Rethinking Globalised Resistance: Feminist Activism and Critical Theorising in International Relations

Abstract

This article argues that a feminist approach to the 'politics of resistance' offers a number of important empirical insights which, in turn, open up lines of theoretical inquiry which critical theorists in IR would do well to explore. Concretely, we draw on our ongoing research into feminist 'anti-globalisation' activism to rethink the nature of the subject of the politics of resistance, the conditions under which resistance emerges and how resistance is enacted and expressed. We begin by discussing the relationship of feminism to critical IR theory as a way of situating and explaining the focus and approach of our research project. We then summarise our key empirical arguments regarding the emergence, structure, beliefs, identities and practices of feminist 'anti-globalisation' activism before exploring the implications of these for a renewed critical theoretical agenda in IR.

Crossing Borders: Building Radical Economic Subjectivities along the USA/Mexico Border from Sites of Privilege

“…The subject's relation to the state is seen in a binary and oppositional manner. Either one resists the state or one is complicit with the state, an approach Eschle (2001) refers to as an economichomogenization model (see also Alarcón et al, 1999;Bergeron, 2001;Burawoy, 2000;Freeman, 2001;Eschle, 2004;Eschle and Maiguashca, 2007;Gibson-Graham, 1996;Wright, 2009).…”

“…We aim to render the complexities and contradictions involved in these border-crossings visible and also demonstrate how a poststructural feminist approach provides insights into the global political economy that extend beyond a focus upon gender (Bergeron, 2001;Eschle, 2001;Eschle and Maiguashca, 2007;Evans, 2005;Freeman, 2001;Gibson-Graham, 1996Grewal, 2005;Misra, 2000;Moghadam, 2006).…”

Transnational Resistance: Global Justice Networks and Spaces of Convergence

“…They have greater access to communication technologies and travel funds, and their staffs can dedicate more time to facilitating coalition development. Thus they can exercise a disproportionate amount of power in defining international coalitions (see Eschle and Maiguashca 2007; Rai 2003; Sperling et al. 2001).…”

“…concerning gender, class and ethnicity) and strategies [e.g. institutional (legal) and extra‐institutional (illegal) forms of protest] (Eschle and Maiguashca 2007; Rai 2003; Sperling et al. 2001).…”

Everyday Resistance, Peacebuilding and State-making : Insights from 'Africa's World War'

“…Ultimately, order needs an account of resistance to be fully explained. While this is becoming a common call among IR scholars, the study of resistance still plays a secondary role in the discipline (Armstrong, Farrell, and Maiguashca 2004;Eschle and Maiguashca 2007;Hirst 2015;Stern 2005).…”