Mapping exclusion: women in salvadoran poetry anthologies (1910-2026)

Abstract

The research analyzes the representation of women in Salvadoran poetry anthologies published between 1910 and 2026, understanding the anthology as an editorial device with the capacity for consecration and exclusion. From a critical and feminist perspective, it questions the place women have occupied in the national literary canon, recognizing that their visibility has been mediated by structures of power and symbolic violence. The methodology consisted of a documentary mapping of 28 poetry anthologies published during the period in question, differentiating between mixed and exclusively female compilations. A quantitative analysis of the participation of female authors was carried out, as well as a critical review of the editorial, institutional, and cultural context in which these works were produced and disseminated. The results reveal persistent underrepresentation: only five anthologies were exclusively female, and in mixed compilations, the participation of women rarely exceeded 30%. In addition, institutional records, such as official catalogs and dictionaries of authors, confirm the gender bias in the processes of literary legitimization. The discusión argues that the publication of women authors cannot continue to depend on isolated efforts, but requires sustained public policies with a gender focus. It is concluded that the visibility of women’s poetry should be understood as an act of symbolic and cultural justice, allowing genealogies to be reconstructed, equitable access to the canon to be guaranteed, and exclusionary publishing dynamics to be transformed.