Women’s leadership in politics as well as in social movements and grassroots collectives have played a historic role in transforming the landscape of women’s social, legal, and political rights across the globe. Their participation in political and public spheres is integral to the achievement of social justice and has been a key demand and commitment in multiple international conventions. However, the ratification of international agreements and having women in leadership positions does not necessarily ensure meaningful political participation or feminist transformative change. Do women in power bring genuine feminist transformations?
Some of the key components comprising transformative feminist leadership include questioning, challenging, and dismantling power dynamics and hierarchies that characterise traditional leadership, implementing a collective agency, instilling a democratic, transparent, self-reflective and accountable political culture, working towards collective/collaborative leadership, as well as cultivating spaces for learning and mentoring (Wakefield 2017, Batliwala 2022). Feminist transformative leaderships work towards developing anti-racist, anti-patriarchal, anti-ableist, and anti-casteist political cultures, while questioning any singular, universal (read colonial/north centric) notion of leadership.
This special issue of Gender & Development will explore the role and position of women and LGBTQIA persons within political parties, provincial and state legislatures, and local governing bodies where they have the ability to formally influence political processes and decision-making. Importantly, this special issue will investigate the ideological contestations and heterogeneity embedded in women’s leadership(s) in global South(s) (as well as the ‘souths’ in the global North and also global North), and the extent to which these align or depart from what is widely considered to be feminist leadership (Batliwala 2010, De Vela and Ofreneo 2009). This special issue aims to unpack women’s and feminist leadership from a decolonial feminist lens, foreground alternate theories and epistemologies, and shine light on new and under theorised aspects of feminist leadership.
Our guest editors:
This special issue will be guest edited by Peggy Nash, Tainah Pereira, and Jennifer Smout, who have been involved in feminist political activism and knowledge generation on feminisms and transformative leadership.
Read the detailed call for contributions here: Women’s leadership in politics and governance: understanding the potential of transformative feminist leadership
Submissions:
Please send your abstract of no more than 250 words with details about your research and preliminary findings or a small multi-modal proposal (a two-minute video clip abstract or 250 word abstract with images) using the submission link below.
Submit here: https://forms.gle/9mM3zhu7bkaGdG5Q9
Deadline: 30 September, 11:59pm UTC
Please send any queries to genderanddevelopment.south@gmail.com
Note about Gender and Development:
Gender & Development, co-published by Oxfam and Routledge/Taylor & Francis, has been a steadfast source of essential readings in the field of development for over 25 years. Since its founding in 1993, the journal has critically explored a range of cross-cutting issues in the areas of gender and development. It is a trailblazer in establishing inclusive and decolonialist approaches to knowledge creation and management in the wider international humanitarian and development sectors. . While previously hosted by Oxfam Great Britain, a consortium of Oxfam affiliates in the global South – Oxfams Brazil, Colombia, India, KEDV (Turkey), Mexico and South Africa – has now been hosting the journal since 1st January 2022.