The Rise and Prospects of the New Global Feminism

2017 is proving a significant milestone in the modern-day chronicle of the feminist movement. We’re witnessing a historic moment that in a few years may be considered as the beginning of a new wave. The Women’s March following Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States left its mark in the early days of the year as the largest protest rally in American history. The movement that followed this massive wave of demonstrations which inspired women all over the world had its peak at the March 8th International Women's Day that came right after it. This time, the March 8th International Women's Strike was organized around the slogan beboldforchange in 2,000 cities in 80 countries. The notions of unity and solidarity in the global women’s movement came to the fore in this action that was planned as an international strike for the first time. Even though March 8th was celebrated in Turkey under extremely adverse conditions in 2017, it was a great success. Nearly 50,000 women shouted an emphatic “NO” during the nocturnal march in İstanbul under state of emergency circumstances where all dissenting demonstrations were banned and even the most insignificant propaganda advocating a “NO” vote in the upcoming constitutional referendum was suppressed. This demonstration was a huge morale boost not only for women but also for all opponents of the proposed constitutional changes, showing once again that women hold a pivotal position in the fight for peace and democracy in Turkey.

Very clearly, the global activity that erupted in early 2017 provided hope and inspiration not only to women but also to all opposition ranks. “Bridges, not walls” was a slogan adopted throughout the world as the American Women’s March unfolded. Whether these actions herald the beginning of a new and long-winded movement, however, will depend on how and for how long the inspiration and momentum they provide can be maintained. By staging this meeting, we want to prolong this feminist momentum in the fight for democracy and peace on a global scale. But maintaining this momentum requires not simply holding on to a militant advocacy in the direst circumstances but also analyzing the problems and obstacles before the movement from a critical perspective. Toppling walls and building bridges is not as easy as it sounds. Therefore, we’d like to strengthen resistance and solidarity by discussing the obstacles and problems in this international meeting where we bring the different actors of the new feminism together.

For this purpose, we identified the following themes for discussion at our conference: First, we’ll discuss the possibilities and issues before intersectional feminism or a comprehensive feminism. It matters to the movement as a global phenomenon to unite women, LGBTI individuals and other oppressed groups with different attributes of race, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation and religious faith from different geographies within the framework of a broader construct of social justice and democracy as well as to be inclusive. However, the obstacles and issues before this bold construct are still waiting to be addressed. Secondly, we’ll discuss how the rift in women’s movements and feminism came to the fore, taking a look at how the recently observed differentiation among the various women’s movements and feminisms manifests itself in various geographies. Our next discussion topic will be the situation of the women’s and LGBTI movements in the environment of the rising religious right-wing populisms and the new wars. Lastly, we’ll focus on the newly emerging forms of resistance and organizing on global and local scales. We’ll establish how the women’s movements and LGBTI movements in diverse parts of the world resist the new rising threats and assume a pivotal role in a new conception of peace and democracy.

We invite you to share this solidarity event with us and join the discussion.

3-4 November 2017

Venue: Nippon Hotel

Topçu Cad. No: 6 Taksim-İstanbul

Friday, 03 November

09.30-09.45     Registration

09.45-09.50     Opening Remarks: Kristian Brakel, Heinrich Böll Stiftung Association

09.50-10.30     Keynote Speaker: Nira Yuval-Davis

10.30-11.00     Discussion

11.00-11.15     Tea and Coffee Break

11.15-12.30     First Panel: Challenges and Opportunities of Intersectional Feminism

Alev Özkazanç: Feminist Movements in Turkey and the Challenges of Intersectionality

Andrea Pető: Intersectionality and the Fortunes of Feminist Movement in a Global World

Moderator: Sevgi Uçan Çubukçu

12.30-13.30     Lunch Break

13.30-15.30     Second Panel: Divergences and New Formations within the Feminist Movement

Carol Mann: Divergences and Convergences within the Feminist Movement in Europe

İnci Özkan Kerestecioğlu: Divergences and Debates within Contemporary Feminist Movement in Turkey

Tithi Bhattacharya: Women’s Strike and Feminism for 99%

Moderator: Nacide Berber

15.30-16.00     Tea and Coffee Break

16.00-18.00     Third Panel: Women’s Movements against the Rise of Religious Right Authoritarian Populisms and Militarism

Magdalena Staroszczyk: Black Protest Against the Threat of Extreme Right Anti-Abortion Movement

Tuğçe Canbolat: Organizing the 8th of March in 2017 under State of Emergency in Turkey

Ella Lamakh: The Rise of Authoritarian Politics and the Feminist Movement in Ukraine

Moderator: Gülay Toksöz

Saturday, 04 November

10.00-12.00     Fourth Panel: Resisting and Organizing Locally and Globally - I

Rima Athar: Resisting and Organizing for LGBTI Rights in the Muslim World

Aylime Aslı Demir: The Rise of Right Populism and the LGBTI+ Movement in Turkey

Emily Morgan Waszak: Women’s Protest against the Anti-Abortion Law in Ireland

Moderator: Esen Özdemir

12.00-13.00     Lunch

13.00-15.00     Fifth Panel: Resisting and Organizing Locally and Globally - II

Virginia Vargas: Global Justice, Democracy and Latin American Women’s Movement

Feride Eralp: Women’s Peace Movement in Turkey and Abroad

Sanem Öztürk: Feminism and Solidarity in the Face of Global Refugee Crisis

Moderator: Yasemin Akis Kalaylıoğlu

15.00-15.30     Tea and Coffee Break

15.30-17.00     Forum and closing remarks

Fatmagül Berktay