Linking space, body and identity

Socio-religious study on gender identities

Abstract

When we work on the issue of gender identities from a social or religious perspective, we cannot and should not avoid the responsibility of reflecting on the different forms of violence against women that are hidden–sometimes not so hidden–behind collective imaginaries and that condition people’s attitudes. These historically constructed imaginaries have been used as public policy instruments to strengthen patriarchal societies, since they not only delimit the spaces allowed for each gender, but above all they are powerful tools that allow the control and domination of women’s bodies. This article seeks, precisely, to analyse the forms of power implicit in gender relations, based on the socio-religious links between space, body and identity, in order to promote critical theological thinking and alternative pastoral actions aimed at transforming gender inequality.