Envisioning a Democratic Culture of Difference: Feminist Ethics and the Politics of Dissent in Social Movements

Abstract

Using two contemporary cases of the global #MeToo movement and UK-based collective Sisters Uncut, this paper argues that a more in-depth and critical concern with gendered difference is necessary for understanding radical democratic ethics, one that advances and develops current understandings of business ethics. It draws on practices of social activism and dissent through the context of Irigaray's later writing on democratic politics and Ziarek's analysis of dissensus and democracy that proceeds from an emphasis on alterity as the capacity to transform nonappropriative self-other relations. Therefore, the aims of the paper are: (i) to develop a deeper understanding of a culture of difference and to consider sexual difference as central to the development of a practical democratic ethics and politics of organizations; (ii) to explore two key cases of contemporary feminist social movements that demonstrate connected yet contrasting examples of how feminist politics develops through an appreciation of embodied, intercorporeal differences; and (iii) to extend insights from Irigaray and Ziarek to examine ways in which a practical democratic politics proceeding from an embodied ethics of difference forms an important advancement to theorising the connection between ethics, dissent and democracy.

Heart, Mind and Body: #NoMorePage3 and the Replenishment of Emotional Energy

“…However, our findings present a caveat: while the ‘body’ is an important connection to the ‘substance’ of the institution, there is no such thing as ‘ the body’: a universal experience for all. Instances of misalignment underscore this fact, adding empirical colour to experiences of exclusion detailed within studies of feminist activism (Vachhani & Pullen, 2018; Vachhani, 2019). Perhaps institutions such as gender and race are only really taken-for-granted, or assumed as universal, by those that do not have the boundaries of their own embodied subjectivity frequently policed (Nkweto Simmonds, 1997).…”

“…While the benefits of online data are well established (Levina & Vaast, 2016), for us, naturalistic observation provided a window into the emotive discourse surrounding #NMP3 actors – and detractors – first-hand. It is also a technique that has successfully unearthed tensions within feminist research contexts (Vachhani, 2019) given that it not only reveals lived experience, but also acts as a social phenomenon in itself (Kozinets, 2015); in our context presenting an ‘artefact’ of women fighting sexual exploitation and gender objectification. Adopting principles of non-participatory ‘netnography’ (Kozinets, 2015), we ‘lurked’ on the #NMP3 Facebook 2 and Twitter 3 pages, observing posts, photographs, videos and links.…”

Extinction Rebellion: Green activism and the fantasy of leaderlessness in a decentralized movement

“…We argue for acknowledging the productive role of oppositional protests for opening new possibilities and spaces for alternative significations while stressing the importance of sustained work for building alternative emancipatory and leaderfull organizational practices. This can also help us envisage alternatives and solutions to social issues of inequality and discrimination, while also speaking to theorization of the connection between ethics, dissent and democracy (Vachhani, 2020).…”

“…Various strands of anarchist and autonomist thought have proposed and implemented schemes in which leaders do not hold power over others and any formalization of a leadership position is temporary, open to recall and dissolvable at any time. Feminist theory of democratic participation originating in embodiment and connectedness to everyday experiences (Fotaki and Daskalaki, 2020; Vachhani, 2020) can provide another way forward. Simultaneously, we must also stress the importance of authority to contain movements’ autodestructive tendencies and leadership stealth (Sutherland et al, 2014) as we highlight how existing power dynamics are obscured by the leaderless discourse.…”

Corporations, Politics, and Democracy: Corporate political activities as political corruption

“…Digital platforms to increase democratic processes are increasingly controlled and surveilled (Zuboff, 2019), which suggests the importance of developing alternative digital platforms to mobilize participation as part of public deliberations. Organization scholars are studying many of these social movements which are amplifying citizens' voices with regard to issues such as economic (Reinecke, 2018) and gender equality (Vachhani, 2020) or action on climate change (Ferns & Amaeshi, 2019). While Crouch (2004) warned of populist and racist public forums, however, as spheres develop, the democratic foundations of inclusion, equality, and liberty can differentiate democratic from non-democratic voices and movements.…”