“Feminizing Politics”: the Case of Barcelona En Comú

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

“Feminizing Politics”: the Case of Barcelona En Comú Master Thesis: Integrated Natural Resources Management (M. Sc.) Dissecting “Feminizing politics”: the case of Barcelona en Comú Submitted by: Name: Jean François Donoso Registration number: 586041 Email: [email protected] 1st Examiner: Prof. Dr. phil. Christine Bauhardt 2nd Examiner: M.A. Meike Brückner Berlin, February 2020 Acknowledgements To my interview partners of BComú who opened their homes and offices, took their time and shared with me their thoughts and experiences. To my supervisors Christine Bauhardt and Meike Brückner who guided me through the research and gave me thoughtful ideas that facilitated what I researched. To my friends that accompanied me during the whole process of the master, especially Ruby, Chanaye, Charlotte, and Thúy. To my partner Nicole. Abstract The citizen platform Barcelona en Comú (BComú) started in 2014 as a response to the Spanish economic crisis and the anti-austerity policies from traditional political parties. The organization –which currently governs the Municipality of Barcelona– emerged in the Spanish political sphere with the concept of feminizing politics: a term understood not only as gender equality in institutions but also an open door that goes beyond politics-as-usual. It means inserting empathy into the core of political action (e.g., collaboration, dialogue, horizontality, etc.), questioning traditional understandings of strong leadership, learning how to distribute municipal power and services throughout society, and decentering the role of institutions towards a collective self-governance. Drawing on the theoretical framework of ecofeminism this research analyzes and contributes to the interpretation of feminizing politics by members of BComú and those academics who are closest to the organization, and shows how members are including the concept into daily practices at work. The findings indicated that the organization pursues to address male members on perspectives of care and seeks the transformation of roles that affects the organizational culture by a sustainable work load. It is further suggested that there is a need to go beyond feminizing politics, and rather to think in the discarded terms such as queering politics in order to build more power from the fluidity and diversity of voices, struggles, confluences and theories that BComú is involved. List of abbreviations BComú Barcelona en Comú PSOE Partido Socialista Obrero Español 15-M 15th of May Movement - Indignados UN United Nations EU European Union GDP Gross Domestic Product GHG Greenhouse gas emissions LGBTI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexuals and Intersex PAH Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (Platform of People Affected by the Mortgage) List of Tables Table 1. Measures for the assessment of parties’ women’s organizations P.19 List of Figures Figure 1. The socio-economic system as an iceberg P.30 Table of Contents List of figures List of tables List of acronyms 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction of the research………………………………………………………………..1 1.2 Problem formulation and research aims…………………………………………………..3 1.3 Research question…… .......................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Gender as a concept and key terminologies ........................................................................ 4 1.5 Outline of the paper ............................................................................................................... 8 2. Coming to an understanding .................................................................................... 10 2.1 Background of Spain………………………………………………………………………10 2.1.1 Regaining democracy until the 2008 crisis………………………………………………..10 2.1.2 Feminism and the 15-M movement ..................................................................................... 11 2.2 Multidimensional crisis ................................................................................................... 12 2.2.1 Economical and financial ................................................................................................... 13 2.2.2 Social and Welfare State ..................................................................................................... 14 2.2.3 Ecological and climatee ..................................................................................................... 15 2.2.4 Social reproduction and care work .................................................................................... 16 2.3 Feminizing Politics ........................................................................................................... 17 2.3.1 Enhancing representations ................................................................................................. 19 2.3.2 Shifting the baseline ............................................................................................................ 21 2.3.3 Putting the life at the centre ................................................................................................ 22 2.3.4 The urgency of confluences ................................................................................................ 24 3. Theory ........................................................................................................................ 26 3.1 Ecofeminism ..................................................................................................................... 27 3.1.1 The understandings ............................................................................................................. 28 3.1.2 The unpayments .................................................................................................................. 31 3.1.3 Perspectives on statistics and budgets ................................................................................ 34 3.1.4 The subversions .................................................................................................................. 36 4.Methodology ............................................................................................................... 40 4.1 Research design ................................................................................................................ 40 4.1.1 Building the Case Study ...................................................................................................... 