FROM MYTH TO RESISTANCE: ROSARIO CASTELLANOS’S POETRY AND MEXICAN FEMINISM

Abstract

Rosario Castellanos, an influential poet and writer in the mid-20th century Mexico, earned public recognition not only for her writing style but also for her profound role in feminist discourse in Latin America. Her poetry challenges deeply rooted social norms and gender expectations perpetuated in post-revolutionary decades. This study is motivated by the unique evolution of feminism in Mexico, which intertwined with the national political unrest in the twentieth century. That period demanded female representatives like Castellanos to make women’s voices heard. Her works advocate for the visibility and empowerment of women, who were pushed back to homes. They reflect the oppressive gender roles in society established after the transformative Mexican Revolution of 1910. The project is dedicated to people genuinely interested in how cultural, historical, and social events shape gender equality in Latin America. It also targets those who recognize the power of the word in this discourse. Examination of Castellanos’s contribution uncovers how feminist thought and national identity in Mexico intersect, thus being critical for scholars of feminist theory, Latin American studies, and postcolonial literature. While many experts focus on Europe, which started political entitlement of women in 1096, and the United States, which managed to grant a vote to women in 1919, the Latin American context remains relatively neglected. Unlike Western feminist movement, Latin American feminism survived through colonial narratives, racial oppression, and class divides. That is why Castellanos prioritized voices of women in rural and Indigenous communities. This finding justifies that women in this country were historically silenced and urges the need to evaluate the role of the prominent figure, Rosario Castellanos, in the Mexican Feminist movement. This paper aims to analyze Castellanos’s poetic techniques, themes, and female heroines to understand how she reclaims female identities and assess her potential impact on the Mexican Feminist movement. The research questions are “Which female archetypes are described in Castellanos’s poetry” and “How did these heroines, reappearing themes, and stylistic devices contribute to women’s empowerment during the Mexican Feminist movement?” The narrator frequently addresses the topics of loss of personality in romantic relationships, social condemnation of women regardless of their backgrounds, mothers’ and wives’ burdensome duties, and dissatisfaction with relationships. Hence, the project will uncover how the poet’s literature transcends beyond artistic expression into a tool for challenging norms and demonstrating female resistance.