Marx Fem International Conference

The third international marxist-feminist conference took place from the 5th to the 7th of October in 2018. This year’s organizers, the feminist section of the Berlin Institute of Critical Theory and DIANA MULINARI, REBECCA SELBERG and CATIA GREGORATTI, progressive academics at Lund University, were able to gather more than 200 scholars and activists to discuss marxist-feminism in Lund, Sweden. The conference was financially supported by Lund University, its department of gender studies, the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, transform! europe and by a generous donation of GAYATRI CHAKRAVORTY SPIVAK. The idea of an international marxist-feminist conference was originally brought into being and was since then continuously organized by the feminist section of the Berlin Institute of Critical Theory around the German sociologist and philosopher FRIGGA HAUG. It was held in Berlin for the first time in 2015, followed by an increasingly international, second congress in Vienna in 2016.

Transforming our lives. Transforming the world

The conference theme this year was Transforming our lives. Transforming the world. The organizers argued that “the main experience haunting marxist-feminists today (and not only them) is the experience of crisis”. In the face of crisis, especially the one of increasing right-wing radicalism, the organizers posed questions on how these crises can be translated into marxist-feminist strategies for a transformation of themselves and the world. Their point of departure specifically being Marx’ third thesis on Feuerbach and more broadly a “revitalization of the tradition of marxist-feminist thought through a critical dialogue with indigenous, Black and queer inspired feminist traditions.” The program layout has to be understood within the context of the criticism the latter conferences received: a program which was too dense and hardly allowed for the participation of the conference visitors. The format of the third conference was therefore substantially changed. Besides a limited number of keynote speeches on the theme, the program consisted predominantly of interactive workshops.

Outside in the Funding Machine

The conference was inaugurated by no less a person than the renowned, postcolonial Indian literary theorist and feminist critic Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. In her speech Outside in the Funding Machine, a reference to her earlier essay publication Outside in the Teaching Machine (1993)^[1], Spivak commented on the construction of an emancipatory, subaltern subject, the role of education in this process along with a strong critique of the European development industry. Before starting her talk she, like other speakers of the conference, drew attention to a current, pressing political issue, in Spivak’s case the persecution of Rohingyas and the imprisoned Bangladeshi photojournalist Shahidul Alam. Being a professor herself and having been involved in education reform and teacher training in rural India, it is not surprising that she dedicated a great part of the lecture to education. Spivak started out by stating that intellectual labour can not be dismissed as bourgeois and that by education she does not refer to an income-producing education, but rather ideas akin to the democratic education by Paulo Freire. Without changing the minds by creating a will for social justice, neither socialism nor democracy can survive. When introduced, Mulinari stated that “everybody has their own Spivak” and that she is “magical.”. Her presentation was indeed highly thought-provoking and you could even call it magical but at times it was difficult to understand every point she was trying to convey. Asked why she never thought about going into politics; Spivak’s answer that she is too messy and indeed too much of an intellectual did ring true indeed.

The second and last event of the first day was a plenary roundtable on marxist-feminism in Sweden and the Nordic countries with internationally known Marxian-influenced Swedish Sociologist GÖRAN THERBORN and Diana Mulinari, Swedish public intellectual, professor of gender studies at Lund University and one of the organizers of the conference. Presenting his new book Kapitalet, överheten och alla vi andra (2018)^[2] (freely translated as The capital, the ruling class and the rest of us), Therborn painted the picture of an increasingly unequal Swedish society with private wealth concentrations larger than in any other western european country. Therborn´s quantitative contributions were refreshing, especially in the face of the stubborn myth of Sweden as an everlasting, pacified social democracy. The importance to turn the discourse on Swedish inequality was discussed as well as the framework in which redistribution is envisioned. Mulinari stressed that it should not be limited to citizenship or generally the nation state, but that redistribution has to be global, reflecting ongoing debates within the German left. The second controversial point of discussion revolved around the dialectics in post-Fordist capitalism. Therborn argued that upfront dialectics and antagonisms can no longer be found in this stage of capitalism, whereas Mulinari contested that they are simply different; concerning the destruction and defense of life itself.

The second day consisted of three workshop sessions, two key notes and a dinner with a party afterwards. The workshop themes ranged from fundamentalism to ecofeminism, the rise of the right, body politics, social reproduction, feminist law and many more.

