Social Reproduction as resistance: abortion, refugees, and illegitimate care

We theorize social reproduction as enacted by feminist social movements in response to state hostility under neoliberal capitalism and authoritarian regimes, with a focus on Poland. Drawing on empirical research from 2018–2024, we examine two case studies: activist support for migrants stranded at the Polish-Belarusian border, and assistance in accessing abortion under Poland’s near-total ban introduced in 2020. We introduce the concept of illegitimate care to describe care practices that are criminalized or suppressed by the state, particularly when directed toward marginalized populations deemed unworthy of support. These acts challenge capitalist and nationalist logics by sustaining lives considered disposable. We argue for a pluralized Social Reproduction Approach (SRA) that centers empirical realities, especially in Eastern Europe, and blurs the lines between care and reproductive labor. By analyzing activist practices that both reproduce and resist capitalist structures, we demonstrate how social reproduction becomes a terrain of struggle, transforming everyday acts of care into politically significant forms of resistance. (Together with Magda Grabowska)