Art and Poetry in Feminist Zines: Artistic Experiences and Research Inquiries

Abstract

This paper aims to propose theoretical reflections on the materiality of zines created by independent women authors as channels for dissident artistic, literary, and feminist practices within Brazilian society, which intersect with issues of gender, race, and social class. To achieve this, a critical-reflective text is developed, based on qualitative research that combines methodological approaches of experiential reporting, incorporating first-person accounts of the author’s experiences in studying and producing zines; and exploratory/bibliographic research, discussing conceptions of (fan)zines outlined by Henrique Magalhães and Fernanda Meireles, as well as the concept of intersectionality mobilized by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge. Additionally, the theoretical framework includes other scholars, especially Theodor W. Adorno and Claus Clüver, who contribute to understanding the materiality of artistic objects by exploring the dialectical relationship between form and content in literature and other arts. As a result, the study demonstrates that the intersectional perspective enhances the comprehension of the materiality of artistic and feminist zines, providing theoretical tools for future analyses of the poetic production by independent women authors, whose publications not only engage with feminist ideas discursively, but also enact gestures of anti-sexist, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist resistance.