The Politics of Third Wave Feminisms

“In recent years, intersectionality has become a “normative goal, or preferred mode of organizing” invoked by feminists and activists from various social movements who claim to represent single identity constituencies, such as “women,” in all their diversity (Weldon, 2008: 217; see also Evans, 2015).”

“Its advocates are no more specific, since “those who advance a neoliberal agenda do not defend neoliberalism qua neoliberalism. . . . Neoliberalism is in this respect rather like patriarchy: few openly speak its name” (Evans 2015, 41).”

“…where many social movements, including feminist ones, are marginalized from CSR as a process of governance due to lack of resources (Bolström and Hallström, 2010; Grosser, 2016), new mobilizing structures, both forms and tactics, are emerging involving online feminist activism (Evans, 2015).”

“Evans (2015) explained that third wave feminists have ‘embraced individualism and diversity and sought to redefine what it means to be a feminist’ (22).”

“Evans (2015) compares ideas about third-wave feminism over the past 10 years among activists in the UK and the US.”

“…intersectionality as a means by which to analyse the interactive effects of inequalities based upon group characteristics (Crenshaw, 1989; Collins, 2000), which has meant that intersectionality has played a much more central role in feminist debate in the US relative to the UK (Evans, 2015).”

“As such, negative assumptions about the waves actually undermine the coherence of feminism over the last century, emphasising slight differences as opposed to focusing on the issues that still remain central to the politics (Baumgardner 2011; Evans 2015).”

“At the same time they address relatively new themes such as trans inclusion and online misogyny (Evans, 2015).”

“On the one hand, the women’s movement has professionalized towards “managerial feminism”, yet, on the other, it has disintegrated into one-issue campaigns and the so-called third wave or post-feminism that uses individualized tactics focusing on the fun side of being feminists (see Evans, 2015).”

“Despite the presence of women in leadership positions across U.K. legislatures, as well as a vibrant, visible, and active women’s movement (Evans 2015), women remain underrepresented at all levels of U.K. politics.”

“In more recent times, third wave postmodern feminism, and transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) were included in feminist issues, and movements toward post-structuralist and queer feminism were launched (Evans, 2015).”

“Furthermore, a renewal of feminist activity in the UK, particularly amongst young women, in US universities (Evans, 2015).”

“This explosion in anti-street harassment activism coincides with a renewed interest in feminism in the U.K., the U.S., and other countries, and in response to persistent sexual objectification of and violence against women (Evans 2015, p. 1).”

“The third wave focused on individualism and diversity between 1990 and 2008 (Evans, 2014), but has been critiqued for its focus on individual emancipation, in comparison to earlier waves (Burkett, 2015; Lotz, 2003; Munro, 2013; Rampton, 2015).”

“This has even led feminist researchers to posit whether study participants are entitled to be listed as co-authors or depersonalize authorship, an idea in the spirit of transparency and due credit favored by feminist scholarship (see Bondi et al., 2002; Evans, 2015, chapter 4).”

“These include a resurgence of grassroots feminist activism that has extended its political and cultural reach in recent years (Evans 2015) as well as the rise of student, antiracist, and Occupy/anti-austerity movements in response to the financial crisis of 2008 (Bailey 2014; Maiguashca, Dean, and…”

“She is alluding to its contentious history within feminism which derives from its association with the WLM of the 1960s and 1970s where it was critiqued for making differences between women invisible (Evans, 2015).”

“According to Evans (2015), third-wave feminists ‘embraced individualism and diversity and sought to redefine what it meant to be a feminist’ (p. 22).”

“Instead, white, middle-class, cisgender, heterosexual, and able-bodied women still predominate the movements (Erevelles, 2011; Evans, 2015 ; Laperrière & Lépinard, 2016).”

“Second, austerity has led to a resurgence of feminism (Evans, 2015).”

“Feminist critiques of political parties and formal political institutions continue to have purchase with activists who sometimes perceive parties to be male institutions run by men and in the interests of men (Evans, 2015; Kittilson, 2006).”

“In the United States, for example, abortion policy has galvanised party politics to such an extent since the 1970s that the topic is described as a virtual litmus test dividing Republicans and Democrats (Layman, 2001; McGraw, 2018).”

