“Feminismos Internacionalistas” Dialogue Programme

“Centre life!” This emblematic imperative of the feminist critique of economy is as comprehensive as the escalating crises to which it responds. The crisis of the care sector, which became increasingly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now exacerbated by war, inflation, and skyrocketing energy prices and living costs. Meanwhile, the overexploitation of nature and the climate catastrophe are robbing millions of their basic livelihoods.

First emerging in Latin America, the international feminist strike movement has given practical expression to this demand and mobilized masses around the world. The tool of the feminist strike is capable of combining a wide array of issues and struggles and thereby not only render visible the complexity of the problem, but also develop a political pedagogy around their internal links.

A central mobilizing factor was the politicization of everyday, gender-based violence as both expression and stabilization of capitalist relations of production. Violence against those subjects who take on particular responsibility for reproduction points to the systematic de-valuation of life in a profit-driven system – and precisely here is where the feminist strike and its mission to “change everything” comes in.

The major challenge consists of translating this kind of programme into concrete policies that do not lead to a permanent constriction that breaks connections and divides movements – policies that achieve concrete improvements in everyday life while also advancing a fundamental transformation of society.

At the same time, the ongoing radicalization of right-wing forces in many parts of the world also means that political violence against feminists, particularly in institutions, is on the rise. Alongside the development of policies, therefore, the analysis of right-wing tendencies and counter-strategies is also of particular importance.

The “Feminismos Internacionalistas” Dialogue Programme supporters international networks of feminists who work on such policies both in- and outside of institutions and often have to transform them themselves. In this context, questions of public care systems at multiple levels play an important role. One focus is the rights of domestic workers, who are often even marginalized in feminist debates due to class differences and racism.

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