The Challenges of Kalí NGOisation after Francoism: Rethinking Activism In and Beyond Spain

Based on academic reflections and activist experience, this paper looks into the difficulty to build a Kalí feminist movement with decision-making power within the current Spanish institutional context. While Spanish Kalí NGO networks are often presented as an example of “good practice” at the European level, we point at the challenges of institutionalisation and how the State can use it to counter dissent and perpetuate domination. We argue that in order to be tolerated by the Spanish State, Kalí civil society is urged to comply with neoliberal and paternalistic logics of governance, effectively limiting its ability to truly respond to the needs of Kalí women. This imposed model of civil society also fails to acknowledge other forms of organising which are potentially more representative and empowering, such as women-only groups within the Kalé Iglesia de Filadelfia. Our Paper explores the possibilities to move forward for Kalí feminists and their allies, in Spain and beyond. It is meant as a warning against the risks of romanticisation as well as a call for critical partnerships. In terms of theoretical framework, our argumentation draws upon intersectional feminist scholarship on social movements, NGOisation and the neoliberal State, and Critical Race Feminism.