Abstract

Chapter 1 1. The Social Movement as Gendered Terrain Chapter 2 2. Background and History: The Case Studies in Comparative Gender Perspective Chapter 3 3. Theorizing Gender in Social Movements Chapter 4 4. Getting Fired Up: Gendered Factors in Movement Mobilization Chapter 5 5. Social Resistance Strategies: The Myth of Gender Neutrality Chapter 6 6. Repercussions: Gendered Interests and Social Movement Outcomes Chapter 7 References Chapter 8 Appendixes Chapter 9 Index Chapter 10 About the Author

Highlights

  • The Madres de Plaza de Mayo - Linea Fundadora - during their weekly Thursday march in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Photographer: Natashe Dekker ‘At the end of the [20th] century, we were witnesses, and part of women’s struggles for their rights on various fronts, starting with the family

  • While women’s rights and gender justice are ‘on the agenda’ in many arenas, activists still encounter strong resistance to changing gendered politics and practices within movements and allied organisations. When it comes to making an impact on transforming gender power relations, social movements matter

  • Social movements are forms of collective action that emerge in response to situations of inequality, oppression and/or unmet social, political, economic or cultural demands

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Summary

Foreword by Srilatha Batliwala

Lead adviser for the BRIDGE Cutting Edge programme on Gender and Social Movements ‘If I should cease to work, these worlds would fall in ruin and I should be the creator of disordered life and destroy these people’ (Lord Krishna to Prince Arjuna in The Bhagavad Gita, III.). For more than 35 years, David has worked with numerous nongovernment and public organisations helping them build their capacity to further social change He has served in various roles with Amnesty International including as President of the Board of Directors for Amnesty Canada and has been a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Association of Women’s Rights in Development (AWID). Over 150 scholars, activists and practitioners came together during the programme to form a community of practice on gender and social movements Members of this group took part in a series of five e-discussions in order to discuss, debate and document the challenges, barriers and success stories around integrating women’s rights and gender justice into social movements’ external agendas and internal politics. Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Organizaciones del Campo (Coordinating Network for Latin American Rural Organisations)

Executive Summary
Introduction
Why ‘Gender and Social Movements’?
Why are social movements relevant?
What questions does this report explore?
What is meant by ‘gender’ in this report?
What is the Overview Report for?
How and why do social movements emerge and grow?
Engages clear internal or external targets in the change process
Fundamental concepts for understanding social movements
The ‘deep structures’ of movements
Relationships between social movements and organisations
The interconnectedness of movements and organisations
Tensions in the relationship between movements and organisations
Social movements and money
Locating Women’s Rights and Gender Justice in Social Movement Practice
What are the defining features of women’s and feminist movements?
How have feminist and women’s movements evolved?
Intersectionality and inclusion in women’s movements
Women-led movements for broad social change agendas
Mixed-gender movements with gender justice as a foundational axis
Alliances between women’s movements and other social justice movements
Integrating Gender Justice into Social Movement Practice
Identifying inequalities among ‘equals’
Instrumentalising women’s participation
Stereotypes about and backlash toward feminism
Sexual harassment and violence within social movements
Resistance to challenging power relations in the private sphere
Hierarchies in movement priorities
Negotiating competing allegiances
Differences within and between women’s movements
Difficulties maintaining change and achievements in the longer term
Sustaining an intersectional approach
Sustaining gender transformation ‘after the revolution’
Scaling up from initial change to movement-wide transformation
Gender-Just Movements
What does a gender-just movement look like?
Engage with the deep structure
Rethink masculinities
Interrogate the gendered division of labour in movement practices
Support internal activism for change
Build collective power among women
Build and support feminist leadership
Develop women’s platforms and caucuses
Support and learn from individual change-makers
Anticipate and respond to backlash
Acknowledge women’s agency and avoid a ‘victim’ approach
Draw the line on impunity for gender-based violence
Develop the politics and make the arguments on gender and movements
Make women’s rights and gender justice visible in movement agendas
Openly discuss what women’s rights and gender justice means for the movement
Use intersectional analysis to find areas of common struggle
Highlight the history of women’s activism in forging alliances
Operationalise gender justice in movements and movement-linked organisations
Harness and adapt organisational change strategies and techniques
Measure and track movements’ records on women’s rights and gender justice
Remain attentive to power relations between movements and organisations
Better align donor practice with movement methods and needs
Consider how organisational resources can contribute to movement-building
Reflections
Findings
Areas for further exploration
Full Text
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