Memory Work

Particularly interesting was the workshop on memory work offered by the feminist section of the Berlin Institute of Critical Theory, namely MELANIE STITZ, FRIGGA HAUG, KATHARINA SCHWABEDISSEN and GÜLDEN EDINGER. They argued that as in Marx’ sixth thesis on Feuerbach, women have to be understood as the ensemble of societal relations. Women are part of reproducing themselves as women, even in their submission. Memory work was thus presented as a method in which a group of women try to recognize practices that lead to their submission, to comprehend themselves as part of a larger women’s history with the aim to gain consciousness and strength for future struggles. The workshops’ participants were then encouraged to collectively practice memory work with a short autobiographical text. It was rewarding to hear about the mostly uplifting experiences with the method as well as to learn more about their extensive experience as female marxist activists.

The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism

The first keynote on Saturday was held by HEIDI HARTMANN, an US-American feminist economic and author of the groundbreaking essay for marxist-feminism The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: Towards a more Progressive Union (1979)^[3]. Even though the hard facts by the Institute for Women’s Research, founded by Hartmann herself, on women’s labour force participation, wage gaps and family leave were enlightening and indeed surprising, her presentation was perceived by many as politically disappointing. In the presentation, Hartmann repeatedly spoke in favor of an equal share of women’s labour force participation, especially in positions of power as key in overcoming patriarchy. Even though she gingerly acknowledged the limitations of representation, her analysis of abolishing the patriarchy seemed nowhere close to the analysis of many anti-capitalist participants. She was, as expected, criticized for liberal career feminism and an essentialist view on women as inherently less greedy and more caring.

Transnational Solidarity

On Saturday’s last workshop slot, I attended a very well-visited discussion on transnational solidarity with marxist-feminist scholars and activists from Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and India. Particularly memorable was the presentation by RANJANA PADHI, an autonomous feminist activist and writer that put many of the former discussions into perspective and gave insights into important struggles in rural India. Padhi is particularly involved in resistance against the social repercussions of the green revolution in India which caused the suicide of thousands of farmers. In her book Those Who Did Not Die: Impact of the Agrarian Crisis on Women in Punjab (2012)^[4], she describes both the horrific circumstances and the powerful struggles for social and environmental justice. She succeeded in providing an intimate insight into these ecofeminist struggles that are similar in their anti-capitalist nature to previously mentioned conflicts in the conference, but at the same time differ significantly in the aspect of the resisting subjects, the modes of production, the scale and urgency of the conflict.

Transnational Justice and Gendered Vulnerability: Feminist Politics and (Im)possible Solidarities

Saturday’s second and last keynote speech Transnational Justice and Gendered Vulnerability: Feminist Politics and (Im)possible Solidarities by Indian postcolonial queer philosopher NIKITA DHAWAN was undoubtedly one of the most remarkable yet also most controversial ones. Dhawan is a stirring, dense and rhetorically brilliant speaker, yet her analysis splitted the audience. Introducing her aim, she stated that she did not mean to give answers but that she hoped to ask meaningful questions instead. The first question she raised was on the issue of apathy and a crisis of empathy: “How does the suffering of others make us political and ethical subjects?”. Drawing on Diogenes of Sinope, Foucault and Beck, an excursion into the topic of cosmopolitanism followed. She criticized liberal cosmopolitanism to reproduce power structures, traced the European roots of cosmopolitanism back to antisemitism, criticized Butler on the concept of spontaneous solidarity and commented on the ambiguous nature of resistance by those not belonging to the subaltern. To demonstrate this point, Dhawan turned around Foucault’s famous quote to “where there is resistance, there is power” and added, addressing the audience “we are part of the problem”. Lastly, Dhawan commented on the state and state-phobia of Foucault, neoliberals and anarchists. Even though she insisted that she does not hold romantic views of the state, she argued that the state is still not Nietzsche’s “coldest of all cold monsters […] It is mostly poison, but can also act as medicine”, referring to the state as crucial for the most vulnerable, for example as a provider of public infrastructure. While some praised her non-orthodox approach to marxist-feminism combined with postcolonial and queer theory that is able to highlight the ambiguities of marxist and feminist theories, many others were critical of her speech. They argued that the state should foremostly be radically transformed and not be upheld as one that continues to primarily serve capitalist interest. Lastly, they posed the question of how non-subaltern resistance, if so utterly problematic, can still be possible.

