This volume offers a compelling analysis of how neoliberalism has impacted conservative, nationalistic movements and the gendered and racialised violence that these movements impose. The authors argue for a transnational feminist response that is emancipatory, an important project considering the attacks on democratic institutions and the targeting of educational systems in local and global contexts.

Opening with a passionate foreword by Antonia Darder, Transnational Feminist Politics, Education and Social Justice: Post Democracy and Post Truth offers a compelling analysis of the evolution of right-wing conservativism across the globe and the implications and opportunities for a transnational feminist response. Edited by Silvia Edling and Sheila Macrine, the volume interrogates how the triangulation of neoliberalism, conservativism, and nationalism serves to erode democratic institutions and sustain inequality. The authors explore the gendered and racialised logics that underpin and support these movements, highlighting the ways in which diverse gendered, racial, and sexual minorities are systematically targeted by their actions. The volume is divided into two complementary sections, each providing a meticulous examination of the ways in which these ideologies intersect and reinforce one another, ultimately serving to perpetuate oppression and discrimination. An opportunity for a transnational feminist response emerges within this context, as each author demonstrates that the specific manifestations of inequality and discrimination at the local level encourages prospects for global resistance and solidarity.

The first part of the volume offers an overview of the challenges and possibilities for transnational feminism in this age of “post truth” and “post democracy,” focusing on different manifestations of neoliberal conservatism. Chapters in this section address issues such as the global “refugee crisis,” where Sheila L. Macrine and Silvia Edling explore how refugees are impacted by discrimination and stereotypes based on gender, race, class, and sexuality, and how these are resisted. The consequences of radical right political movements in Brazil and Germany are explored by Inny Accioly and Gundula Ludwig respectively. This is followed by the implications and racial logics of surveillance in the United States, interrogated by K. Melchor Quick Hall. Opening this section is Chandra Talpade Mohanty, with a reflection on knowledge production and the occupation of space. Mohanty contributes a great deal to the theoretical discussion in this volume, along with Robin Truth Goodman, who’s concluding chapter of part one interrogates how neoliberalism deliberately appropriates feminist language and symbols. Although these problems may manifest in local contexts, and be shaped by different cultural and political environments, each reflects the distinct logics of neoliberalism, which prioritise market-driven growth and economic rationalism over social equality and justice.

Part two of the volume considers the impact of neoliberalism and conservatism on educational systems – an important reflection in view of the targeting of teachers and school curriculums through the pretext of a “war on woke.” Sarah Ljungquist and Guadalupe Francia draw attention to Sweden and the backlash against feminist gains prompted by the #metoo movement, as well as the conservative reaction against gender studies. Geraldine Mooney Simmie examines the deliberate suppression of teacher’s voices in Ireland, linking this case to the global impact of neoliberal educational policies. Maria Nikolakaki, by contrast, explores the consequences of the Greek economic crisis for women in the Greek education system. Finally, Maria Luiza Süssekind and Ines Barbosa de Oliveira examine forms of resistance in Brazil, arguing against the supremacy of eurocentrism in the education system. This volume demonstrates how neoliberal educational reforms work to maintain existing power structures in the education system by attacking knowledge and suppressing critical thinking. Specifically, the authors show how these movements often seek to promote the hegemony of the dominant Western canon by prioritising eurocentrism and suppressing diverse perspectives.

The attack on school curriculums by conservative politicians, which includes opposition to critical analysis of race relations and sexual and gender education, has emerged as a deliberate conservative, nationalistic tactic in many states around the world. This conservative project, which seeks to preserve specific ideals of masculinity, operates at both the local and global level. However, as argued within the volume, and interrogated explicitly within Geraldine Mooney Simmie’s chapter, neoliberalism also plays a role in the transformation of the education system into a private market where teachers are treated as units rather than beings. When education systems are targeted and different voices and knowledges are silenced, the consequences extend beyond the classroom to affect students, teachers, and communities.

The volume engages in a thoughtful interrogation of the narratives that sustain current radical conservative movements and parties, particularly in its unpacking of the decades of neoliberal policy. The authors demonstrate how neoliberal policies, which prioritise privatisation, deregulation, and individualism, have contributed to a perceived loss of power and disenfranchisement with the traditional political establishment. This has generated support for white supremacist rhetoric and has led to some success for populist leaders who campaign and govern with racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic aims. The volume demonstrates that diverse gendered, racial, and sexual minorities have always been the targets of conservative policies, especially those of neoliberal globalisation policies. The authors deconstruct the tangible effects of these policies in each chapter, such as the destruction of Indigenous lands in Brazil, explored by Inny Accioly, and the gendered implications of the economic crisis in Greece, as explored by Maria Nikolakaki. By exposing the harm caused by these policies, the volume highlights the need for critical analysis and resistance against them.

Transnational feminism, the proposed method to fight back against conservative movements, calls for solidarity and support, thus coming into direct conflict with the forced individuality of neoliberalism. As both Italy and Sweden have just elected women leaders of far-right conservative parties, the authors remind us that regardless of whether political parties are led by women, the maintenance of power for the often white and male elite in the Global North, remains the ultimate imperative of these movements. Often co-opting feminist language, the targeting and alienation of people who don’t fit with the state-sanctioned “normal” – often migrants, people of colour, and increasingly trans people – is not an act of feminism. In protecting the interests of white women, gendered, racial and class violence occurs, and as such the authors argue for a vision of transnational feminism, which is intersectional and aware of the many manifestations of power.

It is important to note that racist, misogynistic, and homophobic movements are not a new phenomenon. It is clear that many of the modern dynamics explored in this volume arise from the continued effects of colonisation. The strength of this volume is in demonstrating that a triangulation of nationalism, conservativism, and neoliberalism manifests in ways that sustain patriarchal power. Hope is integral to the volume. Each author offers suggestions for solidarity, activism, social justice, and a vision for transnational feminism in times of deliberate violence and social alienation. This is an optimistic project given the attack on democratic institutions in recent years and the global presence of misogynistic and racist ideologies. Transnational, Feminist Politics, Education and Social Justice reminds us that we cannot be complacent when rights are under attack, and that scholarship may, and perhaps should, work as theory as well as praxis. If globalisation has made the world more connected, then the fight for equality must not be confined to local spaces but become truly transnational.

This is a review of Silvia Edling and Sheila Macrine’s (eds) Transnational, Feminist Politics, Education, and Social Justice: Post Democracy and Post Truth   (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021) ISBN: 9781350174450

Sian Perry is a PhD Candidate in Government and International Relations, School of Social and Political Sciences, at the University of Sydney. Her research interests include climate change, environmental politics, intersectionality and feminist international relations theory.

This review is published under a Creative Commons Licence and may be republished with attribution.