Neoliberalism and its Impact on the Women's Movement in Aotearoa/New Zealand

This book investigates how neoliberalism shaped the women's movement in Aotearoa/New Zealand from the mid-1980s to late 2010s and looks at the future of the movement. Based on an empirical study that encompasses the three levels of the movementindividualised feminism, the work of women's organisations, and state feminismit explores how neoliberal rationality, promoted by governments over three decades, has impacted feminist identification and activism as well as political opportunities for organisations and institutions working within the movement. Exploring the diversity of feminist voices, the author analyses intersectional, (post)colonial and intergenerational debates within the movement in the context of neoliberalism's influence on feminist values and strategies, and examines whether neoliberal rationality succeeded in depoliticising, individualising and fragmenting the movement. The book comes to the conclusion that despite some severe drawbacks, internal conflicts and changes of strategies, the women's movement in Aotearoa/New Zealand has survived the impact of neoliberalism.

This book will be of interest to scholars of Gender Studies, Sociology, Political Science, and Women's History, as well as feminist activists.

Draws upon original, empirical research that includes qualitative interviews with feminists Incorporates a diversity of perspectives from feminists across generations and across race/ethnicity Draws on neoliberalism, postcolonialism, and intersectionality theories?

Autorentext

Julia Schuster received her PhD in Sociology from the University of Auckland in 2014 and held a post-doctoral position at the Johannes Kepler University Linz from 2014 to 2020, researching in the fields of intersectionality theory, discrimination against minorities, and women's movements. Since 2020, she works at Statistics Austria-Austria's Federal Statistic Office-on migration statistics, while publishing the in the areas of her expertise.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Neoliberalism and its Relationships with Feminism, Intersectionality and Postcolonialism.- 3. The Story So Far.- 4. Feminist Foundations.- 5. Individualised Feminism.- 6. Organisational Feminism.- 7. State Feminism.- 8. What a Women's Movement Looks Like (in Neoliberal Times).