This research aims to answer the question of what impact are the Dialogic Feminist Gatherings (DFG) have in the empowerment of the participating women and in the promotion of new masculinities in adults without university qualifications. For this purpose, two case studies were conducted on DFG. One was conducted on DFG in a Community Centre of Madrid (2015-2018). The other, on DFG in a Community Centre of Barcelona (2018-2019).

The DFG are egalitarian dialogues focused on the transformation of the language of desire to create possibilities for women who wish to question desires imposed by patriarchal societies by orienting these desires towards non-violent relationships (Puigvert, 2016, p. 190). The DFG are a type of Dialogic Gatherings (DG), which are based on dialogic learning (Flecha, 2000). In the DG reading and dialogue is promoted from the best creations of humanity in different fields from literature and sciences to music and art, in this case feminism. It is based in dialogic learning, theorized by Ramon Flecha from the literary gatherings that started in adult education in 1978 (Flecha, 2000). Dialogic learning draws on the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky (1962, 1978) and shares basic principles with the “cultural circles” of Paulo Freire (1973). The DG is an educational action defined by means of egalitarian dialogue established among the participants that read and share their reflections on a text with the aim to promote the shared creation of knowledge (Soler, 2015)

The aspects related with the DG that favor and improve learning, as well as cognitive, social and emotional development are under study. Nowadays, the DG are conducted and studied in very different age groups like in early childhood education, primary and secondary education, adult education and family education (de Botton, Girbés, Ruiz, & Tellado, 2013; Garcia-Carrion, 2015; Garcia-Yeste, Gairal, & Rios, 2017; Soler, 2015), and also in highly diverse spaces like schools, community centers, children’s residential facilities (Garcia-Yeste, Gairal, Munté, & Plaja, 2018) and prisons (Alvarez et al., 2016).

The results of the research conducted by Puigvert  (2016) on DFG with university students, made visible the potential of this educational action to transform the attraction towards models of traditional masculinity related with violence for the attraction for new models of alternative masculinity free of violence.

This study analyzes the impact that DFG have on the empowerment of women and in the promotion of new masculinities in participants that are diverse in terms of age, gender and educational level. The DFG of the two case studies here presented are intergenerational and intergender. The participants are women and men between 20 and 70 years old. The majority do not have university degrees. The main results show that as a result of the type of readings shared in the DFG and the criteria of its functioning a climate of respect is created and a process of empowerment develops in the participants. After their participation in the DFG many of them start to actively position themselves in daily life situations produced by gender inequality. Even more, they position themselves in harder situations like violence against women. For example, in some cases they have publicly position themselves in favor of the victim and against the aggressor.

Data collection: Two qualitative case studies have been conducted, one on DFG in a Community Centre in Madrid and the other in a DFG in a Community Centre in Barcelona. Overall, 20 daily life stories have been collected and many participant observations have been conducted in both DFG. The evidences have been collected over a time span of three years. The aim of the analysis is to identify the impact of the DFG on empowering women and the promotion of new alternative masculinities free of violence. The daily life stories and the participant observations have been conducted under a communicative orientation. The Participants of the DFG take part in all the research process, from its design until the collective knowledge creation. The researchers provided the academic knowledge and the participants their knowledge of the lifeworld. The consensus on the interpretation of the reality was achieved through egalitarian dialogue between both parts. DFG’s criteria: The two studied DFG follow the same criteria than those analyzed by Puigvert (2016, p. 190): 1) works on feminist contributions are read, particularly those oriented towards overcoming violent gender relationships; 2) scientifically validated contributions to overcoming violence; 3) scientifically validated analysis of hegemonic socialization of the desire towards violent men for sporadic or stable relationships; 4) scientifically validated contributions regarding programmes that succeed in preventive socialization; 5) egalitarian dialogue encouraged by persons who do not possess hierarchic status with respect to the women who participate in such gatherings. Some examples of works that have been read in the DFG are hooks (2000) and by Flecha, Puigvert and Rios (2013). How the DFG works: In each Community Centre, a weekly session of DFG was conducted. Each session lasted between 1 and 2 hours. The participants select the book or article that they want to read following the criteria. They agree on the number of pages to read for each session. Each participant does the reading before the session. Each person selects at least one paragraph of the text. In the gathering session when willing to participate, the person reads the paragraph and explains the reason of its selection. Then a debate opens about that paragraph based on egalitarian dialogue in which all opinions are valued. At the end of the debate of that paragraph another is read and a new debate is open. This process is repeated until the end of the book or article.

From the analysis of the daily life stories of the participants and the records of the participant observations have been identified that reading benchmark works of feminism on DFG generate an important impact on the participating individuals. Many of the participants of the DFG highlighted that because of the principles of the gathering and the type of reading read, the egalitarian dialogue, solidarity and equality of differences facilitates that highly diverse people in age, and educational levels, that never before had read literature of such quality to develop an empowerment that made them positions themselves against gender inequalities. Especially, they highlight that the transformation is produced when identifying and positioning themselves against the violence suffered by women, young women and girls. Some of the main results of the DFG impact in the participants and their environments are: 1) acquiring a conscience on inequality and gender violence that empower them to act with greater security in their daily life; 2) identifying models of masculinity that contribute to reproduce violence and to identify those that overcome them; 3) promoting the attitude of new masculinities that position themselves against violence in their close contexts, contributing to increase their attractiveness; 4) becoming involved in their neighborhoods in the fight against gender violence, promoting, for example, activities of awareness and breaking the silence in situations that they may already know, see or suffer; 5) improve their self-esteem when becoming models for different generations in their communities.

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