Ochoa and Anzaldúa: feminist epistemologies, popular education, and interculturality

Abstract

This paper presents the results of biographical and bibliographic research on the lives and works of Latin American feminists Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa (1942–2004) and Luz Maceira Ochoa (1974–), aiming to understand their epistemologies and experiences within feminist movements and popular education as repertoires for the de-patriarchalization of science and pedagogy in Latin America. From an intercultural theoretical-epistemological perspective, the activists' experiences in popular education are understood as political and pedagogical actions that drive resistance to the oppression of patriarchy and the coloniality imposed on Latin American women's bodies. The everyday experiences of Anzaldúa and Ochoa made them borderland activists and writers committed to developing feminist thought and politics focused on the education of women from popular classes, through pedagogical practices that foster gender conflict reflection, awareness-raising, and engagement in Latin American feminist movements. Based on the conducted studies, it is considered that the political and pedagogical work of Anzaldúa and Ochoa in the Latin American context highlights the urgency of rethinking teaching and learning processes in schools toward building a plural education committed to social justice.