A Body of One's Own

[Simonetto's] archival trawling across the decades is encyclopaedic, and this work will doubtless be a touchstone for scholars in multiple fields, laying a solid foundation for the developing subfield of Trans Latin American History. Future scholars of the history of gender and sexuality in Argentina will have to reckon with this work, and will be better for it . . . [A Body of One's Own] joins other recent US and international monographs in shaping a conversation about past lives and discourses ‘before trans’, which are both archivally grounded and theoretically innovative. Gender & History

This is a book that deftly engages trans and travesti histories as central to Argentine statecraft and nation-building. Simonetto treats both his archival materials and his interlocutors with depth and care. He draws enthusiastically from a multitude of thinkers, including those working both inside and outside the space of the academy. ReVista

Patricio Simonetto reveals a hidden world...that is too often overlooked and misunderstood. Journal of Latin American Geography

Patricio Simonetto examines the history of transgender and gender-diverse people as Argentina underwent multiple strands of nation-building and rebuilding. The result is an impressive, thoughtful, deeply compassionate work that offers much not simply to scholars of transgender or queer history, but indeed to those rethinking the very concepts of categorisation, discursive boundaries and what it is to be...[this is] a lucid, vibrant and above all empathetic book. Simonetto's focus on the lives and livelihoods of his subjects is admirable, welcome and has urgent relevance in a world where reaction seems to be declaring war on hard-won LGBTQIA+ rights. Rather than romanticising the past, however, Simonetto’s book is a salutary reminder that what we euphemistically call ‘progress’ is often complex, multifaceted and in no way linear. As all good histories should, this outstanding contribution to the literature fascinates and delights, but also serves as a vital warning in troubled – and troubling – times. Gender & History

The book shifts the focus away from an examination of gay and lesbian activism to document how trans people constructed their own unique personas, found ways to transform their bodies in alignment with their gender identities, built support networks, and mobilized to demand basic civil and democratic rights. Since in-depth studies of trans people in Latin America, as well as social histories of lesbians, lag far behind academic production about gay men, Simonetto’s pioneering work on the topic will immediately become a reference point for scholars who wish to carry out similar studies in other countries of the region or beyond. The Americas

Simonetto has accomplished something amazing with this book. He has managed to focus Argentinian national history on a struggle that is usually kept to the margins of the historical record, that of the body. As such he advances a new field of research that considers not just trans experiences but also cis ones, as the body is a political battlefield for us all....An instant classic. NACLA Report on the Humanities

Patricio Simonetto’s groundbreaking analysis offers lucid insights on the Argentinean trans experience and the complexities of engaging with a Latin American transgender and travesti archive. Centering trans issues and national discourses, Simonetto bravely engages the epistemic violence of the past as he documents the utopian aspirations and numerous achievements of the present. A Body of One’s Own is a major contribution. Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes, University of Michigan, author of Translocas: The Politics of Puerto Rican Drag and Trans Performance

Skillfully researched, A Body of One’s Own is a timely, much-needed history of people crossing gender boundaries that powerfully resonates with the present. By focusing on trans body portrayal and experimentation, Patricio Simonetto offers not only a detailed history of sex change in twentieth-century Argentina, but also a unique perspective on the role of body ownership and gender transgression in nation-building. This is a pioneering, remarkable work that will become indispensable reading for anyone interested in Latin American queer studies. Natalia Milanesio, University of Houston, author of Destape: Sex, Democracy, and Freedom in Postdictatorial Argentina