This January 26th at 17:00h we present Conflict is not abuse, a publication by Laura Macaya and Hamaca edited by La Escocesa.
Conflict is not the same as abuse takes its title from the book Conflict is not abuse (Sarah Schulman, 2016) and starts from its premises to begin a conversation about how punitive logics prevent repairing and healing conflicts. The publication goes through five sections: (1) punitivism, (2) sexual violence, (3) when there is no cis man or when there is no aggressor, (4) cancellations and (5) institutional cases; and from them it appeals to reflections and experiences -which can reverberate to all of us- from an anti-punitivist feminist critique.
The text is born as an extension of a conversation that was given orally during the session [Conflict] is not the same as [Abuse], programmed by Hamaca for November 14, 2023 at the Centre d’Arts Santa Mònica, during which a conversation was held with Laura Macaya on the subject.
Fortunately, more and more contents are appearing every day in our languages or in non Anglo-Saxon legal frameworks – as in our case in Spain – that address a feminist critique of punitivism. Most of them do so in relation to the problem of identity feminism, prisons, violence against transgender people or sex workers. Our conversation aims, guided by some of the book’s proposals, to delve into another of the key areas that punitivism affects and for which we still do not find so many references outside of English: intimate relationships and the culture of cancellation. Thus, the intention of this publication is to introduce questions and reflections that we identify as a learning door to improve the way we face and manage our conflicts and sufferings as part of communities, societies, world.
The publication is available in digital version on Hamaca‘s website.
bio
Laura Macaya is an anti-punitivist feminist activist, anarcho-syndicalist and abolitionist of the penal system. She is dedicated to direct care, the design of accompaniment methodologies and the development of public policies to address gender violence from an intersectional perspective and restorative justice. She has also dedicated a large part of her professional and activist career to the defense of sex work rights. She has written several articles in the press on the perspectives of anti-punitivist feminism, the vindication of the moral and sexual infringement of women and against sexual hyper-regulation. She is the author of the book Esposas nefastas y otras aberraciones. El dispositivo jurídico como red de construcción de feminidad, has participated in the collective work Putas e Insumisas and is co-editor of the book Alianzas rebeldes. Un feminismo más allá de la identidad (Bellaterra). She is currently a member of Genera, an association for sex work rights and in defense of sexual and gender rights and freedoms.
Hamaca is an independent cultural entity that has consolidated the reference archive of experimental audiovisual linked to the Spanish state. Its catalog contains the most outstanding history of single-channel and experimental videographic practices since the late 60s. Through a network of collaborations with institutions and agents, it generates a public program that focuses on curatorial work, mediation, support for production and study of the medium. The productions in the catalog are presented in cultural, educational or social contexts, contributing to the dialogue between videos and social environments, and highlighting the medium as a tool in the construction of collective imaginaries. As a distributor, it defends and promotes the fair remuneration of artistic work. Based on a logic of accessibility and promotion of free culture, the entire collection is digitized and made available for consultation through the platform hamacaonline.net
