Introducing the Red Tent: A Discursive and Critically Hopeful Exploration of Women’s Circles in a Neoliberal Postfeminist Context

Abstract

Red Tents (RTs) are women’s circles that have increased in popularity in recent years, but they are an under-researched movement. This article explores the way in which RTs are presented online by those involved. Setting these groups in a postfeminist context, and building on the work of Longman, I explore the place of RTs in relation to neoliberal discourses of individualism and autonomy. Via an analysis of the RTs online presence, I argue that the RT presents as a place of acceptance (of self and others) where negative emotions can be aired and bonds between women are formed. While acknowledging several caveats to accepting this presentation at face value – not least the potential perpetuation of hegemonic power relations, systemic inequalities and privilege, particularly regarding biological essentialism and whiteness – I also assert that the full picture is more nuanced. Drawing on a feminist position of possibility, ultimately I argue that RTs appear to offer a refuge of resistance from neoliberalism.

Женские Групповые Практики На Примере «женских Кругов»: История, Структура, Функции, Лидеры И Участники

“…В современной западной научной литературе опубликовано немного работ, посвященных женским кругам. Эту тему на примере движения Красных шатров изучали С. Лонгман (Longman 2018) и М. Кастро (Castro 2020). Их исследования посвящены неинституциализированному движению женщин, объединяющихся для совершения ритуалов.…”

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“…В современной западной научной литературе опубликовано немного работ, посвященных женским кругам. Эту тему на примере движения Красных шатров изучали С. Лонгман (Longman 2018) и М. Кастро (Castro 2020). Их исследования посвящены неинституциализированному движению женщин, объединяющихся для совершения ритуалов.…”

How sanitary pads came to save the world: Knowing inclusive innovation through science and the marketplace

“…MHM research could have gone in multiple directions, given the diversity of cultural and religious practices related to menstruation around the world (Buckley & Gottlieb, 1988;van de Walle & Renne, 2001) and the recent adoption of some LMIC menstrual practices in Western countries (Castro, 2020;Koskenniemi, 2021). In the United States, for example, decades after switching to disposable products to manage their menstruation, young women are now demanding cloth absorbents as an environmentally sustainable alternative (Makhijani, 2022).…”