It seems incredible in these days of economic crisis that over 2,200 women (and some
men) found the time and money to fly to Istanbul for a discussion on gender and
economic justice at the AWID Forum 2012. Registrations closed a week before the
event opened and the majority of the 800 organizations and individuals who answered
the call for sessions and papers could not be accommodated

Harcourt, W. (Wendy)

Wendy Harcourt

Crossref

Development

Editorial: No Economic Justice without Gender Justice

Development, vol. 55, issue 3 (September 2012): special issue 'Gender and Economic Justice'

Harcourt, Wendy

EUR Research Repository

UpfrontEditorial: No Economic Justice without GenderJusticeWENDY HARCOURTIt seems incredible in these days of economic crisis that over 2,200 women (and somemen) found the time and money to fly to Istanbul for a discussion on gender andeconomic justice at the AWID Forum 2012. Registrations closed a week before theevent opened and the majority of the 800 organizations and individuals who answeredthe call for sessions and papers could not be accommodated.Like many who attended, I spent months preparing for the event.With AWID, I orga-nized in autumn a special meeting to plan this journal issue. I contributed to designingand participating in three of the sessions. And in the weeks in the run up to the event,I was continually promising my network of colleagues and friends that we would meetup in Istanbul to plot, to listen to each other’s sessions, or find a corner somewhere tocatch up. Like many others, I came to Istanbul to learn, to find and renew friendships,to be energized and to plan for the future. AWID Forums are special, highly charged,inclusive and exciting.The secret of their success is that, in the end, they are not events but the convergingof many processes. The making and attending of an AWID Forum is part of a complexnetworking process that brings together different generations of feminists in a spaceto engage, to share and create. The Development journal has been fortunate to publishnow three special editions covering the outcome of the AWID Forum1 working withthe ever more international and dynamic AWID team.This journal issue is packed with insights. Cindy Clark and Lydia Alp|¤ zar DuraŁ n givea sizzling overview in their introduction of the main issues of the Forum from theepicentre of the Forum arrangements. The other articles in the Upfront section presenthighlights from the plenaries and in-depth sessions. Articles based on stirring speechesreflect new forms of activism and urgency in today’s crisis hung world. From thedefiant revolutionary poem by Marwa Sharafeldin, to the talk of a fierce new worldby Gita Sen and Marilyn Waring’s crisp critique of economic power; from RhadikaBalakrishnan plea for popular education, and the warnings of the misuse of cultureby Yakin Ertuº rk, we sense a new dynamism and activism as women confront eco-nomic and social inequalities. Jayati Ghosh completes the section when she argues it istime for feminists to enter into the discussion of alternatives more forcefully in orderto define how economic institutions and policies can ensure a gender-just economyand society.Development, 2012, 55(3), (257–259)r 2012 Society for International Development 1011-6370/12www.sidint.net/development/Development (2012) 55(3), 257–259. doi:10.1057/dev.2012.49; published online 13 July 2012The Thematic section pushes further into howthis engagement might happen with a series ofarticles setting out the structural reasons for theeconomic injustices that are impeding women’slives. Feminist economists, most of whom spokeat the AWID Forum, go to the core of economicprocesses in order to give a gender reading offinancialization of our lives; the impact of neo-liberal economic policies on women’s employ-ment; social protection policies; taxes; balancingfamily life; funding for women’s rights, environ-ment, well-being and livelihoods.The Dialogue section details a vision of changeby setting out feminist alternative visions to themainstream economic development model. Thethree articles present: howAWID is engaged withmany women’s rights networks exploring alterna-tives; what is being constructed in Latin Americaby feminists and others around the Andean con-cept of Buen Vivir; and lastly post-developmentvisions forAfrica (anticipating Development 55.4).The Local/Global Encounters section reports onhow feminists are resisting inequitable economicprocesses on the ground. The articles underlinewomen’s rights defenders’ economic and socialstruggles in the regional and national context.Whether on the streets in the US Occupy move-ment, or in Arab squares, or protesting at shocktherapy in Greece or indigenous women defend-ing their territories ^ the authors speak