Critical Feminist Perspective Research Articles

Introduction: Feminist media production and beyond

This special issue features five articles written by a group of established and emerging researchers, who carefully examined the challenges and opportunities for women's participation in media production across platforms and nations. Overall, the case studies in this special issue extend and broaden current conversations about gendered media-making practices by emphasizing an intersectional, transnational, and critical feminist perspective on identity, subjectivity, embodiment, and labour. Further, these studies highlight both structural barriers that women face in the global media industries as well as emergent resistant and interventionist tactics. Taken together, they demonstrate the value of local, situated analyses and expose the shared patriarchal repressions as well as opportunities of development for feminist media production within a transnational context.

The pretend me, and the real me – male student teachers negotiating gender and professional identity in China

ABSTRACT This study employs a critical feminist perspective to investigate the experiences of male primary school student teachers in practicum schools in China. It aims to delve into and bring to light the intricate challenges they face when navigating their gender and professional identity. The findings reveal that the prevailing discourses surrounding primary school teacher professionalism, cultural perceptions of masculinity in China, and the scarcity of male teacher peers collectively influence the male student teachers’ negotiation of their gender and professional identity. The study proposes the adoption of a more inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy within teacher training programmes, with the recognition of teacher training as a means to attain long-term gender equality.

A Feminist Critical Analysis of Public Toilets and Gender: A Systematic Review

This systematic review explores how the provision and experience of public toilets in urban spaces are gendered in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. A search of 4 bibliographic databases resulted in 19 articles for inclusion. Data were analyzed using a feminist critical perspective and the United Nations (UN) framework on standards to assess the provision of sanitation in public spaces. The framework criteria include availability; accessibility; affordability; quality and safety; and acceptability, privacy, and dignity. This review demonstrates that more public toilets that consider the needs of all genders are needed, and it offers guidance to policymakers, planners, and funders on what to consider when planning and building them.

White privilege and professionalization: a decolonial and critical feminist perspective on professional nursing

This article offers a critical perspective linking invisibility with the political foundations of the dominant, Eurocentric model of modern nursing. Using critical feminist and decolonial feminist frameworks, this paper begins by analyzing gendered, reproductive labor in the centuries leading up to the industrial revolution in Britain and Europe and how the current dominant model of nursing was developed. The second part of the paper suggests a critical link between white supremacy, colonial violence and the professionalization of nursing work. Finally this paper calls on nursing scholarship to move beyond the narrow definition of nursing within the professional framework to include people who have done and continue to do the work of nursing despite being denied the title because of segregation and colonial violence.      

Analyzing the Structure of Womens Image in Thelma and Louise Based on Feminist Theory

The best movies challenge viewers to think critically about gender roles and other social concerns in addition to providing entertainment. Scotts Thelma & Louise is a perfect example of such a groundbreaking film. This analysis takes a feminist critical perspective to consider the films groundbreaking function in addressing issues of gender inequality, female agency, and barrier-breaking. An examination of the film from a feminist perspective reveals its pervasive impact. The movie Thelma & Louise challenges stereotypical portrayals of women by showing them in a more complex and multifaceted light. By deviating from stereotypical depictions, we may have more meaningful talks about authenticity and womens wide range of experiences. Equally impressive is the films bold examination of gender dynamics. It highlights incidents of harassment, objectification, and contempt that women face and does not shy away from exposing the pervasive sexism and chauvinism that they face. This unrepentant viewpoint demands talks on the critical need for societal change. This study uses a feminist lens to examine the films impact on challenging gender norms, discussing the oppression of women, and fostering dialogues about womens agency and activism.