The third and last day of the conference was structured with two workshop slots, one keynote speech and the concluding plenary roundtable. The theme of the third workshop day ranged from the empirical, current women’s movement and practical organizing to feminism and the economic crisis, the rise of the right and postcolonial and ecofeminist discussions.

In the workshop on social reproduction feminism which aimed to explore the links between oppression and exploitation, the contributions of Croatian scholar ANIKICA ČAKARDIC and CELESTE MURILLO from the Argentinian feminist Organisation pan y rosas particularly stood out. Čakardić’s contribution was enlightening insofar as she very clearly mapped out and contrasted the different strands of marxist-feminist thought within the social reproduction theory. Specifically the differences between autonomous feminist theories on the one side and Lise Vogel’s unitary approach on the other side, concerning the topic of production and reproduction as well as on use and exchange value were insightful. Murillo’s contribution as an activist was particularly uplifting due to her experiences with the advanced and vivid feminist struggle in Argentina, especially concerning the establishment of women’s commissions.

Contradictions in Marxist Feminism

The last keynote speech on contradictions in marxist-feminism had been reserved for who was described as a living legend in the introduction of the conference: Frigga Haug. Haug started out by mentioning that the contradictions should be thought of as constructive dialects rather than errors that could help to vitalize both feminism and marxism. The first contradiction was about the hindrance for women in the struggle for liberation. It is precisely their conflicting, vital yet weak role in the care for life that makes it difficult to act in the forefront of the revolution. The second contradiction, drawing on Marx and Luxemburg, concerned the necessary destruction of the old. Haug stated that in order to build the new, the old has to be destroyed. The main question in this conflict that Haug laid out is how to politically navigate this destruction of the old while crises tend to induce feelings of attachment to precisely the old.

The last session was a concluding panel with STEFANIA BARCA, Italian scholar on the intersection of production, reproduction and the environment, Frigga Haug and Nikita Dhawan. Barca stressed the importance of a strong labour movement with feminism and the environment at its core. Rather than thinking the labour and feminist movement separately, the labour movement has to become feminist, not only defending working class interests, but also defending life. Haug highlighted that she was at times bewildered by the term reproduction concerning practices she thought of as highly productive. She furthermore criticized the organizers of the conference. For the lack of theses, she argued, it was close to the impossible to build on the former conferences, instead having to start from scratch each time. Dhawan referred to the theoretical contradictions and inconsistencies of postcolonial, queer, feminist marxism, yet stated that they should equally be thought of as productive and inspiring. She noted that post-structuralism made an important contribution to marxist-feminism and that both cultural relativism and hidden eurocentrism within universalism should be avoided. She continued to raise the question of language and of a lingua franca within the transnationalization of progressive politics as well as the ethics of listening. Lastly, she reminded the audience that radical politics should be thought of, similarly as brushing one’s teeth, as a critique of mortality. Quoting Samuel Beckett she concluded her talk on a somewhat hopeful and similarly discouraging note:

”Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better”.

The floor was then opened to the participants to voice their opinions on the conference. The general perception seemed to be positive. Many experienced the conference as personally and politically uplifting. One woman stated that there was neither an atmosphere of political sectarianism nor academic competition, instead the participants engaged in solidarity with each other. The great effort of organizing such a conference was acknowledged multiple times. The participants also raised their concerns and suggestions for the next conference. Many comments concerned the engagement with social movements and the wish to increase the participation of labour unions. Some experienced the conference workshops as fragmented, often resembling paper panels rather than actual participatory workshops with a common, clearly delimited theme. One aspect the organizers of the next conference in Spain 2020 should indeed think of is the thematic composition of the key notes and workshops. Even though the compositions of speakers and topics was already diverse, addressing different strands of marxist-feminist theories, some important topics and issues, such as for example the current struggles of Kurdish women, have been completely left out. This could be avoided by proactively approaching scholars and activists in addition to the existing open call. The quest for including more labour and social movements is right. There are however limits to such a conference which does not aim to connect international progressive politics as the world social forum for example does. Organizing a large international conference on marxist-feminism is a great success in the context of the marginal position of marxist-feminism in academia at large.