of passionand courage, as well as pain. The concludingphoto essay captures in images the breadth ofemotions and sheer diversity of women (and men)attending theAWID Forum.None of these themes and issues will be entirelynew to Development readers who will recognizethat this journal issue is a continuation of manyof the journal’s editorial concerns. Since 2008(and earlier), Development has been assessing andquestioning the crisis in economics, exploringconcepts like food sovereignty, sustaining liveli-hoods, climate justice, cosmovisions, Buen Vivir,civic action and the green economy.Even given that many contributors to thoseissues spoke of gender equality and women’srights, true to Development’s editorial line,specific issues need to be devoted to deepeningan understanding of gender power relations indevelopment. As very recent events show,women’s rights and gender equality continues tobe under threat. I amwriting this as the results ofthe Egyptian election are coming in, with a winto Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhoodalong with cheers of Islamists in Tahrir Square.I wonder what the young Egyptian women whomI listened to at the AWID Forum are feeling.The aftermath of the Arab Spring has not beeninclusive of the women who came out on thestreets16 months ago.I amalsowriting at the conclusion of the UnitedNations Conference on Sustainable DevelopmentRioþ20 with its messy and disappointing end.Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace has declared it a cata-strophe. Certainly the women attending wereappalled.2 The official declaration called ‘TheFuture We Want’ signed by 190 countries only‘recalls’ (not recognizes) the Beijing Declarationin 1995. And any reference to support sexuality,reproductive rights and health was repressed, atthe instigation of the Vatican and conservativestates. Suchanoutcome takes women’s rights backtwo decades.These losses for women’s rights and body poli-tics underline that it is vital that all of us under-stand that gender equality and women’s rights arecrucial to democracy and sustainable livelihoods,to the planet’s health and to all of our future. It istoo much to hope that the AWID Forum and thisresulting set of excellent articles alone will keepthe energy and passion we require to ensure asecure and safe future.Feminists and women’s rights defenders cannotdo it for themselves, whatever the Annie Lennoxand Aretha Franklin song (Sisters Are Doin’ It ForThemselves) promises.What we need is for all peo-ple concerned about economic and social justiceand development to be informed and knowledge-able on women’s rights within the contextof economic and the whole breadth of today’sclimate, food, energy and care crises.Women needto deal with economic issues from their ownexperience, in their own language and concernsand those experiences need to be brought tothe table, as Ghosh says ^ feminists need to beactively engaged in the urgent task of findingalternatives.Development 55(3): Upfront258The journal abounds with vision and under-standing of what is required ^ the question willbe how to ensure dialogue goes beyond the AWIDForum to reach others ^ so that gender equity ispart of future social movement strategies, newforms of development policy and democraticchange. The tweets, blogs and immediate report-ing via‘Open Democracy’, popular radio, televisionand alternative media meant that the highlights,individual peoples’ impressions and key messageswent out immediately to tens of thousands ofpeople. But building alliances is much harder.So how to break out of the comfort zone of theAWID Forum? That does not mean that suchForums should not be (especially ones that are sowell organized, are held in seven languages andengage so many diverse people). These spacesare vital, given that the world is decidedly nota comfortable place for most attending ^ thetransgender people, the sex workers, domesticworkers, rape survivors, those living with disabil-ities, indigenous women, all of whom are strug-gling for their rights on many levels. But we needto work hard to make connections that reach outfrom such events and processes in order to buildopen inclusive spaces, networks and pathwaystowards economic justice. These alliances need tobe built from strategic dialogues, joint action andpolitical engagement that should be at the basisof true democratic engagement that confrontsour current injustice economic and social powerstructures.Notes1 TheAWID Forumheld in Bangkok:‘Women’s Rights in Development’,Development 49(1), (January 2006);TheAWIDForum held in CapeTown: ‘Power, Movements, Change’, Development 52(2), (June 2009).2 See theWomen’s Major Group press release: http://www.wecf.eu/english/press/releases/2012/06/womenstatement-outcomesRio.php.Harcourt: Upfront259