Leaving no one behind: successful ageing at the intersection of ageism and ableism

BackgroundThe concept of ‘successful ageing’ has been a prominent focus within the field of gerontology for several decades. However, despite the widespread attention paid to this concept, its intersectional implications have not been fully explored yet. This paper aims to address this gap by analyzing the potential ageist and ableist biases in the discourse of successful ageing through an intersectional lens.MethodA critical feminist perspective is taken to examine the sensitivity of the discourse of successful ageing to diversity in societies. The paper analyzes how ageist and ableist biases can manifest in the ways we conceptualize ageing, drawing on examples in the context of mental health.ResultsWe argue that the conventional approach to successful ageing is limited in its ability to account for the experiences of people who have faced intersectional discrimination throughout their lives. Drawing on examples in the context of mental health, we explore among others the link between depression and disabilities. Furthermore, we shed light on the negative impact of ageist and ableist attitudes concerning the diagnosis and treatment of dementia.DiscussionWe demonstrate how diversity is often overlooked in discussions of ageing well, and how ageist and ableist biases can manifest in the ways we conceptualize ageing. We argue that focusing solely on the health status as a means of achieving success fails to adequately counter ageism for all people. We further emphasize the role of structural factors, such as ageist attitudes, in shaping the experience of ageing and exacerbating health inequalities.ConclusionOverall, our findings emphasize the need for a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of ageing and therefore an intersectional approach to conceptions of ageing well that recognizes and addresses the biases and limitations of current discourses. Thereby, this paper offers valuable insights into the complex intersections between age and disabilities from a bioethical perspective, highlighting the need for a more inclusive and intersectional approach to ageing.

A Critical Feminist Perspective on Climate Change Adaptation Plans: Mapping Municipal Recognition, Dialog, and Budgeting

Abstract Feminists’ scholarship and critique of gender climate injustice have exposed just how scarce the practical efforts to correct it are. The challenge of generating incentives designed to encourage urban planning that accounts for expected intersectional vulnerabilities during climate disasters reflects a gap in knowledge: how does professionals’ awareness of intensified vulnerabilities inform climate adaptation plans (CAPs)? We propose an intersectional critical feminist perspective evaluating recognition, dialog, and budgeting that decodes the social process by which professionals’ knowledge of intersectional vulnerabilities is lost before informing CAPs. Based on an empirical investigation of the increasing gender awareness among administrators who accumulate knowledge about women’s vulnerabilities, our analysis contributes an explanation of the marginalization of gender mainstreaming toolkits in urban CAPs. We show that even in municipalities characterized by increasing levels of recognition, relevant knowledge rarely informs the dialog, and planning appropriate responses for intersectional vulnerabilities is left unbudgeted.

Reading letters of an eighteenth-century femme philosophe: love as an existential and creative force in Émilie Du Châtelet’s correspondence

ABSTRACT In this article the author considers the letters of Émilie Du Châtelet, an eighteenth-century woman mathematician, philosopher and scientist. The central argument of the paper is that Du Châtelet’s letters leave traces of the process of becoming a femme philosophe, while also throwing light in her involvement in the scientific, philosophical and cultural formations of the early modern period. In this context Du Châtelet’s personal letters carry inscriptions of love as a creative force of life and are tightly intertwined with her ‘laboratory letters’, her correspondence with important mathematicians and scientists of her times. In thus making connections between ‘the personal’ and the ‘scientific’ in Du Châtelet’s correspondence, the paper sketches a feminist critical perspective on a plane of thinking around love as an existential force in its interrelation with mathematics, science and philosophy.

Online Graduate Social Work Education and Critical Feminist Perspectives: An Educational Framework

ABSTRACT Studies highlight online education’s effectiveness; however, few examine theoretical frameworks for guiding pedagogy in online MSW programs. Patriarchal systems create policy and program inequities in higher education, hindering student achievement. Confronting these inequities is essential in designing successful online MSW programs. This conceptual paper asserts that utilizing a critical feminist perspective promotes nontraditional and minoritized students’ unique needs. Educators can prioritize student success by examining systems of oppression and the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and disabilities in online environments. Utilizing critical feminist perspectives enhances student experiences by operationalizing inclusivity and and should be measured as student success and engagement in an online graduate course.