40 4.1.2 Developing the research question ...................................................................................... 40 4.2 Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 41 4.2.1 Building settings ................................................................................................................. 42 4.2.2 In-depth interviews ............................................................................................................. 43 4.2.3 Observations ....................................................................................................................... 45 4.3 Ethical Considerations .................................................................................................... 46 4.3.1 Confidentiality and consent ................................................................................................ 46 4.3.2 Translation .......................................................................................................................... 46 4.4 Data analysis and coding ................................................................................................. 47 4.5 Reflections, challenges and limitations .......................................................................... 47 5. Presenting the case study: Dissecting "Feminizing politics": the case of Barcelona en Comú ....................................................................................................... 48 6. Findings ...................................................................................................................... 51 6.1 The process of theory building ....................................................................................... 51 6.1.1 The conceptions of feminizing politics ................................................................................ 52 6.1.2 Reinforcement of ecofeminist voices ................................................................................... 56 6.1.3 Fearless networking ............................................................................................................ 58 6.2 Daily practices .................................................................................................................. 60 6.2.1 The praxis for a new organizational culture ...................................................................... 61 6.2.2 Transforming the roles ....................................................................................................... 64 6.2.3 Searching for sustainable caring work ............................................................................... 68 7. Discussion ................................................................................................................... 71 7.1 The transformation of values .............................................................................................. 71 7.2 The potential of feminizing politics ...................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • El Fenómeno Femvertising: Encuentros Y (Sobre Todo) Desencuentros Entre El Feminismo Y Neoliberalismo
    UNIVERSIDAD COMPLUTENSE DE MADRID FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS POLÍTICAS Y SOCIOLOGÍA MÁSTER EN ESTUDIOS DE GÉNERO El fenómeno Femvertising: encuentros y (sobre todo) desencuentros entre el feminismo y neoliberalismo Por: Rebeca Perdones Cañas Tutora: María Amparo Serrano Pascual TRABAJO FIN DE MÁSTER Madrid, 22 de Junio de 2020 Índice 1. Introducción …………………………………………………………. 3 2. Objetivos generales y específicos ………………………………….... 5 3. Marco teórico y conceptual ……………………………...................... 5 3.1. Neoliberalismo y mandatos de género ………………………….. 5 3.2. Feminismo y publicidad ………………………………………… 15 3.3. Femvertising ……………………………………………………. 22 4. Metodología ………………………………………………………..... 30 5. Análisis empírico …………………………………………………..... 33 5.1. Desobediencia política versus afirmación del mandato estético…. 34 5.2. Empoderamiento y, a un mismo tiempo, sumisión a demandas patriarcales ……………………………………………….. 39 5.3. Afirmación personal versus reconocimiento social …………….. 42 5.4. Sujeto político colectivo del feminismo versus consumidora individual despolitizada ……………………………….. 46 6. Conclusiones ………………………………………………………… 46 7. Bibliografía ………………………………………………………….. 48 8. Anexos ………………………………………………………………. 51 Resumen Este trabajo pretende acercarse al fenómeno conocido como “Femvertising”, presentado y extendido como aquella publicidad que supuestamente empodera a las mujeres. Su éxito consiste precisamente en tratar de conectar con las demandas de muchas mujeres acerca de una necesaria y justa reformulación de las relaciones asimétricas de género, aunque con
    [Show full text]
  • Billotte Theisfinal
    Billotte 1 El Alma griega Greek Tragedy in Latin America Today Thesis by: Katherine J. Billotte Department of Classics and Philosophy Billotte 2 I, Katherine Billotte, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: ___Katherine J. Billotte //s//_______ Date: _________1/10/2016_______________ Billotte 3 Abstract: This thesis examines contemporary productions of Greek tragedy in Latin America through the lens of postcolonial, feminist and queer theory. There is a comparative focus on the conflicting influences of French and American culture on Latin American aesthetic history as well as an emphasis on the body as a site of oppression and resistance. The focus of this thesis is on theatrical and cinematic productions primarily produced between the mid-1990s and the present. Moreover, it should be noted that while the actual linguistic geography of Latin America is quite complicated, the work discussed herein is primarily from the Hispanophone. Billotte 4 Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 6 Transculturation ...................................................................................................................... 9 A Brief History of Latin America
    [Show full text]
  • Feminismo/S 38