Hannah Reustle studies the master program of sociology at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. She received her bachelor’s degree in International Development at Lund University. She is currently involved in the topic of marxist-feminism as part of a study project.

^[1] Spivak, G. (1993). Outside in the Teaching Machine. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.
^[2] Therborn, G. (2018). Kapitalet, överheten och alla vi andra. 1st ed. Lund: Arkiv.
^[3] Hartmann, H. (1979). The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: Towards a more Progressive Union. Capital and Class Vol. 3 (2).
^[4] Padhi, R. (2012). Those Who Did Not Die: Impact of the Agrarian Crisis on Women in Punjab. New Delhi: SAGE Publications.

Nature and labour are increasingly commodified in today’s global capitalist society, reproducing deep seated gender, race and class power dynamics and inequalities. But while alternatives for a just future are discussed, do we – as a part of the transnational solidarity movement – inadvertently keep positioning ourselves within the patriarchal, colonial and capitalist structures creating these inequalities in the first place? Sofie Mortensen reflects on these themes following the 3^rd International Marxist Feminist Conference in October 2018.

Responding to today’s multiple and interconnected structural issues such as widening inequality, misogyny, labour exploitation and environmental degradation, hundreds of activists and academics gathered in Lund, Sweden to discuss Marxist-Feminist strategies for transforming ourselves and the world. Much attention was dedicated to understanding the depth of the issues and exploring alternative pathways such as addressing the increasing emergence of transnational solidarity movements, including transnational feminism.

As a part of the transnational feminist movement, many of us in the conference raised the issue of whether we might be  fomenting those same structures of inequality. Keynote speaker Nikita Dhawan, University of Innsbruck, for example, brought attention to the strong divide that has been created between ‘those who give’ and ‘those who receive’ – and ‘those who speak’ and ‘those who are spoken on behalf of’. In her engaging speech, Nikita Dhawan questioned why some groups – such as the transnational feminist movement – are able to be ‘helpers’ in the first place.

The answer is to be found in historical, colonial and ongoing capitalist processes creating other unequal dualities such as men/women, white/black, production/reproduction and so on. As such, unequal historical and structural processes often means that resisting groups from the Global North are more likely to make their interests count than resisting groups such as women and men farmers from the Global South. This however, as pointed out by activist writer Ranjana Padhi, is not to obscure the fact that there are numerous examples of acts of resistance in the Global South –  for instance Indian women farmers protesting for their rights to resources.

Thus, while we have to be careful not to reinforce the vulnerability and victimisation of different groups in the Global South, are we – as transnational feminists – currently disregarding the agency of the groups  whom we try to ‘help’ as agents of transformation themselves? Do we, when speaking for them, forget to challenge the power structures that make them unable to make their interests count? And are we able to speak on behalf of them at all?

In a similar vein, conference participants also questioned whether transnational feminist movements such as Marxist Feminism understand how feminist struggles are widely shaped by location? Padhi, for instance, stressed how the multifaceted nature of women’s struggles in the Global South not necessarily makes the struggle against patriarchy the main priority, but rather the fight for resources, livelihoods and food. In this light, it would seem that transmational Marxist Feminism and other feminisms would benefit from making stronger connections between capitalism, patriarchy and environmental issues. Only one session labelled ‘Ecofeminism’ was dedicated to discussing these issues, and while the similarities of exploitation of a) women’s reproductive work and b) nature by capitalist expansion were mentioned, the discussions were less clear when it came to how they challenged gender justice in present societies. Examples of this are however, many, including land being grabbed for reforestation initiatives such as REDD+ or biofuel production that are likely to disproportionately affect different groups of women by expanding the caring burden in times of displacements.

Marxist-Feminism has traditionally adopted a class-centric approach to feminism, focusing largely on the exploitation of women’s reproductive role as subsidizing the capitalist economy. But for Marxist Feminism to really confront patriarchy and put a stop to  gender injustices in a global capitalist world, it is crucial to deepen the understanding of how intersections of identities and locations shape experiences of capitalist expansions for different gendered groups. This will include uniting struggles and exploring how the growing interest in a green economy may potentially and inadvertently build on the same patriarchal, colonial and labour-exploitative structures, thus reproducing the same gendered, raced, and classed inequalities.