Too Muslim to Be a Feminist and Too Feminist to Be a Muslim? Locating Lived Experiences of Feminism and Muslimness in Social Work Academe

In this paper, two authors seize space as Muslim women feminist social work educators and researchers. We challenge and hopefully silence homogenizing, essentialist and Islamophobic constructions. The first author is a hijabi, Indo-Caribbean, able-bodied cis-heterosexual Muslim feminist; the second author is a disabled, queer Muslim of South Asian heritage. We identify as racialized and firmly rooted in intersectional critical feminist perspectives. Using an autoethnographic, conversation-based approach, we share our narratives (lived experiences) in social work academe. Navigating feminisms, Muslimness, strategic essentialism and Islamophobia while engaging in a critical praxis, we attempt to bring together contradictory discourses for critical examination. We engage with the following questions: How do Muslim women fit (or not fit!) in social work academe? How do Muslim women fit (or not fit!) in critical social work feminist spheres? And what do Muslim feminist futures look like in social work academe? Our lived experiences as racialized Muslim feminists are standpoint perspectives which offer situated knowledges that disempower dominant social work discourses. Social work can no longer be reactionary and preserve the status quo; it must move forward with foresight and be an active player in dismantling inequities.

Creating value networks through a learning society for Indigenous women tourism entrepreneurs

PurposeThis study aims to integrate social embeddedness with learning society philosophy to explore how grassroots associations of Indigenous women tourism entrepreneurs can leverage their social network to co-create value.Design/methodology/approachA critical feminist perspective considers the intersectional experiences of Indigenous women tourism entrepreneurs from the rural Manasalu region of Nepal. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews with local tourism stakeholders were carried out. Hermeneutics in tandem with Indigenous methods of analysis ensured consideration of Indigenous ontologies and social locations beyond being merely theoretically driven.FindingsA paradox of Indigenous women’s empowerment emerged where several efforts for empowerment presented themselves as a double-edged sword. Individuals’ social capital and social support for the sustenance and stability of grassroots associations ensure collective and continuous learning through a value-creation framework.Research limitations/implicationsCollective self-reflection and self-determination for knowledge creation and sharing amongst social ties shed new light on the role of an Indigenous standpoint on value creation.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that captures how the intersectionality of Indigenous women entrepreneurs in grassroots associations use their social capital through contesting, leveraging and learning to transform their social network into a value network.

Double jeopardy: the paradox and promise of coaching women leaders from a critical feminist perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to interrogate the “double-jeopardy” in widely adopted women’s leadership development interventions aimed at “fixing” women, explore critical feminist coaching (CFC) perspectives and practices and offer more equitable and just alternatives for developing women leaders.Design/methodology/approachThis paper includes a literature review of post-feminist and critical feminist perspectives and a critical examination of coaching for women leaders from each perspective.FindingsPostfeminist approaches in organizations are little scrutinized because of the dominant postfeminist discourse that women's subordination and oppression have been “resolved” through neoliberal, individualistic interventions, such as postfeminist coaching programs. Infusing the message of “fixing women” through emphasizing “4 C’s” – confidence, control, courage and competition – postfeminist coaching programs have been submitting women leaders to “double jeopardy.” The authors critique this postfeminist coaching paradox from a critical feminist perspective foregrounding “4 R’s” – reflecting, reforming, raising and rebuilding – promising more equitable, just development.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to describe CFC and presentation of a conceptual and practical model of the process. The authors define postfeminist coaching as the disavowal of feminist values and failure to challenge gender hegemony in the coaching process. The authors propose a model of CFC defined as the explicit embrace of feminist values and challenge of gender hegemony in the coaching process. The authors offer alternatives for developing women leaders amid paradoxical, complex, capitalist systems, with a critical lens challenging postfeminism.

Femmephobia in kindergarten education: Play environments as key sites for the early devaluation of femininity and care

In this article, the authors argue for a rethinking of kindergarten education from a critical feminist perspective. They illustrate how the devaluation and denigration of femininity and care – otherwise known as femmephobia – that permeates patriarchal societies is present in the seemingly innocent spaces of play in kindergarten. Tracing femmephobia in the spatial-material arrangements of play, teacher–student interactions during play, and children's play practices in two Canadian classrooms, the authors show how care-related activities and learning are deeply marginalized in kindergarten education. Given these findings, the authors propose a femininity-affirmative pedagogy in early learning. Specifically, they discuss the importance of intentional practice around an ethics of care. The authors argue that a refocus on an ethics of care in early childhood education is urgently needed in collective work towards social change.

