Entre la homogeneización y el determinismo: ¿cómo aproximarnos a los testimonios de las mujeres enfermas durante el siglo XIX en México?

The purpose of this text is to reflect on the methodological problems we face when we try to access the testimonies of women from the past, especially those who participated in the medical practice by being represented as ‘patients’. Given that documents written by these women are rare, and considering the criticism made to the categories we use to analyze gender relations, I propose to read existing sources from a position that rescues the role of women as participants in the construction of medical knowledge, so we can account for a more complex process in men-women relationships. Latter is argued on the basis of the feminist post-colonial and subaltern studies which, through the concept of agency, contribute to envision women from the past in a more diverse spectrum of circumstances