Feminist Research Articles

From Opposition to Creativity: Saba Mahmood's Decolonial Critique of Teleological Feminist Futures

Abstract Saba Mahmood's anthropological work studies the gain in skills, agency, and capacity building by the women's dawa movement in Egypt. These women increase their virtue toward the goal of piety by following dominant, often patriarchal norms. Mahmood argues that “teleological feminism” ignores this gain in agency because this kind of feminism only focuses on opposition or resistance to these norms. In this paper I defend Mahmood's “anti-teleological” feminist work from criticisms that her project valorizes oppression and has no vision for a nonoppressive feminist future. I argue the future envisioned by teleological feminists gets caught in “the Hegelian” trap of replicating past oppression in their feminist future. I find in Mahmood's work the tools to escape this trap. I argue, rather than a movement of overcoming oppression, Mahmood's work suggests an immanent and creative movement that emphasizes difference for a truly new future. I turn to a Bergsonian metaphor and argue that this movement can be seen as akin to the movement of biological evolution. I conclude using the work of Eve Sedgwick that the Egyptian women that Mahmood studies are being read in a “paranoid” fashion and demonstrate using Leila Ahmed a better “reparative” reading of these women.

Thinking the Urban Impasse Beyond Lockdown: An Afterword

AbstractHow can the lens of the ‘urban impasse’ help us make sense of the relationship between inequality, institutions and contemporary urban life? And how can urban studies benefit from feminist affect theory to explore the theoretical potential of the ‘urban impasse’? An impasse is a dead end; it connotes an experience of being stuck, lacking orientation or a sense of the future. Still, an impasse also bears transformative potential as a powerful way of halting and denouncing that which does not work or is heading in the wrong direction—as was powerfully brought to stage in cities around the world by climate change, antiracist and women's rights movements in recent years.

(Re)sharing feminisms: Re-sharing Instagram Stories as everyday feminist practices

Contemporary experiences of everyday feminisms often include the use of social media platforms like Instagram. The introduction of Instagram Stories created a space for emerging feminist engagements, allowing for practices of re-sharing content that serve as small acts of political engagement, accommodating the participation of otherwise reluctant users. This article explores the feminist potential of these re-sharing practices, grounding it on the analysis of 2282 Instagram Stories, produced by 52 Instagram users in Portugal. This analysis combines qualitative textual analysis, close readings, and the use of digital methods to explore overarching patterns. The article foregrounds the multiple meanings of re-sharing, its social character, its ability to engage in intertextual conversations with the original context, while simultaneously recognising some of the limitations of the Stories’ format for feminist action. In this way, this article reflects on the tensions and possibilities of these small acts of political engagement.

The Potential Role of Wearable Inertial Sensors in Laboring Women with Walking Epidural Analgesia.

There is a growing interest in wearable inertial sensors to monitor and analyze the movements of pregnant women. The noninvasive and discrete nature of these sensors, integrated into devices accumulating large datasets, offers a unique opportunity to study the dynamic changes in movement patterns during the rapid physical transformations induced by pregnancy. However, the final cut of the third trimester of pregnancy, particularly the first stage of labor up to delivery, remains underexplored. The growing popularity of "walking epidural", a neuraxial analgesia method allowing motor function preservation, ambulation, and free movement throughout labor and during delivery, opens new opportunities to study the biomechanics of labor using inertial sensors. Critical research gaps exist in parturient fall prediction and detection during walking epidural and understanding pain dynamics during labor, particularly in the presence of pelvic girdle pain. The analysis of fetal descent, upright positions, and their relationship with dynamic pelvic movements facilitated by walking during labor is another area where inertial sensors can play an interesting role. Moreover, as contemporary obstetrics advocate for less restricted or non-restricted movements during labor, the role of inertial sensors in objectively measuring the quantity and quality of women's movements becomes increasingly important. This includes studying the impact of epidural analgesia on maternal mobility, walking patterns, and associated obstetrical outcomes. In this paper, the potential use of wearable inertial sensors for gait analysis in the first stage of labor is discussed.

Reflection of gender divisions and feminine consciousness in Caryl Churchill’s ‘Owners’

The purpose of this article is to examine Caryl Churchill's play ‘Owners’ through the lens of feminism. The play was created mostly in response to the ideas of the feminist movement of the 1960s - 1970s, which examines many of the similar themes. As one of the most influential feminists of her day, Simone de Beauvoir's opinions on women are discussed in relation to the play. Churchill places strong female characters front and centre and explores male power from several angles. In addition to in depth discussions on the previously mentioned aspects, the present research study covers a brief overview of contemporary feminism overall. It also questions the effects of patriarchy and the socially defined positions of women in Churchill's ‘Owners’. As a consequence, it becomes clear that the dramatist highlights and displays the issues facing women of her day while also highlighting the significance of women's economic and emotional independence.

