Breathe
By Brenda Macias
Dear readers, I took a poetic license in the title to call your attention and ask you to prepare your gala dresses because, in August 2025, the iconic magazine Debate Feminista will be 35 years old.
A monumental achievement if we consider that, according to editors of academic and feminist journals, the average lifespan of these journals is barely three years. Debate Feminista, with its unwavering presence, has not only survived, but has defined feminist thought, gender studies and sexualities in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Debate Feminista magazine was founded in 1990 by Marta Lamas together with a plural editorial committee that included key figures such as Teresita de Barbieri, Marta Acevedo and Hortensia Moreno (its current director). Debate Feminista was created to fill a void: to create a space where extensive, profound and multidisciplinary texts that had no place in the traditional formats of journalism, literary magazines or political essays could be published.
The first issue of the magazine marked the beginning of this vision, with articles emerging from a colloquium between anthropologists, writers and artists. Since then, Debate Feminista has been a publication that, while ambitious in its content, has also faced the challenge of being accessible to a diverse audience.
A living archive of feminisms
During its first 25 years, Debate Feminista published 50 volumes exploring gender, feminisms and sexualities from multiple perspectives. These texts are a testimony to the development of feminisms in Mexico and its constant dialogue with Latin America and the Caribbean. According to Paola Ortega, the magazine's editorial assistant, Debate Feminista is not only a contemporary project, but a continuation of the tradition of women who have used the written word as a tool for political expression since the 19th century.
A clear antecedent of this legacy is fem, the magazine founded in 1976 by Alaíde Foppa, in which Marta Lamas had an important participation, and which laid the foundations for the creation of Debate Feminista.
In 2016, Debate Feminista began a new phase under the tutelage of UNAM's Center for Research and Gender Studies (CIEG). This change transformed the journal into a biannual academic publication, adapting to international standards and aligning with practices such as open access, peer review and fixed publication dates.
Although this transition allowed its survival in an environment marked by neoliberal editorial policies and digitalization, it also brought challenges. On the one hand, it meant moving away from some of the original feminist practices, such as collectivity over individual authorship or openness to non-academic formats. On the other hand, it implied the incorporation of a rigorous approach in the selection of content, while maintaining the commitment to excellence and feminist relevance.
Feminist commitment on every page
Despite the tensions inherent in this change, Debate Feminista has managed to retain its essence. An example of this is its insistence on including a solid state of the art in the articles published, promoting a respectful dialogue with the previous contributions of other feminist authors. In addition, the use of inclusive language is another achievement that reflects its congruence with feminist values.
Today, Debate Feminista is more than a magazine; it is a university heritage and a living testimony of the critical and pluralistic thinking that has defined feminisms in our region. This publication will not only celebrate its first 35 years, but will also reaffirm its relevance as a space where the ideas, struggles and hopes of those of us who believe in a more just world converge.
Long live Debate Feminista! May it continue to be a beacon for generations to come.
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
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