UC Santa Barbara

This thesis discusses two specific aspects of gender-based violence – feminicide, the extreme manifestation of violence against women and political-gender based violence, a very important yet unexplored form of violence that aims to prevents women from reaching positions of power or to removing them from their jobs. The research is focused on Latin America and, more specifically, on Brazil while employing a methodology of case-studies analysis and historical background. The cases of four women (Zuzu Angel, Dorothy Stang, Patrícia Acioli and Marielle Franco), who were killed by reasons related to their political and/or social leadership are linked to a broader study of a patriarchal society with high concentration of inequality, insecurity and experiencing a conservative wave. The results show the existence of patterns of violence committed by the state, either by negligence or direct action and that the response - or lack thereof – to these killings rarely brings justice to the victims and their families.

Keywords: political gender-based violence; feminicide; violence against women; Marielle Franco; state violence.