Repertories of rage: The feminist mercaditas in the online and offline continuum

Abstract

An impulse of rage led women in Mexico City to occupy metro stations in protest against gender violence, particularly economic violence, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This call to action was disseminated through sociodigital networks, and the form of protest involved taking over public spaces to sell and exchange second-hand clothing and hand-made items. The objective of this article is to showcase, via five protesting collectives, the various forms that the expression of rage has taken, the practices they undertake, and how they creatively and peacefully occupy public spaces driven by their indignation. Qualitative methodology including digital ethnography of their social networks and participant observation at the occupied locations was used for this purpose. As a result, the study identified four practices where emotions and affective bonds play a role in shaping collective identities and modes of action, both online and offline.