    FEMINISMO/S 38 MONOGRAPHIC DOSSIER: Women, Sexual Identity and Language «Armonía», Plaza de la Igualdad, Universidad de Alicante Feminismo/s, 38, July 2021 Monographic dossier: Women, Sexual Identity and Language FEMINISMO/S Journal of the Research Institute for Gender Studies at the Universidad de Alicante Biannual journal Published by the Research Institute for Gender Studies at the Universidad de Alicante with the collaboration of the Office of the Vice Cancellor of Research Issue No. 38, July 2021 Editorial Team Chief Editor Helena Establier Pérez, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain Associate editors Sara Prieto García-Cañedo, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain Alejandra Hernández Ruiz, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain Editorial Board Anna-Britt Coe, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden Mar Esquembre Cerdá, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain Purificación Heras González, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain Carmen Mañas Viejo, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain Mónica Moreno Seco, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain Dolores Morondo Taramundi, Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, Spain Maribel Peñalver Vicea, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain M.ª Dolores Ramos, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga, Spain María Pilar Rodríguez Pérez, Universidad de Deusto, San Sebastián, Spain M.ª Teresa Ruiz Cantero, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain Iolanda Tortajada Giménez, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain Advisory Board Gill Allwood, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom Cristina
    [Show full text]
  • Redefining Humanity in Science Fiction: the Alien from an Ecofeminist Perspective
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Biblioteca Digital de la Universidad de Alcalá REDEFINING HUMANITY IN SCIENCE FICTION: THE ALIEN FROM AN ECOFEMINIST PERSPECTIVE By Irene Sanz Alonso Under the supervision of Dr. Carmen Flys Junquera Instituto Franklin – Universidad de Alcalá 2013 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS After all these five years, I have come to see the writing of this dissertation as some sort of intergalactic journey and this book as a spaceship arriving at its final destination. As any journey across the universe, my research started with fear and doubts, but it finally ended in success thanks to all those people who supported me along the way. Continuing with the intergalactic metaphor, I would like to thank the sponsors and patrons that made this adventure possible by providing the spaceship and the fuel for my journey. This dissertation would not have been possible without the grant I was awarded by the Autonomous Region of Madrid in 2007, which enabled me to focus on my research for four years as a researcher at the University of Alcalá. I also want to highlight the support of the Franklin Institute of the University of Alcalá, whose resources were of great help, and whose grant Eleanor Roosevelt made the binding of this dissertation possible. I am also indebted to the whole team of “engineers” whose knowledge helped me with the doubts that appeared throughout my journey. The arrival to my destination would not have been so successful without the support from the members of the research group GIECO, who are not only colleagues but good friends.
    [Show full text]
  • Inclusive Higher Education and the Built Environment. a Research and Teaching Agenda for Gender Mainstreaming in Architecture Studies
    sustainability Article Inclusive Higher Education and the Built Environment. A Research and Teaching Agenda for Gender Mainstreaming in Architecture Studies José Parra-Martínez * , María-Elia Gutiérrez-Mozo and Ana Gilsanz-Díaz Department of Graphic Expression, Architectural Theory and Design & University Institute for Gender Studies Research, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain; [email protected] (M.-E.G.-M.); [email protected] (A.G.-D.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: As one of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, gender equality is a necessary foundation for a peaceful and sustainable world. The integration of the frameworks of analysis and action provided by gender perspective into the design, development and assessment of any program related to university education, research and management is essential to the fulfillment of both quality higher education and an effective transfer of knowledge and values to society. Starting from a standpoint of commitment to this progressive outlook, this essay focuses on the specific case of the University of Alicante, Spain, and on its Architecture studies. It seeks to underline the achievements of this institution in the fostering of a critical spirit and the empathy of its students by way of the implementation of gender perspective as a tool for the conception of complex, diverse and integrating projects, aligned to the objective of mutual care between people Citation: Parra-Martínez, J.; and the environment. This is crucial for the co-education of future generations of architects, who Gutiérrez-Mozo, M.-E.; Gilsanz-Díaz, will play a central role in the definition of new practices and policies related to space and materials, A.
    [Show full text]
  • The Time Is Now. Feminist Leadership for a New Era La Hora Del
    Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender Collaboration, communication and innovation in gender research and practices catunescomujer.org/globalnetwork The Time is Now. Feminist Leadership for a New Era La hora del liderazgo feminista Ed. Araceli Alonso & Teresa Langle de Paz This publication is part of the ebook series of the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender Coordinator: Gloria Bonder Editors: Araceli Alonso and Teresa Langle de Paz Esta publicación forma parte de la serie de ebooks de la Red Global Cátedras UNESCO en Género Coordinadora: Gloria Bonder Editoras: Araceli Alonso y Teresa Langle de Paz To cite, use the following bibliographical reference: Para citar, utilizar la siguiente referencia bibliográfica: Alonso, A. & Langle de Paz T. (Ed.) (2019). The Time Is Now. Feminist Leadership for a New Era (La hora del liderazgo feminista). Editado por Red Global Cátedras UNESCO en Género [en línea]. Digitally published in 2019 by the Global Network of UNESCO Chairs on Gender (Buenos Aires) and by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Paris). The ideas and opinions expressed in this work are those of the authors. Publicado digitalmente en 2019 por la Red Global de Cátedras UNESCO en Género (Buenos Aires) y por la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (París). Las ideas y opiniones expresadas en esta obra son las de los/as autores/as y no reflejan necesariamente el punto de vista de la UNESCO, la Red Global de Cátedras UNESCO en Género o las editoras y no comprometen a dichas organizaciones. ISBN 978-950-9379-50 The Time Is Now.