Between Fundamentalist Anvil and Red Hammer: How the 1980s Sculpted Afghan Women Movement

The 1980s proved critical not merely for contemporary Afghan history but also for the women’s struggle in Afghanistan. Showcasing Afghan women’s struggles, this article argues that the 1980s proved crucial in shaping feminist debates in Afghanistan. Arguably, Afghan women’s lived experience from the 1980s drove home the conclusion that foreign occupation does not bring women freedoms, while religious tapestries to sugarcoat secular women’s demands reinforce patriarchy. They learnt in the 1980s that their struggles antecede and should succeed foreign interventions. It was, therefore, understandable that the first demonstration against the Taliban, when they re-entered Kabul in August 2021, was held by women.

On Motley feminism: A Decolonising Marxism for a thesis 14 of Marxism-feminism

The article enhances Frigga Haug’s theses on Marxism-feminism by discussing a silence in the theses regarding the internal colonialism of the feminist movement that continue creating racialised hierarchies among White feminist and indigenous people and women of colour and their struggles. The author contends that Marxism-Feminism is failing to find new ways to understand diversity due to the influence of traditional Eurocentric Marxism. To tackle the problem, Marxism-feminism requires a decolonising Marxism that draws on ‘late Marx’ and recent Marxist and feminist theoretical developments aiming to criticise and de-Westernise and de-Eurocentralise Marxism. The author explores four elements for a ‘decolonising’ Marxism (value theory, subsumption and social formation, linear development of radical change and temporality of struggles) and discusses its implications on Marxism-feminism towards a possible thesis 14 on Marxism-feminism.

Two-Way Learning: A Model for Decolonising Feminist Leadership and Advocacy

“Two-way learning” has come to be conceptualised as a collaboration between Indigenous and Western knowledges, which redresses historical power imbalances to create a culture of meaningful collaboration. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group provides a case study in which the principle of two-learning drives Indigenist feminist leadership and work to prevent violence against women. The Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group consists of Aboriginal women working to end family violence and bring visibility to their experiences. The group works in Australia’s Northern Territory, which has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. These women have applied the concept of two-way learning to their primary prevention projects: “Girls Can Boys Can” and “Old Ways are Strong”. The “Girls Can Boys Can” project created gender-equitable and anti-racist messaging and resources for early years educators. “Old Ways are Strong” developed animations to challenge the pervasive idea that violence against women is a part of traditional Aboriginal cultures. Both projects aimed to increase strengths-based representations of Aboriginal people. Both projects were evaluated which indicated that they were having some success in shifting attitudes and beliefs which drive violence against women. In this article, we will present the work of the Tangentyere Women’s Family Safety Group to prevent violence against women and will argue that “two-way learning” is an important principle to strengthen feminist movements.

Defying Predatory Capital: Embracing Beauty, Resisting Ugliness, and Striving for Freedom

Research has explored the role of capitalist markets in the configuration of society and as social determinants. However, some niche markets have been taken by a form of capital, conceptualized as “predatory”, that has sought maximum benefit without caring for the social consequences of their activity on beauty, ugliness, freedom, and the overcoming of gender violence. This study addresses this gap by examining how “predatory capital” exploits various aspects of human life, including relationships, art, and music, by promoting ugliness over beauty. Through historical examples such as the tobacco industry's manipulation of women's liberation to promote smoking, this article reveals the detrimental tactics employed by predatory capital. It explores how the nightlife industry coerces youth into harmful behaviors through coercive dominant discourse, perpetuating toxic relationship dynamics and limiting individual freedom. Additionally, the study presents how the music industry reinforces harmful stereotypes and behaviors. Finally, it exposes how pseudo-theories, like those promoted by Foucault, are utilized to justify and perpetuate sexual violence, hindering progress towards freedom, gender equality, and social justice. This interdisciplinary analysis sheds light on the negative impact of predatory capital on human relationships, culture, and society, emphasizing the importance of critical awareness and resistance against its exploitative practices.

Entanglements of feminist activism and gender equality policy in the Spanish and Swedish film industries: between convergence and critique

ABSTRACT This article compares entanglements between activist demands and policy in the Spanish and Swedish film industries using a critical frames approach. Considering contextual factors such as domestic discourse on film policy and resistance against gender equality, the comparison is based on deep insider knowledge aiming to deepen the understanding of feminist activism and its relation to policy in the two countries. In both Spain and Sweden, activists have demanded equality in the film sector since the seventies. Today, both countries feature gender equality measures and vivid feminist organizations. Based on current equality policies, reports from the Swedish and Spanish Film Institutes, documents from feminist filmmakers’ associations and interviews with activists, the article shows that feminist activists oscillate between strategically converging their demands to policy and criticizing reforms. Furthermore, policy echoes activists’ arguments but are less informed by ideas about structural inequalities. Activists in both Spain and Sweden stand up for the gender equality measures which have been implemented, but the Spanish activists are more prone to simultaneously voice criticism against the reforms..