“WEP’s emergence also coincided with a wider and sustained resurgence of the UK feminist movement(7) (Evans and Chamberlain, 2014; Evans, 2015).”

“This interview was very useful as it reflected an alignment with Third Wave Feminism (Haywood 1997; E. Evans 2015; McRobbie 2009) as Broderick spoke about her constant attempts to position femininity within her aesthetic choices so it was present in the political context in which she was operating.”

“…gender equality into key institutions has inadvertently led to the promotion of an accommodating feminism that is moderate [2] in its demands and, therefore, more amenable to maintaining, rather than challenging, neoliberal norms (Baachi and Eveline, 2004; Evans, 2015; Squires 2007; Prugl, 2011).”

“Third-wave feminist scholars have pioneered and continue to cement an intersectional analytical framework that brings attention and gives respect to the intragroup differences that exist within the gendered category ‘woman’ (Evans, 2014).”

“Feminist activists and academics often assume that the women ’ s sector is the ‘ path fi nder ’ that best advocates for and progresses inter-sectional politics (Christoffersen and Emejulu, 2023; see Evans, 2015, 2016).”

“Some believe that this already constitutes in itself a new era of feminism: the fourth wave (Chamberlain 2017; Cochrane 2014; Dean and Aune 2015; Evans 2015, 2016; Munro 2013; Rivers 2018).”

“…evasive and hectoring’ and ‘many of her colleagues, left or right, dislike her on both a personal and political interest in institutional reform (Evans 2015); socialist feminist focus on economic and class-based inequalities (Mankki and Aho 2020); and the radical feminist emphasis on violence…”

“A “feminist man” identifies with feminist ideals and perspective (Evans, 2015), whereas a “profeminist man” takes these convictions one step further.”

“They also align with wider cultural shifts that affect the pursuit of feminist goals whereby an individualistic focus has replaced collective imag-inings of societal change — what experts refer to as a postfeminist posture (see Evans, 2015; McRobbie, 2009).”

“…tepki olarak 1990’larda gelişen üçüncü dalga feminizm, toplumsal cinsiyetin diğer kimlik-lerle kesişimine dikkat çekerek feminist ideolojinin kapsamını genişletmiş ve bu olguları kapsayıcı, çok kül-türlü ve yargılayıcı olmayan bir bakış açısı ile ele almıştır (Evans, 2015; Maclaran, 2012).”

“Instead, post-feminism focuses on empowering individual women as consumers (e.g., Evans, 2015; Tasker & Negra, 2007).”

“These goals follow the patterns of legal equality and personal choice that have origins in the second wave feminism (Evans, 2015) and are widespread, especially among the organizations located in the Global North (Moghadam, 2013, 2018).”

“Left-wing political parties in Europe have a longer track record of commitment to gender equality than conservative parties, but the latter have over time become increasingly concerned with it (Campbell and Childs 2015a; Celis and Childs 2018; Evans 2015; Ruiz Jiménez 2009).”

“In doing so, they nod to an ongoing debate about the place of contemporary feminism vis-a`-vis neoliberal ideology (Budgeon 2011; Evans 2015; Fraser 2013; McRobbie 2009).”

“…in the usa, when Black feminists called for recognition of their own issues and the differences between their experiences and those of White women (evans, 2015). she emphasised that cooperation and solidarity among women from diverse backgrounds are crucial in the fight against patriarchy.…”

“This has happened with intersectionality, which has been articulated with/within the third wave (see, for instance, Evans 2015; Keenan 2014).”

“Evans (2015) explains that third-wave feminists ‘embraced individualism and diversity and sought to redefine what it meant to be a feminist’ (22).”

“…Cutrufelli’s literary representations of a relationality among women help scholars connect her work with a range of feminist thinkers and topics, from Robin Morgan’s formulations of sisterhood (Morgan 1970; Evans 2015, 111–115) to the valorization of female plurality advocated by Adrienne Rich.”

“Nourishing a Senate sisterhood: A supper club Traditionally, women have sought spaces where they could openly share their experiences and privilege their own voices (Evans, 2015).”