Abstract

The following article examines the political potential of the intimate, affective translation practices of Portuguese lesbian feminist activists in the publications Organa (1990–1992) and Lilás (1993–2002). Both publications, which I analyze through the rubric of the countercultural genre of “zine” or “fanzine,” arose in response to the repression and invisibilization that Portuguese lesbians faced, from criminalization and censorship at the hands of the fascist Estado Novo [New State] dictatorship (1933–1974) to exclusion from post-1974 feminist groups. Disconnected from any notion of lesbian identity and isolated from each other, the first lesbian activists turned toward experiences and connections abroad to build political consciousness. Using the self-published periodicals Organa and Lilás as their principal organizational tools, they could translate and circulate texts by lesbian feminist authors from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. In doing so, they simultaneously created an open, egalitarian “lesbian-feminist counterpublic” (McKinney 2020, 19), allowing lesbians to meet each other on and between the publications’ pages through collaboration and expressions of desire. By analyzing the translational practices evident in the content, construction, and dissemination of Organa and Lilás, I identify and elaborate on a translation practice rooted in urgency, intimacy, and affectivity. Through the example of Portuguese lesbian feminism, I suggest that translation, far more than being a linguistic exercise or a transfer of information, has the capacity to be a tool for community-building and consciousness-raising, especially within groups that face marginalization and oppression.

Recommended Citation

Holleran, Grace. 2024. "Translation as Consciousness-Building in the Portuguese Lesbian Press (1990–2002)." Journal of Feminist Scholarship 24 (Spring): 65-78. 10.23860/jfs.2024.24.05.