Gender, State and Religion: Palestinian Feminist Politics

Religion-based personal status laws and religious courts are an intrinsic component of the Jewish character of the State of Israel. The association between one’s religious affiliation and the law governing one’s personal status issues is longstanding. However, the significance and dynamics of this association cannot be analyzed in isolation from the context of the identity of the state, or the identity of the local subjects in terms of their nationality, religious affiliation, and gender. In the case of Palestinian citizens of Israel, the personal state laws that govern them bear the imprint of the state’s hierarchical and discriminatory citizenship regime. This article examines the struggles of Palestinian feminist activists, citizens of Israel, in their attempts to improve their personal status issues, which began in the 1990s and were led by secular as well as religious Palestinian feminists. In doing so, it reveals the complexity of feminist politics at the juncture of religion, gender and colonialism. It identifies similarities and differences in feminist discourses and activities, while delineating the boundaries of these politics. It argues that, in many instances, activists had to choose between ‘collaboration’ with a colonial regime and ‘complicity’ with a patriarchal establishment. The paper is based on a variety of sources, including media articles, archival documents, protocols of parliamentary committees, and personal interviews conducted with leading feminist activists.

Breakthrough and Beyond - An Analysis of Feminism in Barbie

This essay aims to investigate the significant impact of the film "Barbie" on the global film market and the feminist film market through a literature analysis approach. The study involves an analysis of the female characters in the movie to reveal the feminist ideas expressed therein. The research methods primarily include audio-visual language interpretation and comparative analysis with other feminist films or classic female figures, aiming to understand the unique role of "Barbie" in the feminist movement and its influence on the female film market. The study findings indicate that the film "Barbie" exhibits more advanced characteristics in feminist thinking, aligning better with the psychological needs of contemporary women. The movie has elevated feminist films to new heights, increasing their visibility. It has also contributed to breakthroughs in post-feminism, emphasizing the transcendence of gender itself and the pursuit of individual value. The conclusion of this research emphasizes the novel inspiration that "Barbie" brings to the feminist film market, highlighting its unique role in the feminist movement. It provides valuable insights for future research, encouraging a deeper exploration of feminist ideas to meet the evolving needs of society.

From optimist to sceptical liberalism: reforging European Union foreign policy amid crises

Abstract Russia's invasion of Ukraine brought both condemnation and vindication to the European Union. EU policies were condemned for being complacent, naive and greedy. However, when European leaders conducted a coordinated response backing Ukraine, the war also vindicated the EU as a liberal project. The crisis has led to a surge in support for the EU, unprecedented cooperation across policy areas and new accession negotiations with the EU's eastern neighbours. To understand this shift, the article argues that crisis has catalysed the EU becoming a sceptical liberal actor. Sceptical liberalism is characterized by a bleak view on the trajectory of the international order, a self-critical understanding of Europe's role in it, and a willingness to intervene, including with military means, to tackle political predicaments. The transition changes EU leaders' previous optimistic liberal approach of pursuing peace and prosperity though mediation and interdependence. Distinguishing between ideals and actions, the article argues that liberal ideals remain intact, but a sceptical outlook implies different actions to pursue those ideals. The article's argument challenges longstanding scholarly debates on ‘normal versus normative power Europe’, which build on an excessively bifurcated assessment of EU foreign policy that fails to capture contemporary dynamics and the dilemmas they cause.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Kato Mikeladze - Founders of the Feminist Movement in the USA and Georgia

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Kato Mikeladze - Founders of the Feminist Movement in the USA and Georgia

Co-creating Inclusive Intersectional Democratic Spaces across Europe (CCINDLE): Counteracting Anti-gender through Feminist Knowledge

Abstract: The construction of feminist democratic societal projects relies on the production of feminist knowledge and ideas within social movements, as well as academic, professional, and institutional settings. In the context of a rising opposition against democracy and gender, race, and sexuality equality at a global level, the European Union has launched the call Feminisms for a New Age of Democracy with the purpose of supporting knowledge production about opposition to gender equality in Europe and feminist democratic responses. The CCINDLE (Co-creating Inclusive Intersectional Democratic Spaces across Europe) project is one of the funded research projects under this call. CCINDLE's objectives include analyzing not only anti-gender politics and the problems that they create for democracy in Europe but especially feminist movements' and institutional responses to anti-gender and anti-democratic forces. The project aims to co-create feminist knowledge with the actors that are already working to counter the antidemocratic project that anti-gender movements and far right parties are trying to construct, and to envision feminist futures building on theories and practices of intersectional justice, inclusion, and participation in European democracies.

