Uneven Commitments: Charting Feminist Attention to Intersectionality in Uruguay

Attention to intersectionality in Uruguay has grown dramatically in the past two decades, due in large part to the efforts of members of civil society who have emphasized the need for attention to interlocking systems of oppression and privilege.  Yet it is unclear to what extent this attention has translated into feminist commitment to intersectional practice and analysis.  I argue that there are at least two ways in which feminist movements might take up the issue of intersectionality. In one case feminist movement actors may be the primary promoters of such analyses, pushing other civil society and institutional actors to consider intersectionality more seriously.  Yet, feminist actors may in fact be “late movers” in regard to intersectionality, reacting to the efforts of governments, policy analysts, and international influences.  I trace just such a process in the Uruguayan case, charting the impacts of unidimensional organizational repertoires and uneven attention to differences beyond gender.  I argue that the feminist commitment to intersectionality has been belated, and somewhat limited, resulting in an uneven set of commitments to engaging a broader intersectional analysis within the traditional gender frames of the Uruguayan feminist movement.