Equality, Difference and Law. A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Feminist Debate

Abstract

Abstract: The contemporary feminist debate is characterized by the outburst of different feminist theories and movements often in conflict with each other. This plurality is a challenge for women’s political subjectivity, especially since strong conservative movements are targeting women’s freedom and non-normative gender identities. The essay retraces the contemporary feminist debate, focusing on the relationship between equality, women’s freedom and the law. Interpreting the law as a social practice, it suggests to take stock of all the knowledge, experiences and resistances that were developed by different feminist traditions. Such differences cannot be obliterated, but they should not prevent us from preserving and enriching the toolbox we need in order to reinforce the resistance against neoliberal governamentality.

Keywords: feminism, gender, women’s freedom, women’s human rights, neoliberalism.