Between Charity and Neoliberalism: The Campaign for Funding Women's Refuges in Australia, 1974–1985

Abstract: Australia's first women's refuge was established in 1974, marking a crucial outgrowth of women's liberation activism that placed domestic violence on the public agenda. To maintain refuges, feminists seized opportunities presented by the progressive Gough Whitlam Labor government. This convergence between a reforming government and the women's movement meant that Australian feminist refuges were among the first in the world to receive state support, in 1975. Maintaining this support required feminist activists to engage with the Australian state. They framed their claims in two ways: they foregrounded women's traumatic narratives of experiences of domestic violence, and they asserted that refuges were a distinctive feminist service. Adapting to a constantly changing political context, however, advocates found it difficult to distinguish their activities from charitable refuges. Their emphasis on women's trauma foregrounded a victimized political subject while the movement's emphasis on fostering "self-help" was co-opted by advocates of neoliberal governance.

Feminist activist ethnography through Arabic Twitter: fellowship as a method

This article reflects on my journey conducting online ethnography through Iraqi, Saudi, Kuwaiti and Yemeni feminist Twitters as an Iraqi researcher residing in the United Kingdom. It examines the intersection of online ethnography and feminist activism, emphasising the essential role of long-term immersion in social media spaces as an activist prior to undertaking this type of research. I gained crucial insights into the complexity, fluidity and emotional dynamics of online spaces and relationships through years of visible presence and engagement with other activists before conducting my ethnography. While some level of intimacy and affiliation with feminist activists existed, the absence of offline encounters posed challenges to forging friendships; however, this difficulty served as a catalyst for developing an ethical method to navigate relationships with participants and address the limitations of a friendship-based approach. In this article, I propose an alternative approach centred around a fellowship affiliation, approaching other activists as ‘fellows’ in the two Arabic senses of zamāla and rifqa (peer- and comrade-driven) relationships. This shift in the researcher–participant relationship moves away from the intense and demanding nature of the ṣadāqah (friendship) relationship. In doing so, it offers a politically powerful stance and a much-needed critical space for constructive debate while maintaining mutual respect and a shared commitment to the cause. The fellowship-based method necessitates activist transparency and critical allyship dedicated to collaboration and unconventional methods of knowledge co-production, promising solidarity and transcending differences and disagreements. Nonetheless, achieving this can, at times, be challenging. While acknowledging the limitations of the approach, the article recognises that moments of silence or distance can also arise from a sense of activist responsibility and commitment to protecting others.

Memeing back at misogyny: emerging meme-feminism, visual tactics, and aesthetic world-building on Iranian social media

ABSTRACT In this article, I examine the emergence of “meme-feminism” on Iranian social media, which adopts innovative tactics to combat gendered hate online. I propose the concept of “memeing back” at misogyny and numerous gendered inequalities as not only a unique feminist tactic but also a political and satirical world-building practice. With a detailed analysis of theorizations of (digital) feminist activism and mediated visual humor, I demonstrate how the adoption of memes can, through anonymity and visual community-building, extend beyond dominant forms of popular feminism to combat the pervasion of anti-feminism on Iranian social media. I further unpack how this tactic mobilizes feminist memes by utilizing shared aesthetic visualization, a feminist politics of exposure, and visual nagging as embodied and mediated interventions to critique socioeconomic inequalities impacting women-identifying individuals in Iran. On this basis, I argue for the significance of online memes and the “memeing back” tactic in advancing feminist demands under suppressive, violent, and capitalist states.

Protest Anthems as Songs of Mourning: Feminist Activism Through Collective Expressions of Grief

This article explores the multifaceted role of protest anthems in social movements, emphasizing their dual function as powerful expressions and integral components of socio-political activism within the broader context of symbolic forms, political practices, and material realities, while acknowledging their potential to drive political change. The study examines three feminist protest anthems: Un violador en tu camino from Chile, Baraye from Iran, and Quiet from the United States, which have gained traction through social media platforms. The study draws on trauma, collective identity, and feminist solidarity to reveal the social and political landscapes in which these anthems emerged. It also examines the social wounds they mourn, the blend of verbal and non-verbal elements used to convey mourning and trauma, the collective responses they provoke, and their implications for communities. The article argues that feminist protest anthems are vital cultural and political artifacts that offer feminist collectives a means to address social injuries and their causes, fostering communities and catalyzing social change by invoking shared experiences of a painful past. Ultimately, these protest anthems are discursive practices promoting solidarity, mobilizing against prevailing discourses perpetuating societal injuries.

Borrowing from Our Foremothers: Reexamining the Women's Movement through Material Culture, 1848-2017 by Amy Helene Forss (review)

Borrowing from Our Foremothers: Reexamining the Women's Movement through Material Culture, 1848-2017 by Amy Helene Forss (review)