But what does this mean for me as a transnational feminist? How can I, as a white gender and environment researcher confront injustices within the capitalist system and the green growth paradigm alongside queer, women and men from other cultures and geographical locations without reinforcing structures of inequality?

My take on the issues brought up during the conference is that I have to move beyond good intentions and recognise how I myself may unintendedly reinforce unjust structures in my work. This implies exploring how I as a researcher can produce knowledge in less colonising and patriarchal ways, for instance by ensuring that I cite knowledge created by women of the Global South; and by deepening my understanding of situated, embodied experiences of patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism and their linkages with environmental issues, and how these continue to carve a dualism between those who are heard and those who are not.

Sofie Mortensen works as a gender researcher at the Stockholm Environment Institute.

Over 500 participants attended the international congress “The strength of Critique: Trajectories of Marxism-Feminism”, organised by the feminist section of InkriT (Berlin Institute of Critical Theory) and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, with support from transform! europe, which took place in Berlin from 20 to 22 March. Keen interest in the event meant that it had already become fully booked by the end of February.

On the podiums and in the workshops, at the Luxemburg Lectures and book presentations, participants debated the state-of-play for Marxist feminism, covering wide ranging topics, with points of view which differed, sometimes provoking controversy and heated debate.  This was the first ever worldwide congress on Marxist feminism – held while China is preparing for the first worldwide congress on Marxism, scheduled for 10 to 11 October 2015. At any event, a “world historic”, as one participant expressed it.

The starting point for the congress was the drafting of the term Marxism-Feminism in the recently published volume 8/2 of the Historisch-kritischen Wörterbuchs des Marxismus (Historical-critical dictionary of Marxism), with which Frigga Haug first imbued this term of movements and struggles with a history and relevance to writers; she began her article: “Marxism-feminism is defined by the struggle of the feminist revolution to fight for and carve out a pathway to Marxism. Resistance against Marxism-feminism forces it to assume an adversarial and polemic form. The goal of the feminist revolution is to free women from male dominance and to transform society into a society of solidarity.”

We have seen how feminists have raised their voices among Marxists since the 1970s, in many countries across the world. They criticised the concepts customary in Marxism at that time and their theory of values, the attitude to housework, family, ways of relating to each other and to nature, to the economy and war, their vision of the future and demands for freedom.  And it is thanks to this struggle that many activists from that time came together at the congress. Hundreds from the two generations which followed took up the torch and discussed developments, new concepts and diverse positions on Marxist feminism for over 10 hours on each day of the congress.

Throughout, what was tangible was that this concerned a Marxist feminism in progress, “that everything is in flux”, as Katja Kipping, chair of the German Left Party (Linkspartei) emphasised in her opening speech. How does one actually become a Marxist feminist? She commented on how easy it was to lead a kind of double life in feminism and Marxism – until a certain unconscious block falls away … after all, both have the same goal: “to overturn all relationships in which a person is humiliated, downtrodden, abandoned or despised.” It is time for us to declare ourselves: “I am a feminist Marxist.” In short: “I am a fem-ma”, she announced, by way of her political “coming-out”.

Based on the history of the oppression of women, Frigga Haug has developed this thesis in her introduction: Gender relations are relations of production. The production of life should be seen as part of production relations. In order to work on the research and policies needed, she called on Marxist feminists from across the globe to unite in their agreement that life issues may on no account become subordinated to the stampede for profit.

On the podiums, topics tackled included Learning from history; criticism of contemporary feminism; points for intervention; Perspectives of a human society. There were also the Luxemburg Lectures from Saskia Sassen and Gayatri C. Spivak. There were workshops on issues such as: the feminine proletariat; battles for time; conflict over the capacity to act; analysis of the care sector; relations between people and nature, neo-liberalism, policy and education; lines of conflict between equality and resistance (cf. programme). 

Many people and many issues were brought together at the congress, along with experience from various movements. Many people were struck by the wide range of ages, as well the active participation in every single event. Debates initiated 40 years ago, in countries across the world, were taken up; new light was cast on familiar issues; there was an exchange of views, including among the many younger women present; areas for discussion were defined, gaps discovered, controversial points made visible, such as perceptions of intersectionality and the significance of class relations. The feminist section of InkriT and the womens’ editorial office of the publication Das Argument (The Argument: Journal for Philosophy and Social Sciences) will take up and work further with this issues and discussions, with documents from the congress in issue 314 (Autumn 2015).

