ECPR Press Gendered Mobilizations and Intersectional Challenges: Contemporary Social Movements in Europe and North America

A long and ongoing challenge for social justice movements has been how to address difference. Traditional strategies have often emphasized universalizing messages and common identities as means of facilitating collective action. Feminist movements, gay liberation movements, racial justice movements, and even labour movements, have all focused predominantly on respective singular dimensions of oppression. Each has called on diverse groups of people to mobilize, but without necessarily acknowledging or grappling with other relevant dimensions of identity and oppression. While focusing on commonality can be an effective means of mobilization, universalist messages can also obscure difference and can serve to exclude and marginalize groups in already precarious positions. Scholars and activists, particularly those located at the intersection of these movements, have long advocated for more inclusive approaches that acknowledge the significance and complexity of different social locations, with mixed success. Gendered Mobilizations and Intersectional Challenges provides a much-needed intersectional analysis of social movements in Europe and North America. With an emphasis on gendered mobilization, it looks at movements traditionally understood and/or classified as singularly gendered as well as those organized around other dimensions of identity and oppression or at the intersection of multiple dimensions. Review Gendered Mobilizations and Intersectional Challenges offers a most up-to-date and nuanced analysis on how intersectionality informs various themes of activism in North America and Europe. Engaging with premier political and social wedge issues, such as migration, racial justice, and democracy, this book expertly combines various otherwise competing strands of contemporary social movement theory into a convincing and cohesive voice.--Katalin Fabian, Professor, Department of Government and Law, Lafayette College The top-notch contributors represent a range of countries, disciplines, and generations, joining to produce a must-read volume for those interested in how contemporary social movements succeed at intersectional praxis. The authors demonstrate how social movements respond to intragroup inequalities, give voice to those marginalized within their ranks, and form alliances with other movements - increasing their ability to achieve social justice.--Louise K. Davidson-Schmich, University of Miami How to forge a politics of solidarity without suppressing difference is one of the urgent questions this wonderful collection addresses. In examining the opportunities and obstacles for intersectionality in social movements in a range of national, transnational and political contexts, this volume rigorously extends an intersectional analysis grounded in empirical evidence and praxis. Essential reading for scholars and activists alike.--Fiona Williams, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, University of Leeds This collection offers a vital and vivid account of the importance of intersectionality for feminist politics and activism in the 21st century. Its call to recognize and respect difference in order to develop a fully inclusive feminist movement is urgent. This book represents a very timely, significant and original intervention to understandings of gender, race, politics, social justice, globalization and social movements. It is a book that speaks fully to our political times.--Sally Hines, Professor of Sociology and Gender Identities, University of Leeds This is an impressive interdisciplinary work on "social movement intersectionality" by an international group of scholars. Cutting edge-theories, methods and concepts are developed and used to study gender-based and social justice movements. The framing introduction and the quality case analyses in North America and Europe provide an unprecedented study that contributes to understanding and theories of intersectionality in movement AND the applica