Reading, listening, feeling and thinking about pain: reflections from the experience of investigating femicides in Costa Rica

Abstract

In the last two decades we have seen the emergence of a significant amount of research on femicide in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this context, it is important to highlight Costa Rica's pioneering role in the genealogy of the concept, its theoretical development, as well as its application in the field of criminal justice. The following article presents epistemological, political and ethical reflections rooted in a process of doctoral research on the tensions around the recognition and the struggles for justice in relation to femicides in the country. Methodologically, the analysis focuses on the work of in-depth interviews that I conducted with family members and close friends of women victims of this extreme form of violence; as well as the work of monitoring, contrast and production of statistical data that concluded with the development of a critical tool for mapping of femicides. Finally, the article seeks to promote further research and bonding politics in this field, where the effects of reading, listening, feeling and thinking about social pain are collectivized.