February 2015

Feminist social scientist from Mexico

Lucía Melgar is a literary scholar and social scientist from Mexico. Currently she is working as an independent lecturer at the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City and coordinates the feminist online magazine Con la A in Latin America. In her opinion, science shouldn’t be an ivory tower and has to assume its social responsibilities. “It is important that science remains independent, however it must also respond to the needs of the society. Whenever we engage into conversation with activists, professionals from other fields and journalists it is enriching. In Mexico there is a strong trend towards polarization and the freedom of speech is getting more and more restricted. It is the duty of science to create space for meetings and free exchange of opinions.”

Resistance
Outside of University, Lucía Melgar is committed to fighting for a more peaceful society and against violence against women. She is a co-founder of the group NI UNO MAS NI UNA MAS against the murder of women and youth and she fights for legal abortion in Mexico. To her it is clear: even if it may be difficult at times, not to lose hope, there must always be resistance. “There are so many women that contribute to a better world. To learn from them can inspire and motivate us”, says Lucía Melgar. It may sound utopic, she says, but to understand ourselves as global citizens might be easier today than it ever was before, thanks to new means of communication. She has a concrete vision of what peace means, as she refers to the Spanish philosopher María Zambrano: “Peace is much more than an attitude; it is truly a revolution, a way of inhabiting the planet, a way of being human.”