WOMEN AND SYMBOLIC POWER IN PUBLIC SPACE. WOMEN DEVILS OF MATARO, BREAKING MALE DOMINATION

Although the role of women in traditional festivities in Catalonia has been subordinate to that of men, for some years now women have been trying to gain prominence. This article presents a case study about a group of women devils in the city of Mataro (Barcelona). Based on the interviews carried out and a participant observation process, we analyse the implications of breaking with male hegemony with a group exclusively of women, especially when it is a festive activity in public space and with fire. The text analyses the internal dynamics of the group, its public exposure and the relationships between power and vulnerability. Finally, the paradoxes between an invisible or implicit feminism and the fight against male domination in the field of traditional culture and in public space are discussed.