Women in Nigeria: Examining the Motivations for Engaging in Social Entrepreneurship

This paper explored the motivations for women engaging in social entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Using the theoretical lens of African feminism, the paper specifically set out to explore the extent to which three factors- gender, penchant for solving social problems and economic/financial reasons influence the desire of women to engage in social entrepreneurship in a largely patriarchal society like Africa. Existing studies adopting critical feminist perspectives have shown that across the globe, there are embedded biases and institutional constraints which could separate women from men into what is considered appropriate “entrepreneuring” for their sex category (Muntean & Ozkazanc-Pan, 2016). This implies that while it is applauded that women can get self-employed in ventures that create social good, there is the risk of creating biases that unintentionally limits the potential of women toward less-lucrative/tasking self-employment. This phenomenon raised some key questions for this paper: Do women only perform better when it comes to designing enterprises for social good? Or do the narratives show that they could lead in other forms of entrepreneurship but are not because of existing constraints? Simply put, what is the drive or motivation for engaging in social entrepreneurship? Interestingly, such a study is lacking within the African context.
  For this research, a qualitative approach was adopted. Secondary data were obtained from the Ashoka.com repository, a reputable organization and social entrepreneurship website, profiled with stories of successful women social entrepreneurs. A total of 6 research subjects were randomly selected for the study. The sample was drawn from the list of published profiles based on the year of fellowship, country and sector of operation. Data were analysed using content analysis. The findings drawn from the analysis were discussed within the purview of African feminist theory and empirical works of other social researchers. The result showed that women social entrepreneurs are majorly motivated by the desire to solve a social problem (rather than make profit), which either stems from a personal experience or those around them. This study recommends that understanding the intrinsic motivation behind their actions can help social activist and feminist organizations supporting social entrepreneurs in their work. The paper further informs interventions that foster the design of social policies and programmes for successful women social entrepreneurship practice in Africa.

Roller Derby: The History of an American Sport

Roller Derby has a long and fascinating history. It began as an endurance fad in the 1930s, a Depression Era entertainment, and then transformed into a full-contact game with an appeal to both in-person spectators and television audiences. Yet it eventually evolved into a women's sport with a feminist do-it-yourself mentality. Michella M. Marino's Roller Derby: The History of an American Sport expertly weaves a chronological story of this trajectory, providing a “contextual history of the sport through a critical feminist lens” (5). This contextualization is bolstered by one of the strongest parts of this text: Marino's use of oral history interviews from a variety of people involved with the sport from a number of different eras.Marino's work, over the course of six chapters, begins with the origins of Roller Derby, founded by Leo Seltzer (also known for promoting dance marathons) in Chicago in 1935. She highlights both the sport and spectacle nature of the pastime. Marino also carefully constructs the sport around one of its unique qualities—the coequal inclusion of women in the sport from its very first contest. As Marino continues the narrative of Roller Derby's history, she explores how television contributed to Roller Derby's boom in the 1940s and 1950s (and later bust), the rejuvenation of the sport in the 1960s and 1970s through its move to California and Jerry Seltzer's (Leo Seltzer's son) takeover, the competition Roller Derby faced from other outfits, such as RollerGames, and finally, concludes with the revival of the sport in 2001 and the formation of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA).Perhaps the most important contribution by Marino, though, is her attention to Roller Derby with a critical lens. She illustrates both the positive effect the sport had for women and the ways that traditional disempowering notions of femininity were sometimes reinforced. Unlike most other sports of the time, Roller Derby included women from its earliest iterations. Leo Seltzer believed that women participants would drive female spectators to the sport, expanding the audience. Women continued to play an important role as the sport evolved, often becoming the main attraction. Eventually, in the 2000s, the sport was reintroduced by women looking for “empowerment and opportunity” (164).The Roller Derby rink remained a place committed to equality and nondiscrimination, distinguishing it from other sporting pastimes. Both Leo and Jerry Seltzer did not tolerate discrimination and sought to create an open and supportive environment for all skaters, regardless of their gender, race, or sexual orientation. Marino skillfully discusses the ways that Roller Derby was different. It provided a place for parents to remain athletes (both mothers and fathers) and even encouraged a family atmosphere, with many skaters bringing their young children on the road with them. Roller Derby also did not suffer from some of the structural racism built into other traditional sports, with Black skaters entering early in the development of Roller Derby, some with great success and stardom. Additionally, Roller Derby also generally accepted gay and lesbian skaters. The younger Seltzer, Jerry, partially attributed the inclusive atmosphere of Roller Derby to the fact that the skaters traveled and lived together—discrimination and abuse would have negatively affected both the aggressor and recipient of harassment.Despite the fact that Marino paints Roller Derby as a relatively progressive part of sport and entertainment history, she does not view it through a rose-colored lens. She underscores that, while Roller Derby organizers and skaters might have been more inclusive and tolerant of Black and gay skaters, these accounts came mostly from white derbyists. Additionally, Black and gay skaters existed in a world where they would have faced racism and other harassment in their everyday lives. Furthermore, Marino works from a critical feminist perspective, emphasizing the ways that traditional notions of femininity were still normalized for skaters (through Roller Derby Queen contests, for example), the ways that female derbyists had to contend with views on beauty and femininity, and, later, how the WFTDA (and its women-centered leadership) had to contend with traditional, male-led international organizations as they fought for governance over the sport.Roller Derby is an exceptional work that not only illuminates the history of a sport that remains on the margins of sport history but also offers a feminist examination that transcends Roller Derby itself. Marino's use of oral histories brings insights otherwise unavailable. Her narrative of Roller Derby, alongside shrewd analysis of the world of sport makes this book an excellent read. This text should be of interest to anyone who is drawn to histories of popular culture, sport as Americana, and women's sport history.

