Social Reproduction, Solidarity Economy, Feminisms and Democracy: Latin America and India (Gender, Development and Social Change)

This book contributes to timely debates on the conditions of resistance and changes with the aim to offer a ray of hope in times of ecological, economic, social and democracy crisis worldwide. In the context of the crisis of social reproduction, impoverishment and growing inequalities, myriads of women-led grass-root initiatives are bubbling up. They reorganize social reproduction; redefine the meaning of work and value; explore new ways of doing economics and politics; construct solidarity-driven social relationships and combat their subordination. In doing so, these initiatives challenge the patriarchal, financialized and dehumanizing capitalist system and offer transformative, sustainable paths for feminist social change. Drawing on fine-grained ethnographies in Latin America and India, this book sheds light on women's daily struggles, their difficulties, contradictions, fragilities, and also their successes and achievements. This book seeks to inspire activists, researchers and policy-makers in the field of feminism and solidarity economy to contribute to amplifying the movement, which rests on the articulation of the various initiatives. Christine Verschuur is Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the Anthropology and Sociology/Gender Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. Isabelle Guérin is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Research Development (IRD-CESSMA), France, and Associate to the French Institute of Pondicherry. Isabelle Hillenkamp is Research Fellow at the Institute of Research Development (IRD-CESSMA), France. Series Editor’s Preface 6 Contents 8 Notes on Contributors 10 List of Figures 15 1 Introduction 16 2 Social Reproduction: A Key Issue for Feminist Solidarity Economy 22 The Crisis of Social Reproduction: Perils and Opportunities 23 Social Reproduction: A Powerful Concept for a Feminist Analysis of Solidarity Economy 28 Feminist Epistemologies and Contributions from the Global South 34 References 39 3 Solidarity Economy Under a Feminist Lens: A Critical and Possibilist Analysis 45 A Critical and Possibilist Epistemology 49 Broadening Our Approach to the Economy: Social Reproduction from a Plural Economy and Feminist Perspective 51 Solidarity Economy as Reorganization of Social Reproduction: Avenues Opened up by the Case Studies 54 A Precondition: Overcoming the Separation Between “Reproduction” and “Production” 54 Communalizing Social Reproduction 56 Engaging for the Sustainable Reproduction of Life 57 Alternative Modes of Appropriation of Work 57 Building a Plural Economy, Geared Towards Democracy and Equality 60 Politicizing Social Reproduction: Public Action from Autonomous to Instituted Spaces 62 Local Deliberative Spaces and Lifeworlds 63 Instituted Spaces for Public and Political Action 65 Conclusions: Feminist Solidarity Economy Through a Critical and Possibilist Lens 68 References 70 4 Forging Solidarities: Women Workers in the Informal Sector in Tamil Nadu 78 Organizations Selected for Study and Study Methods 79 Community as Primary Site of Mobilization 80 Defending Territory: Interlinked Rights of Livelihood and Residence 82 Claiming Worker Identities with Pride 83 Asserting Workplace Rights: Building Bargaining Capacities and Protecting Wages 83 Challenging Gendered Occupational Segregation: Skilling Women Workers 85 Social Protection for Informal Workers: Accessing Worker Welfare Boards 86 Countering Violence Against Women in Homes and Workspaces 88 Building women’s Leadership: The Challenges of Volunteerism 90 Caste and Worker Solidarity 91 Retaining Autonomy and Engaging Public Policy 93 Conclusion: New Ways of Organizing Production and Social Reproduction? 96 References 98 5 Resisting the Destruction of Social Reproduction: Dalit women’s Struggle in South India 100 Method 103 The Emergence of a Common Cause: Defending women’s Right to Make a Living on Their Own Territory 104 Social Reproduction: A Diverse and Changing Stream of Labour 110 Struggle and Solidarities: Unity and Fragmentation 112 The Emergence of Political Subjects: Knowledge, Deliberation and Affects 117 What Have the Political Outcomes Been? 121 The Erosion of a Movement: What Place is There for women’s Protest Action in Contemporary India? 