Populism and social struggles. The identity constitution of the travesti/trans collective in Argentina

Abstract

In this paper we analyse the process of identity constitution of the Argentine travesti/trans collective in the framework of the Kirchnerist populist articulation (2003-2015). During this political experience, the sexual diversity movement won laws that were fundamental to its consolidation as a movement. Our argument is that the struggles for equal marriage and gender identity were milestones in this new cycle of struggles for sex-gender equality, and they generated conditions of possibility for the identity constitution of the travesti/trans collective as a national and political subject. In order to understand this process of political identification, we consider that it is important to investigate the new articulation possibilities opened up by the 2001 crisis with other social movements. At the same time, we believe that it is essential to analyse the new situation that began with Kirchnerism, the latter acting as interpellation to the travesti/trans collective because of the discourse of rights. We argue that the language of human rights, reconfigured by Kirchnerist hegemony, enabled the travesti/trans activism to signify the unfair deprivations they have always suffered, and to claim for reparations as a damaged part of the community.