    [Show full text]
  • Xi. Intangible and Digital Formats As Expressive Means for Gender Narratives in Contemporary Art
    XI. INTANGIBLE AND DIGITAL FORMATS AS EXPRESSIVE MEANS FOR GENDER NARRATIVES IN CONTEMPORARY ART. INCORPORATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN POSTGRADUATE STUDIES Xesqui Castañer López (University of Valencia -Spain-) The new art history arises, from an interdisciplinary view, theoretical and practical embodiment issues related with contemporary art and its inclusion and development in college. At the same time, gender studies have been incorporated into the development of postgraduate curriculum, placing value on the art work of women, continuing the contestation to the canon already started in the twentieth century. These gender discourses have assumed new technologies as the most versatile media format with unlimited field for image dissemination. Consequently, in the context of globalization, the intangible and digital formats have become priority means when developing feminist and post-feminist theories in the arts. These speeches, located on the theory and practice of postmodernism, focus on queer, postcolonial and eco-feminist ideas. The choice of the audiovisual media is due to the fact that, from the beginning, they seem to be critical tools where space and time converge. In this regard, Giulia Colaizzi states that, in a globalized world, the feminist study of image is very important in a society where the media are the most powerful tool to control social imaginary (Colaizzi, 2007), and it is in this speech where new technologies, particularly video, are established as the best means for creating female images. From the nineties, the video has become a prime location for the work of some artists who have investigated the possibilities to build new forms of identity, desire and claim (Lamb, 2009, p.
    [Show full text]
  • Centro De Estudios De Postgrado
    7+ UNIVERSIDAD DE JAÉN Centro de Estudios de Postgrado Master’s Dissertation/ Trabajo Fin de Máster MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT: THE OTHER FACE OF THE ENLIGHTENED PERIOD Student: Leiva Aguilera, Ana María Tutor: Dr. María de la Cinta Zunino Garrido Dpt.: English Philology Centro de Estudios de Postgrado July, 2016 CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... 1 RESUMEN ............................................................................................................................. 1 KEY WORDS......................................................................................................................... 2 PALABRAS CLAVE ............................................................................................................. 2 1.-GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH ..................................................... 2 2.- JUSTIFICATION .............................................................................................................. 3 3.- THEORETICAL FOUNDATION .................................................................................... 4 4.- ANTECEDENTS .............................................................................................................. 6 5.-MARY WOLLSTONECRAFT, THE OTHER FACE OF THE ENLIGHTENED PERIOD .................................................................................................................................. 8 5.1.-Introduction to the author ...........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Feminismo/S 35
    FEMINISMO/S 35 monographic dossier: A critical practice of thinking otherwise: Bacchi, Gender and Public Policy Analysis «Armonía», Plaza de la Igualdad, Universidad de Alicante Feminismo/s, 35, June 2020 Monographic dossier: A critical practice of thinking otherwise: Bacchi, Gender and Public Policy Analysis FEMINISMO/S Revista del Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Estudios de Género de la Universidad de Alicante Revista semestral Editada por el Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Estudios de Género de la Universidad de Alicante con la colaboración del Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento Número 35, junio 2020 Directora: Helena ESTABLIER PÉREZ (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) Editoras adjuntas: Alejandra HERNÁNDEZ RUIZ (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) Sara PRIETO GARCÍA-CAÑEDO (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) CONSEJO DE REDACCIÓN Mar ESQUEMBRE CERDÁ (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) Purificación HERAS GONZÁLEZ (Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche) Carmen MAÑAS VIEJO (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) Nieves MONTESINOS SÁNCHEZ (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) Mónica MORENO SECO (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) Maribel PEÑALVER VICEA (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) M.ª Dolores RAMOS (Universidad de Málaga, Málaga) María Pilar RODRÍGUEZ PÉREZ (Universidad de Deusto, San Sebastián) M.ª Teresa RUIZ CANTERO (Universidad de Alicante, Alicante) CONSEJO ASESOR Nieves BARANDA LETURIO (UNED, Madrid) Ester BARBERÁ HEREDIA (Universidad de Valencia, Valencia) Karine BERGÈS (Université