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EUR Research Information PortalEditorial: No Economic Justice without Gender JusticePublished in:Development Journal of SIDPublication status and date:Published: 13/07/2012DOI (link to publisher):10.1057/dev.2012.49Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordCitation for the published version (APA):Harcourt, W. (2012). Editorial: No Economic Justice without Gender Justice. Development Journal of SID, 55(3), 257-269.https://doi.org/10.1057/dev.2012.49Link to publication on the EUR Research Information PortalTerms and Conditions of UseExcept as permitted by the applicable copyright law, you may not reproduce or make this material available to any third partywithout the prior written permission from the copyright holder(s). 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In case of a legitimate complaint,we will make the material inaccessible and/or remove it from the website.UpfrontEditorial: No Economic Justice without GenderJusticeWENDY HARCOURTIt seems incredible in these days of economic crisis that over 2,200 women (and somemen) found the time and money to fly to Istanbul for a discussion on gender andeconomic justice at the AWID Forum 2012. Registrations closed a week before theevent opened and the majority of the 800 organizations and individuals who answeredthe call for sessions and papers could not be accommodated.Like many who attended, I spent months preparing for the event.With AWID, I orga-nized in autumn a special meeting to plan this journal issue. I contributed to designingand participating in three of the sessions. And in the weeks in the run up to the event,I was continually promising my network of colleagues and friends that we would meetup in Istanbul to plot, to listen to each other’s sessions, or find a corner somewhere tocatch up. Like many others, I came to Istanbul to learn, to find and renew friendships,to be energized and to plan for the future. AWID Forums are special, highly charged,inclusive and exciting.The secret of their success is that, in the end, they are not events but the convergingof many processes. The making and attending of an AWID Forum is part of a complexnetworking process that brings together different generations of feminists in a spaceto engage, to share and create. The Development journal has been fortunate to publishnow three special editions covering the outcome of the AWID Forum1 working withthe ever more international and dynamic AWID team.This journal issue is packed with insights. Cindy Clark and Lydia Alp|¤ zar DuraŁ n givea sizzling overview in their introduction of the main issues of the Forum from theepicentre of the Forum arrangements. The other articles in the Upfront section presenthighlights from the plenaries and in-depth sessions. Articles based on stirring speechesreflect new forms of activism and urgency in today’s crisis hung world. From thedefiant revolutionary poem by Marwa Sharafeldin, to the talk of a fierce new worldby Gita Sen and Marilyn Waring’s crisp critique of economic power; from RhadikaBalakrishnan plea for popular education, and the warnings of the misuse of cultureby Yakin Ertuº rk, we sense a new dynamism and activism as women confront eco-nomic and social inequalities. Jayati Ghosh completes the section when she argues it istime for feminists to enter into the discussion of alternatives more forcefully in orderto define how economic institutions and policies can ensure a gender-just economyand society.Development, 2012, 55(3), (257–259)r 2012 Society for International Development 1011-6370/12www.sidint.net/development/Development (2012) 55(3), 257–259. doi:10.1057/dev.2012.49; published online 13 July 2012The Thematic section pushes further into howthis engagement might happen with a series ofarticles setting out the structural reasons for theeconomic injustices that are impeding women’slives. Feminist economists, most of whom spokeat the AWID Forum, go to the core of economicprocesses in order to give a gender reading offinancialization of our lives; the impact of neo-liberal economic policies on women’s employ-ment; social protection policies; taxes; balancingfamily life; funding for women’s rights, environ-ment, well-being and livelihoods.The Dialogue section details a vision of changeby setting out feminist alternative visions to themainstream economic development model. Thethree articles present: howAWID is engaged withmany women’s rights networks exploring alterna-tives; what is being constructed in Latin Americaby feminists and others around the Andean con-cept of Buen Vivir; and lastly post-developmentvisions forAfrica (anticipating Development 55.4).The Local/Global Encounters section reports onhow feminists are resisting inequitable economicprocesses