ABSTRACT
Guatemalan refugee women living in the camps of southern Mexico for the past decade have become a remarkable example of self-empowerment despite the severe psychological trauma of the experiences which led to their exile. The successful organizing of these women (the majority of whom are of Mayan ethnic identity) into a productive force for social advancement raises interesting questions about the roles of physical, social, and cultural environment in post-traumatic recovery. This article seeks to explore these issues by looking at the activism of Guatemalan refugee women and examining it the context of their refugee experience.
