Molyneux, M; Dey, A; Gatto, MAC; Rowden, H; (2021) New Feminist Activism, Waves and Generations. (United Nations Women Discussion Paper 40). United Nations: New York, NY, USA.

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Abstract

Over the last decade, young women have taken the lead in a new wave of feminist and democratic protests in a wide range of countries, North and South. These movements raise a range of political and analytic questions: To what extent is it useful to identify the recent wave of activism in terms of a new generation of activists? How different are these new feminist movements to earlier forms, and what differences and continuities divide and unite the generations? How useful is the idea of feminist ‘waves’ as a way of periodizing the history of feminism? These questions are explored first through examining the characteristics common to past and contemporary feminisms and dissecting the issues associated with periodizing feminism in terms of ‘waves’. In the second part of the paper, the focus is on understanding the most recent wave of feminist activism by considering its antecedents and main characteristics. Part three presents three case studies of movements in the Global South: The cases of Brazil, India and Malawi illustrate some of the ideas, campaigns and organizational forms of ‘new feminists’. They focus on three prominent themes in feminist activism: campaigns to defend democratic rights (Brazil), gender-based violence (India) and sexual and identity rights (Malawi). The analysis of the emergent fourth wave illustrates the importance of history and context, politics, resources and opportunities. Four distinguishing features of the ‘new feminism’ stand out from our research: First, we find that today, more than ever, feminist activism is global and that the countries of the South contain some of the most dynamic movements; second, feminist activism is highly dependent on new communications technology, which accelerates the temporality of communication and allows for extensive organizational power and reach. Third, this wave of feminism is characterized by more defensive campaigns, as women’s rights have come under increasing threat from conservative forces. Fourth, issues of intersectionality, i.e., a strong commitment to diversity, radical inclusion and anti-racism, are all more prominent in these recent movements than in previous times.

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