Two new books on the field were presented at the congress:

Shahrzad Mojab: Marxism and Feminism, Zed Books, London 2015, 400 pages, £21.99 / $30.95 

Frigga Haug: Der im Gehen erkundete Weg. Marxismus-Feminismus (Exploring the path while taking it. Marxism-Feminism), Argument Verlag, Hamburg 2015. 384 pages, br., €24  

This congress marked a breakthrough. Numerous women expressed interest in drawing up an ongoing report, for which a first draft drawn from the work at the congress (laid down in 14 theses by Frigga Haug) was discussed in the closing plenary. The next conference is being organised by Diana Mulinari and Kerstin Sandell from the Institute for Gender Studies at Lund University, among others.

The 4th MarxFem International Conference brought together women thinkers from all corners of the world for three days via online presentations. 

11, 12 and 13 November were days of reflection: discussions centred on the intersection of Marxism and feminism, new challenges and analyses of contemporary feminism were raised, and the coming together of multiple movements to forge networks was explored.

Following lengthy and in-depth debates, it has become clear that feminist thought is not in crisis. The myriad proposals, discourses and practices emerging across the globe have made it clear that the path to emancipation is open, but it has also been evident that renewing categories and concepts is essential to advancing the struggle.

Whilst there has been much discussion of contemporary feminism in general, local experiences have also been a key topic of discussion. The diverse realities of the speakers and participants have enriched the discussions, and the participants have opted for the interweaving and de-hierarchisation of struggles.

MarxFem has taught us that difference must be constructive. It is now urgent to weave a future for all women: a new era of alliances has dawned.

Although the original intention was to hold an in-person event in Bilbao, the current situation led to the decision to move the event online. Nevertheless, participation has been successful, with 400 people attending the debate on the Thirteen Theses of Marxist Feminism. Whilst attendance at the main lectures was particularly high, the collective panels were also very well received.

Renowned thinkers and speakers from Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and southern Europe have drawn hundreds of people to the Conference. Among them are Silvia Federici, Nancy Fraser, Frigga Haug, Lorena Cabnal, Ochy Curiel, Ana Cecilia Dinerstein, Dilar Dirik, Tithi Bhattacharya, Elsa Dorlin and Jules Falquet.

The 5th MarxFem International Conference will therefore be held in Warsaw (Poland).

The IV International of Marxist Feminist Conference organized by Transform! Europe, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Iratzar Fundazioa, Critical Theory Bilbo-Barcelona (BIBA CT), Berliner Institut für Kritische Theorie (InkriT), Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and ParteHartuz will be held online on the 11, 12 and 13 of November.

Tithi Bhattacharya, Lorena Cabnal, Ochy Curiel, Christine Delphy, Ana Cecilia Dinerstein, Dilar Dirik, Elsa Dorlin, Jules Falquet, Silvia Federici, Nancy Fraser and Frigga Haug are, among others, the key-speakers of this edition.

The conference is organised in two main columns:

– First column: These key-speakers, world-renowned and historical feminists, will expose and debate certain aspects of their works such as the analysis of value, work, social reproduction, racialization, sexualization and the state. Moreover, they will also delve into certain dominant theses and practices in the traditional Feminist and Marxist field, guided by a decolonial, materialist, ecosocialist and transocialist feminism.

– Second column: the collective panels, in which will participate the spokespersons of the proposals, the organizations and the theories of the global south, as well as the nations without state of the global north.

The majority of participants come from both militancy and activism, as well as from the academic field, and they will present individual and collective presentations from organizations, social movements and trade unions.

The geopolitical axis:

– Proposals, criticism and analysis from Latin America: organizations and speakers from Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Venezuela, among others.

– Proposals, criticism and analysis from the Middle East: specifically, Syria, Afghanistan and Iran.

– Proposals, criticism and analysis from Asia: Indonesia, Korea, Pakistan and China.

– Proposals, criticism and analysis from Europe: Andalusia, Catalunya, Basque Country, Germany Italia, Greek, Croatia and Serbia, among others.

Main themes of the panels:

– Theoretical debates from intersectionality or overlap in various fields, such as value, state, law, subject, care, production and social reproduction; proposed around new organizations and repertoires of struggle and protest.