123 Conclusion 125 References 128 6 Local Transformations in Batallas (Bolivia) and the “Inexhaustible” Capacity of Women to Sustain Life 131 Introduction 132 Methodology 134 Batallas: Old and New Inequalities in a Rural Territory in Flux 135 Organization, Value and Meanings of Social Reproduction in Batallas 138 Women’s Work in the Face of Families, Communities and Public Services 138 Producers’ Associations 141 The Politicization of Social Reproduction: The Fabric of Political Subjects from Local to National Level 144 Territorial Organizations 144 Federations and Movements of Peasant Economic Organizations, Solidarity Economy and Fair Trade 148 Conclusion 151 References 154 7 Solidarity at the Crossroads: Struggles and Transformations of Domestic Workers in Kerala 156 Introduction 156 The Scope of the Study 157 The History of SEWA and the Emergence of SMSS 160 How SEWA Places Itself in the Broad Sociopolitical Ecosystem 161 The Sector of Domestic Work India with Highlights on Kerala 163 Kerala’s Unique Development Narratives and Gender Concerns 165 SEWA Kerala and Its Collective Strategies to Fight Against Women’s Subordination 168 Social Reproduction and the Challenges Posed by the Gender Norms 171 Conclusions 176 References 177 8 Argentina: Collectivizing Care, Reinventing Work and Solidarity 179 Introduction 179 Methodology 181 Associative Child-Care Centres in the Conurbano Bonaerense 182 Collective Care: Women in Associative Work 185 Collective Care and Solidarity Economy 189 Conclusions 194 References 195 9 Alternative Market Systems: Mutual Dependence for Collective Welfare in a Fish Market in Udupi 196 Introduction 196 Udupi, a Coastal Temple Town and a Thriving Market for Fish Retail 201 A Common Cause: Mobilizing to Continue Putting Food on the Table 205 Tied to the Market—Friendships, Independence and Autonomy 210 Conclusion 215 References 217 10 Agroecology and Feminism in Vale Do Ribeira (Brazil): Towards More Sustainable Forms of Reproducing Life 219 Introduction 219 The Context of Vale Do Ribeira: Overlapping Conflicts Involving Land, the Environment and Gender 223 The Unsustainable Reproduction of Life 223 The Local Communities’ Strategies to Secure Their Livelihoods 225 A Feminist Approach to Agroecology as a New Local Strategy 228 The long road taken by feminist agroecology in Brazil 229 From Social Rights and Land Reform to Gender and Family Farming 230 Feminist Agroecology in “progressive” Public Policies 231 Feminist Agroecology Versus Neoconservatism 233 Feminist agroecology in practice in Barra do Turvo 234 Building Solidarity: Concrete Answers to Common Issues 234 New Meanings and Renegotiating Gender Relations 238 Conclusion 240 References 242 11 Concluding Thoughts: Connecting Women’s Struggles. Reorganizing Social Reproduction, Democratizing Solidarity Economy, Reframing Value 245 Women’s Work and Social Reproduction: Collective Responses in the Midst of an Ever-Going Crisis 248 The Emergence of Solidarities and the Constitution of Political Subjects 252 The Paradoxical Relationship with the State 257 References 261 12 Afterword: The Cross-Fertilization Between Feminism and the Solidarity Economy 262 The Reasons for Mutual Ignorance 263 Separate Theories 264 Recent Developments 265 From Mutual Ignorance to a Shared Endeavour 266 Rethinking the Economy 267 Rethinking the Political 269 Rethinking the Mediations Between the Economy and Politics 271 Conclusion 273 References 274 Author Index 277 Subject Index 279 This book contributes to timely debates on the conditions of resistance and changes with the aim to offer a ray of hope in times of ecological, economic, social and democracy crisis worldwide. In the context of the crisis of social reproduction, impoverishment and growing inequalities, myriads of women-led grass-root initiatives are bubbling up. They reorganize social reproduction; redefine the meaning of work and value; explore new ways of doing economics and politics; construct solidarity-driven social relationships and combat their subordination. In doing so, these initiatives challenge the patriarchal, financialized and dehumanizing capitalist system and offer transformative, sustainable paths for feminist social change. Drawing on fine-grained ethnographies in Latin America and India, this book sheds light on women's daily struggles, their difficulties, contradictions, fragilities, and also their successes and achievements. This book seeks to inspire activists, researchers and policy-makers in the field of feminism and solidarity economy to contribute to amplifying the movement, which rests on the articulation of the various initiatives. Christine Verschuur is Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the Anthropology and Sociology/Gender Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, Switzerland. Isabelle Guérin is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Research Development (IRD-CESSMA), France, and Associate to the French Institute of Pondicherry. Isabelle Hillenkamp is Research Fellow at the Institute of Research Development (IRD-CESSMA), France.