From Biz Bıyıksızlar to Bayan Yanı: feminist caricature in Turkey from the 1980’s to the present

Mizah antik dönemden günümüze hikaye, fıkra, komedi, karikatür gibi sözlü, yazılı, performansa dayalı ve görsel-işitsel formlarla ortaya çıkan toplumsal- kültürel bir üründür. Bu özellikleri ile toplumsal muhalefetin de dili olma, güçlüye karşı zayıfın sesi olma işlevi üstlenir. Mizah ürünleri tarih boyunca egemen iktidarların söylem ve pratikleri karşısında tabi sınıflar açısından bir direniş ve güçlenme biçimi olagelmiştir. Toplumsal muhalefet bağlamında egemen söylemlere karşı alternatif söylemler kurmayı olanaklı kılmıştır. Türk toplumunun muhalefet geleneği içerisinde de Nasreddin hoca fıkraları, Karagöz oyunları kadar yakın tarihteki Marko Paşa, Gırgır, Leman gibi mizah dergileri ve karikatür de önemli bir rol oynar. Türkiye’de 1980 sonrası dönemde feminist hareketin de söyleminde bir ifade biçimi olarak ironi ve mizahın benimsendiği görülmektedir. Kampanyalar, protesto eylemleri ve en çok da hareketin dinamizmini sağlayan yayıncılık faaliyetlerinde hem popüler hem politik bir ifade biçimi olarak mizah unsurları ve karikatür önemli eleştirel bakış açılarını yansıtır. Bu çalışma Türkiye’de 1980’den günümüze karikatürist kadınlar tarafından ortaya konan feminist karikatürün izini sürmeyi hedeflemektedir. Bu çerçevede tarihsel-toplumsal gelişmeler ekseninde feminist karikatür çizerler, yayınlar ve eleştirel bakış açıları açısından betimlenmektedir. Çalışma sonucunda karikatürist kadınlar tarafından ortaya konan feminist eleştirel mizahın ataerkil toplumsal yapı ve bunun kadınlar üzerinde yarattığı baskıyı pek çok farklı açıdan ele aldığı; karikatürde kadın imgesinin dönüşümüne katkıda bulunduğu ve mizah aracılığıyla 1980’li yıllardan günümüze kapsayıcı ve çeşitlilik içeren bir söylem geliştirdiği görülmektedir.

