Subhuman and nonhuman animals: the crossroads between animal liberation, feminism, punk and anarchism within portuguese punk zines of the early 1990s.

by Ana Mateus

Portuguese hardcore punk music became prominent in the beginning of the 1990s. This new generation would combine faster music and radical politics. Punk hardcore scenes developed alternative (i.e. anticapitalist and translocal) forms of producing, exchanging and consuming punk cultural products, to accomplish what Stephen Duncombe describes as: “make your own culture and stop consuming that which is made for you” (Triggs: 2006). In other words, people would set shows, write zines, run small distros and labels following anarchist DIY principles. The early 1990s Portuguese hardcore punk scenes political agenda was not meant to be “confined by the punk scenes” (Hardmann: 2005). In order to pursue social change these hardcore punk scenes disseminated a call for action that included new themes, tying punk to ecological, feminist, LGBT, anti-racist, animal’s rights, housing rights and anarchist collectives and associations.
These crossroads provided a strong sense of political engagement. Everyday life got under scrutiny for the purpose of liberation (cognitive / human / animal / earth / women’s). The emergence of zines entirely focus on animal liberation and on feminism, in this context, is my prime concern. The goal is to explore those pioneer zines political content and analyse how political involvement was conceived.
Feminist perspectives examine gender dynamics and work to make women and the challenges they face visible. My intention is to look closer on women’s writing focusing on the zines they wrote and on the way they address sexism and speciesism. Two zines in particular: “Naturanimal” the first Portuguese punk zine entirely dedicated to animal liberation, published by a woman who later would co-found the United Libertarian Women’s collective (Mulheres Libertárias Unidas) with other women and publish “!MULIBU!” zine, the first one entirely dedicated to women’s issues.

Triggs, Teal (2006) Scissors and Glue: Punk Fanzines and the Creation of a DIY Aesthetic. Journal of Design History Vol. 19, No. 1, 69-83.
Hardman, Emilie (2007) Before You Can Get Off Your Knees: Profane Existence and Anarcho-Punk as Social Movement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, TBA, New York, New York City, Aug. 11, 2007. Accessed in April 11, 2015:   http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p184536_index.html


Biography:
Ana Mateus is a history graduation student at the University of Coimbra and a feminist activist.