Between personal transformation and cross-cutting activism. Young feminists and student participation in Córdoba, Argentina

Abstract

The “Ni Una Menos” movement's call to action in 2015 initiated, in Argentina, a cycle of mobilizations and visibility strategies regarding gender violence, which fueled a process of massification and rejuvenation of feminism. This article addresses the processes of young students' approach and identification with feminism over the past decade in Córdoba, Argentina. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial, as the widespread involvement of young women in the feminist movement has reshaped youth sociability, as well as student activism. The study analyzes nine in-depth interviews, seven individual and two group interviews, conducted between 2022 and 2023 using grounded theory methodologies. Results were derived through inductive and recursive processes, emphasizing field data aligned with theoretical insights. The paper discusses young women's identification with feminism, including their journeys toward the movement, what it means to identify as feminists, their role models, their paths of participation, and the tensions and hopes related to organizational and activism spaces. The conclusions summarize key findings and propose questions for further exploration of the dynamics of feminist identification and contemporary youth activism.