Ignorance is Bliss? Tracing the Process of Democratic Transition in Argentina with a Gender Perspective

Abstract: This bachelor thesis focuses on the democratic transition in Argentina in the begin¬ning of the 1980s and aims to expose several variables within this political develop¬ment by using a method of process tracing. What many scholars have failed to notice is the role that women's movements in Latin America have had in this process. The authoritarian regime in Argentina also failed to acknowledge this by continuously underestimating women’s political agency. This made it possible for women's movements to grow and enabled a more public opposition within the country, which, provided for a unique arena for protests. Interacting with other factors, such as the economic crisis and Ar¬gentina's defeat in the Falkland war, this eventually lead to the complete de-legitimi¬zation of the regime. Theories on political participation, civil society and public/private are used to analyze the process. The aim of this study is thus to trace the process of democratic transition, stage by stage, and analyze the interacting causal variables using a gender perspective using secondary sources. The conclusion drawn is that the women’s movements had a central role among the variables resulting in the break¬down of the authoritarian regime and the opening towards democracy in Argentina.