Critical political geographies of slow violence and resistance

Engaging Rob Nixon’s conceptualisation of slow violence, this special issue provides a critical framework for how we understand violence relevant to political geography. In this introduction, we highlight three key contributions of the collection that build upon and extend Nixon’s framing of slow violence. First, we attend to the spatialities of slow violence, revealing how the politics of disposability and racialised dispossession target particular people and places. Next, we foreground critical feminist and anti-racist perspectives that are largely absent in Nixon’s original account. And third, through engaging these approaches, the papers together employ an epistemological shift, uncovering hidden and multi-sited violences that prioritise the accounts of those who experience and are most affected by slow violence.

Experiences of menstrual inequity and menstrual health among women and people who menstruate in the Barcelona area (Spain): a qualitative study

IntroductionMenstrual health and menstrual inequity have been neglected in social, economic, healthcare and political spheres. Although available evidence is scarce, it already suggests a link between experiencing menstrual inequity (which refers to the systematic disparities in accessing menstrual health and education, menstrual products and spaces for menstrual management, among other aspects) and menstrual health outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of menstrual health and menstrual inequity among women and people who menstruate aged 18–55 in Barcelona and surrounding areas (Spain).MethodsA qualitative study, using a critical feminist perspective, was conducted. Sampling was purposeful and selective. Recruitment was through sexual and reproductive health centres, social media and snowball sampling techniques. Thirty-four semi-structured photo-elicitation interviews were conducted between December 2020 and February 2021. Interviews took place in sexual and reproductive health centres, public spaces, and by telephone. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis.ResultsThree themes were identified: “Systemic neglect of menstruation and the menstrual cycle”, “When “the private” becomes public: menstrual management” and “Navigating menstrual health: between medicalization and agency”. Experiences of menstrual inequity appeared to be widespread among participants. They referred to the impact of having to conceal menstruation and the barriers to managing menstruation in public spaces. Choosing menstrual products was often influenced by price and availability; several participants reported menstrual poverty. A general lack of menstrual education was described. Menstrual education was usually gained through personal experience and self-learnings, or through families and friends. Menstruation and the menstrual cycle had a significant impact on participants’ day-to-day. Accessing and navigating the healthcare system was challenging, as participants mostly reported feeling dismissed and almost exclusively offered hormonal contraception as a panacea to address menstrual health.ConclusionsThe impact of menstrual inequity appears to be far-reaching. Multidimensional structural policies should promote agency in individuals and communities to enable opportunities for menstrual education, access to menstrual products, healthcare services and adequate menstrual-management facilities. Health professionals’ training is also necessary to improve access to and quality of menstrual healthcare. Policies need to be inclusive of non-binary and trans people, and vulnerable populations.

Examining Militarized Masculinity, Violence and Conflict: Male Survivors of Torture in International Politics

The article analyses how masculine social norms shape the idea of survivors/victims in International Politics. It will conceptually analyse how masculine social norms have been normalised through militarism and militarized masculinity in international politics. In this process, it will locate how international politics has conceived male survivors of sexualised torture. It will use a gender lens in understanding the discourse and practice of torture in armed conflicts. It argues that there exists a gender-based binary in the way victimhood in conflict situations has been perceived in international politics where victims are generally seen to be women and the perpetrators are men. It uses a critical feminist perspective in problematizing the essentialist gender-based binary between victims and perpetrators of violence particularly sexual and gender-based violence. There exists silence in international politics in the ways that male victims of sexualised torture during conflict situations have been perceived in international politics. This silence reflects the power of social construction of masculinity in international politics. The silence is manifested in the way sexual and gender-based violence on men and boys in conflict situations have been often seen under the broad rubrics of torture which overlooks the sexual harm involved in the practice.

Critical political geographies of slow violence and resistance

Engaging Rob Nixon’s conceptualization of slow violence, this special issue provides a critical framework for how we understand violence relevant to political geography. In this introduction, we highlight three key contributions of the collection that build upon and extend Nixon’s framing of slow violence. First, we attend to the spatialities of slow violence, revealing how the politics of disposability and racialized dispossession target particular people and places. Next, we foreground critical feminist and anti-racist perspectives that are largely absent in Nixon’s original account. And third, through engaging these approaches, the papers together employ an epistemological shift, uncovering hidden and multi-sited violences that prioritise the accounts of those who experience and are most affected by slow violence.