Working the Spaces of Power: Activism, Neoliberalism and Gendered Labour

Description

This book highlights the way in which contemporary forms of governance, policy and politics have been reframed by women "working the spaces of power". It shows how links between activism and work have generated innovations that have since become "common sense" forms of policy and practice. Janet Newman draws on interviews with a wide variety of women in positions of power, some at the highest levels of government, some who have led major voluntary bodies, others who are entrepreneurs, philanthropoists, community activists and campaigners. All of their work has been informed by a range of social movements and activist commitments. Newman uses these interviews to interrogate, develop and challenge existing approaches to understanding social and political change. Cover Contents List of Participants List of Acronyms and Abbreviations 1 Introduction: Research as Mapmaking Gendering the analysis Personal and political – doing the research Research as mapmaking The structure of the book Conclusion 2 Talking Politics Finding politics Enacting politics In and out of the party Transgressive politics Conclusion: mapping change 3 Perverse Alignments: Women's Activism and the Governmentalization of Community Imaginaries of community Governmentalizing community Ambiguous spaces and problematic politics Perverse alignments? 4 Close Encounters: Feminism, Policy and the Remaking of Governance Gender agendas and social policy Remaking governance The politics of ‘mainstreaming’ and ‘monitoring’ Mainstreaming Monitory power Conclusion 5 Modernizing Moments: Work, Organizations and the Entrepreneurial Self Challenging ‘tradition’ Challenging professions In and against the (local) state New managerial times Entrepreneurial selves Conclusion 6 Critical Engagements: Knowledge-work as Political Practice Knowledge-work as political practice The politics of recognition Close encounters: research, policy and practice In and beyond the cultural turn Conclusion 7 Border Work: Generating Spaces of Power Borders and crossings Border work as generative (and gendered) labour: conceptual resources Organizations, professions and sectors Professional change The cross-sector dance Liminal spaces Strategic brokers Emotion and affect Power and agency Conclusion 8 Activism, Neoliberalism and Gendered Labour Feminism and neoliberalism Neoliberalism in question Spaces of power Landscapes of antagonism Conclusion 9 Postscript: Speaking to the Present Political formation Border work Spaces of power Generative (and gendered) labour Making visible Public conversations Creative labour Final reflection Appendix: Conducting the Research – Ethics, Methods and Modes of Analysis Notes Bibliography Subject Index