Mario Faust-Scalisi - Intersectionality and Activism - Chilean Fanzines (paper)

Chile witnesses multiple forms of intersectional discriminations as gender or racist on a daily basis. We know this latest since the performance ‘Un violador en tu camino’ by Las-Tesis went global. In Chile some fight for social justice on the street, other by raising awareness with comics, more specific with self-printed non-sexist activist-fanzines. For this stands the self-declared feminist comic collective Las Tetas, and especially the linked artist Katherine Supnem. In these fanzines dealing with personal intersectional discrimination experiences is combined with fighting for social justice and minority rights in Chile and beyond by raising awareness of discriminations and injustice happening – here the idea of “personalized politics” by fanzines can be witnessed empirically (see Bobel 2010, p. 115ff.). By linking personal intersectional challenges with society problems these fanzines get credibility and at the same time reach. But activism doesn’t stop with drawing and writing comics, with the question of getting a voice as discussed by Roth (2004). In their distribution or presentation activist approaches are followed, too. At the same time comic authors like Supnem come together with others to not only fight injustice with pen or paper, but on the streets, in workshops or elsewhere . Drawing comics empowers Supnem personally, and her fanzines empower others to fight diverse forms of intersectional discrimination in multiple ways (see for the question of empowerment and multiple forms of expression e.g. Dale 2012, S. 149ff.).