– Specific case studies, based on examples of struggle, resistance and organization. Apart from the various feminist strikes in the global north and south, there will also be time to delve into local and specific resistances in companies, internet, universities and the public eye. The new trade unions of women workers in feminized areas will also be discussed, as well as feminist unionism in the first sector, industrial sector and service sector, including analysis of the current digital and financialized capitalism

– Plenary on the Thirteen Theses of Marxist Feminism with Frigga Haug and other historical Marxist Feminists, to delve into the various Theses developed at the previous Marxist Feminism Congresses in Austria, Germany and Sweden

The conference will be broadcasted via the platform ZOOM. Morning panels will be issued in original version and evening plenary sessions will have simultaneous translation.

All the information about the conference is available on the web www.marxfemconference.com and on social networks.

The 4th International Marxist Feminist Conference, initially scheduled for October 15, 16 and 17 of this year, will be delayed until next year due to the COVID-19 crisis. This is what the organizers have decided, who are already working on the program for 2021. The new dates are November 11, 12 and 13, 2021 and the conference will be held on-line.

The main speakers have already confirmed their attendance. During these days, therefore, the voices of international references such as Silvia Federici or Lorena Cabnal, who have visited the Basque Country on several occasions, will be heard. The North American Nancy Fraser, the Italo-Mexican Francesca Gargallo and the Indian references Tithi Bhattacharya and Gayatri Spivak have also confirmed their attendance. In addition, more than a hundred communication proposals have been received. This will be the fourth edition of this conference that in other years has been held in cities such as Berlin, Vienna or Lund. The conference will be financed and organized by Tranform! Europe and the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), together with the Iratzar Foundation, Critical Theory Bilbo- Barcelona (BIBA CT), Institut für kritische Thoerie (InkriT), the Rosa Luxemburgo Foundation and the Basque research group Parte Hartuz.

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Gina Dent, Surya Parekh and Jule Goikoetxea will take part in the webinar entitled “The Horizon of Black Lives Matter: How can marxist feminism connect with the BLM globally?”, which will be held next Sunday, 25th October, at 6 p.m. CET (10 a.m. PDT, 13 noon EDT).

Referents of feminism, the speakers will address issues such as the systemic racism, the conditions of subalternity and feminisms, which all of them converge in the BLM movement and provide a crucial practice to the marxist feminism. The webinar will last approximately one hour and the audience will have a chat to make questions and share critical opinions and reflections.

This seminar is part of the activities programmed by the International Marxist Feminist Conference that, due to the Covid-19 crises, has been postponed and will be held from the 11th to the 13th November 2021. It is organized by Transform! Europe, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU), Iratzar Fundazioa, Critical Theory Bilbo-Barcelona (BIBA CT), Berliner Institut für Kritische Theorie (InkriT), the Rosa Luxemburgo Foundation and ParteHartuz.

The meeting will be accessible through the MARXFEM 2020 YouTube channel.

After much reflection, in view of the forecasts for the coming months of the pandemic associated with Covid-19, and the nature of the conference itself, which is international, we would like to convey to you the decision that has been reached: in order to ensure the safety of us all, the conference as a whole will take place online on the same dates as previously scheduled.

The keynote speakers will remain the same. We will have with us: Tithi Bhattacharya, Lorena Cabnal, Christine Delphy, Elsa Dorlin, Silvia Federici, Nancy Fraser, Francesca Gargallo, Frigga Haug, Danièle Kergoat and Gayatri Spivak.

For this reason, as the conference will be webcast live and open for all, there will be no registration. In other words, those who did not sign up at the time, both those who remained on the waiting list and those who were unable to register, will still be able to attend. The link to access the platform will be sent to you at a later date.

However, holding the conference online has some disadvantages, for instance, due to format constraints, unfortunately we will have to reduce the number of communications and panels. Many of the panels that were approved at the time will therefore not be able to take place. The new selection will be communicated by the end of July to all those who sent us approved communications and panel proposals by email.

The criteria to be determined for this reduced selection will be as follows:

– Be among previously selected panels/communications.                                                                     

– Coherence of content with the reorganization of the conference program.                                         

– Geographical and scientific criteria.

– Priority will be given to both organized movements/groups and collective panel proposals (although we will also have individual scientific communications).