    [Show full text]
  • University of Azuay
    University of Azuay Faculty of Law International Studies School Eco-feminism as an alternative to development in Latin America countries Graduation work prior to obtaining the title Degree in International Studies Mention Bilingual in Foreign Trade Author: Evelyn Carolina Astudillo Palomeque Director: Dr. Rafaella Ansaloni Cuenca, Ecuador 2015 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to these women who fight to improve this world and believe in more equal and just conditions of life, as well as solidarity as the best tools to human development. ii GRATEFULNESS To my mother Blanca Palomeque and my father Teófilo Astudillo for the unconditional support that they have given me every day to be a better person and achieve my dreams. To my feminist friends that do not give up and teach me that other forms of cohabitation are possible To my thesis director, Dr. Rafaella Ansaloni for her unconditional support throughout the process to develop this degree work, by advices and guide provided so that all ideas are connected in the best way. To my friends who have always been here driving my desires to get ahead and to be better every day. iii INDEX DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................ii GRATEFULNESS ............................................................................................................ iii JUSTIFICATION ............................................................................................................... v ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • LGBTQIA+ in the Basque Country
    L G B LGBTQI+ in the Tis collaboration between the Center for Basque Studies T at the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Master in Fem- Q Basque Country inist and Gender Studies of the University of the Basque I + Country is the first English monograph on LGBTQI+ issues in relation to the Basque case. in LGBTQI+ in the It addresses the existing void surrounding histori- the cal, legal, and political issues concerning this important Basque Country topic, but it also tackles social and cultural aspects as well as problems and challenges of the LGBTQI+ collective Basque in the Basque Country today. Tis book explores legisla- LGBTQI+ in the tive issues, the mission of social movements and of their followers, and a historical perspective on lesbianism and homosexuality in the European context. Additionally, an Basque Country attempt to understand bodies beyond binary categories has been made, and an examination of the cultural ex- Country pressions through a literary analysis. LGBTQI+ in the It is a snapshot, combining the perspectives of the Basque Country academic researchers and the one of actual activists. It is, in essence, an invitation to continue to discuss, research, and write about matters concerning LGBTQI+. LGBTQI+ in the Luxan, Hernandez, Irujo Basque Country Cover design by Derek Thornton / Notch Design LGBTQI+ in the Center for Basque Studies Press University of Nevada, Reno Basque Country Marta Luxan, Jone Miren Hernandez, and Xabier Irujo LGBTQI+-in-the-Basque-Country-PB-MECH.indd 1 12/23/20 4:52 PM LGBTQI+ IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY LGBTv2.indd 1 1/25/21 1:33 PM Basque Politics Series No.
    [Show full text]
  • Trans-Species Collaborations in Response to Social, Economic, and Environmental Violence in Rosa Montero's Lágrimas En La Lluvia and El Peso Del Corazón
    Digital Commons @ Assumption University Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department Faculty Works Department 2017 Trans-species Collaborations in Response to Social, Economic, and Environmental Violence in Rosa Montero's Lágrimas en la lluvia and El peso del corazón Maryanne L. Leone Assumption College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.assumption.edu/mclc-faculty Part of the European Languages and Societies Commons, and the Spanish Literature Commons Recommended Citation Leone, M. L. (2017). Trans-species Collaborations in Response to Social, Economic, and Environmental Violence in Rosa Montero's Lágrimas en la lluvia and El peso del corazón. Ecozon@: European Journal of Literature, Culture and Environment 8(1): 61-78. https://ecozona.eu/article/view/1040. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department at Digital Commons @ Assumption University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Assumption University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Author: Leone, Maryanne L Title: Trans-species Collaborations in Response to Social, Economic, and Environmental Violence in Rosa Montero’s Lágrimas en la lluvia and El peso del corazón Trans-species Collaborations in Response to Social, Economic, and Environmental Violence in Rosa Montero’s Lágrimas en la lluvia and El peso del corazón1 Maryanne L. Leone Assumption College, USA [email protected] Abstract This paper addresses Iberian ecocritical approaches and cultural responses to ecological degradation through an examination of Rosa Montero’s futuristic novels Lágrimas en la lluvia (2011) and its sequel El peso del corazón (2015).
    [Show full text]