Political militancy and imprisonment in recent Chilean history: authoritarianism, testimonies and resistance from a feminist perspective

The article explores the complex theme of gender-based violence in the Chile’s recent history, focusing on the period of the military dictatorship (1973-1990). Drawing on a review of the main contributions to the topic, the paper aims to contribute to the contemporary academic and political debate on gender-based violence, historical memory and feminist theories. The article illustrates how gender-based violence should not be understood as a marginal or isolated occurrence, but rather as a structural component of the state regimes’ repressive machine, surving to uphold the patriarchal order and to criminalize female and feminist political dissent. It aims to bring to light the testimonies of a militant of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), who was imprisoned and tortured in detention centres during the years of the military regime, and how she was doubly oppressed and abused, both as a member of the revolutionary left and as a woman. In particular, it highlights the forms of resistance adopted by political prisoners and women's and feminist movements during that period. Drawing on historiographical sources, scholarly articles, and feminist theoretical texts, the article aims to interweave historical narrative with the conceptual tools offered by gender studies.