Microfiction and Gender-Based Violence: The ¡Basta! Literary Project, a Valuable Educational Resource

Abstract

The ¡Basta! project was launched in Chile in 2011 through the initiative of six prominent Chilean women writers and activists. It led to the publication of a first anthology comprising 100 works of microfiction on violence against women before expanding to eight Latin American countries. The project is multidimensional in nature: literary, political, and social. The choice of the short-story format, with texts limited to no more than 150 words, was intended to encourage reading in countries where readership has been steadily declining. This brevity makes the anthologies particularly well suited for educational use, not only because of their conciseness and ease of reading, but also because of their cognitive and emotional impact. The active engagement they demand from readers, together with the analysis and discussion they can generate, makes these anthologies an essential pedagogical resource for addressing an issue that transcends national borders.