movement's goals, the political strategies implemented by each group differed substantially. The paper contributes to the understanding of how feminists deal with conflict to achieve consensus to position their demands.