Co-Optation or Rearticulation? An Agonistic Approach to Popular Feminism

It is well-recognized that not only has global capitalism hindered decision-making, but it has also weakened progressive movements by co-opting their causes. This is particularly evident in the context of feminism – and its popularisation through the media. The paper broadens this debate by studying popular feminism(s) through political theory, namely Chantal Mouffe’s and Ernesto Laclau’s thinking on agonistic democracy. The paper asks whether feminists can affect social change through their “agonistic engagement” with capitalist sites, at a time when, as maintained by Nancy Fraser, the formal political realm and public powers are in a state of paralysis. Theoretically, the paper takes distance from perspectives that focus chiefly on neoliberal governmentality which is a common frame within media and cultural studies. Empirically, the paper focuses on Finnish context and concerns both explicitly and implicitly feminist actors whom my colleagues and I have interviewed. The particular focus is on actors who are close to – or perhaps at the heart of – the neoliberal realm: entrepreneurs, businesses, influencers, as well as artists. I close read this interview material and supplement it with ethnographic analysis of online material which includes social media content, websites and podcasts. By replacing some of the paranoia with more reparative reading styles, I demonstrate how feminist actors and acts can challenge the privileged position of arenas commonly regarded as legitimate spaces for progressive transformation. I also show how feminist aims and experiences can be articulated in many ways and through various emotional registers. The paper calls for reflection on how feminist alliances could be established across different fields in an increasingly neoliberal society, in their attempts to resist oppression and rearticulate systemic capitalist formations.