"A nation of entrepreneurial young women:” neoliberalism and girlhood in post-accord Colombia
537 Heller Hall
Abstract: Since the 2016 Peace Accord between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla and the government, entrepreneurial development has targeted young women promising paths toward feminist emancipation and a bright Colombian future. These discourses produce young women as peaceful and flexible subjects with creative potential who are willing to work with risk and passion to endure the uncertainties of the entrepreneurial economy. However, young women are also appropriating, mobilizing and negotiating these discourses through the promotion and development of their own entrepreneurial business through social media like Instagram. During my presentation I will address some of the following questions: why entrepreneurial discourses about girlhood have become critical components of peacebuilding in Colombia? Which girls are targeted as agents of peaceful development? How young women curated their own narratives about peace?
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About the Speaker
Alexandra Chocontá-Piraquive is a Colombian first-generation college graduate working with urban and rural young women in Colombia since 2013. Her doctoral dissertation centers on young Colombian women's voices and experiences navigating the empowerment girlhood discourse based on entrepreneurship and peacebuilding. She works in different places where the empowerment discourse occurs, like social media platforms, public policy, and trade fairs. Alexandra has extensive experience working with popular feminist organizations that use textile practices and social media platforms to create, promote and demand women's rights in Colombia.