Embodying feminism: Donor demands and bridgework in Cambodian nongovernmental organizations

Abstract

AbstractThis article illustrates how nongovernmental organization (NGO) workers in developing countries are pressured to present themselves as ideal feminist subjects to international donors. Previous research has highlighted the potential of NGOs to promote and support feminist change, but also the ways in which the agendas of such organizations are shaped by the demands of donors in the global North. Extending the literature on embodiment to investigate NGOs, this article introduces a new aspect of donor demands on NGO work: embodying feminism. Drawing from 30 in‐depth interviews and ethnographic observation in NGOs in Cambodia, I analyze two processes. First, I show how foreign donors demand specific presentations of self from Khmer NGO staff. Second, I analyze the ways in which Khmer employees make sense of these expectations, which require them to change their interaction style, manage their emotions, and transform their esthetic to present themselves as “good feminists” to donors. Documenting an understudied aspect of NGO work, I demonstrate how the visions of feminism and development promoted by international donors make demands on the bodies of Khmer workers.