Regaining the Global North? A foreign Latina facing and challenging social structures while working for (re)gaining a diverse world

Abstract

Small wins may be an option to be pursued when revolutions present themselves as too far away. People facing overlapping oppressions are often traumatized and can face difficulties in dealing with the processes of healing from suffering. Thus, even though social justice must be achieved, there may be room for steps that respect personal rhythms without losing the ability to respond to contemporary social issues from critical approaches and positionalities. In this chapter, I address some intersectional social issues lived in a singular manner by myself and reflected through a critical lens. I intend to corroborate that small wins obtained by people used to overlapping oppressions contribute to keeping going and fighting for social transformation, but they are far from being enough and are filled with discomforts and (disguised lived attempts of) domination. For doing so, I report intersectional social issues that, to some extent, were faced in my journey both in the Global North and South, briefly wonder about restrictive "definitions" for or specifics about people such as the concept of a Latina, bring a short piece on experiencing queer feelings in academia, draw on suffering and a healing process, and conclude with general thoughts on the regaining of concrete or symbolic places lost due oppressions, but in a different manner that opposes justice to domination.