We understand neoliberalism as an economic, political, and cultural shift that has produced a global activist response. As a set of macroeconomic policies, neoliberalism prioritizes a free-market model of growth that rests on deregulation, free trade, privatization, and retrenchment of state-provided social services … They have intensified the struggles for daily survival in which the poor are engaged and generated increased insecurity for the majority of the world’s population.
– New Feminist Solutions Volume 4, “Toward a Vision of Social and Economic Justice,” p.5
A few weeks ago, a transnational group of academics came together at BCRW for a workshop concisely titled, “Gender, Justice, and Neoliberal Transformations,” organized by BCRW Director Janet Jakobsen and Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Sociology Elizabeth Bernstein. This convening provided an opportunity for scholars in a variety of fields – sociology, anthropology, history, religion, law, women’s studies, and more – to exchange ideas about the impact and legacy of neoliberalism and its discontents.
The workshop was held in segments, breaking off into small discussion groups twice during the day. The initial groups worked on topics such as: ‘What is neoliberalism?’, ‘How is it lived?’, ‘Connecting Locations and Domains’, and ‘Justice’. The participants then reconvened to share the conversations they each participated in, which led to the formation of new topics of discussion for the afternoon. Conversations in the afternoon revolved around broad ideas, including: construction of narratives about neoliberalism, what those narratives represent and what disappears, how sex and gender are affected by neoliberalism, and whether hope is necessary to social change.