on the ground. The articles underlinewomen’s rights defenders’ economic and socialstruggles in the regional and national context.Whether on the streets in the US Occupy move-ment, or in Arab squares, or protesting at shocktherapy in Greece or indigenous women defend-ing their territories ^ the authors speak of passionand courage, as well as pain. The concludingphoto essay captures in images the breadth ofemotions and sheer diversity of women (and men)attending theAWID Forum.None of these themes and issues will be entirelynew to Development readers who will recognizethat this journal issue is a continuation of manyof the journal’s editorial concerns. Since 2008(and earlier), Development has been assessing andquestioning the crisis in economics, exploringconcepts like food sovereignty, sustaining liveli-hoods, climate justice, cosmovisions, Buen Vivir,civic action and the green economy.Even given that many contributors to thoseissues spoke of gender equality and women’srights, true to Development’s editorial line,specific issues need to be devoted to deepeningan understanding of gender power relations indevelopment. As very recent events show,women’s rights and gender equality continues tobe under threat. I amwriting this as the results ofthe Egyptian election are coming in, with a winto Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhoodalong with cheers of Islamists in Tahrir Square.I wonder what the young Egyptian women whomI listened to at the AWID Forum are feeling.The aftermath of the Arab Spring has not beeninclusive of the women who came out on thestreets16 months ago.I amalsowriting at the conclusion of the UnitedNations Conference on Sustainable DevelopmentRioþ20 with its messy and disappointing end.Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace has declared it a cata-strophe. Certainly the women attending wereappalled.2 The official declaration called ‘TheFuture We Want’ signed by 190 countries only‘recalls’ (not recognizes) the Beijing Declarationin 1995. And any reference to support sexuality,reproductive rights and health was repressed, atthe instigation of the Vatican and conservativestates. Suchanoutcome takes women’s rights backtwo decades.These losses for women’s rights and body poli-tics underline that it is vital that all of us under-stand that gender equality and women’s rights arecrucial to democracy and sustainable livelihoods,to the planet’s health and to all of our future. It istoo much to hope that the AWID Forum and thisresulting set of excellent articles alone will keepthe energy and passion we require to ensure asecure and safe future.Feminists and women’s rights defenders cannotdo it for themselves, whatever the Annie Lennoxand Aretha Franklin song (Sisters Are Doin’ It ForThemselves) promises.What we need is for all peo-ple concerned about economic and social justiceand development to be informed and knowledge-able on women’s rights within the contextof economic and the whole breadth of today’sclimate, food, energy and care crises.Women needto deal with economic issues from their ownexperience, in their own language and concernsand those experiences need to be brought tothe table, as Ghosh says ^ feminists need to beactively engaged in the urgent task of findingalternatives.Development 55(3): Upfront258The journal abounds with vision and under-standing of what is required ^ the question willbe how to ensure dialogue goes beyond the AWIDForum to reach others ^ so that gender equity ispart of future social movement strategies, newforms of development policy and democraticchange. The tweets, blogs and immediate report-ing via‘Open Democracy’, popular radio, televisionand alternative media meant that the highlights,individual peoples’ impressions and key messageswent out immediately to tens of thousands ofpeople. But building alliances is much harder.So how to break out of the comfort zone of theAWID Forum? That does not mean that suchForums should not be (especially ones that are sowell organized, are held in seven languages andengage so many diverse people). These spacesare vital, given that the world is decidedly nota comfortable place for most attending ^ thetransgender people, the sex workers, domesticworkers, rape survivors, those living with disabil-ities, indigenous women, all of whom are strug-gling for their rights on many levels. But we needto work hard to make connections that reach outfrom such events and processes in order to buildopen inclusive spaces, networks and pathwaystowards economic justice. These alliances need tobe built from strategic dialogues, joint action andpolitical engagement that should be at the basisof true democratic engagement that confrontsour current injustice economic and social powerstructures.Notes1 TheAWID Forumheld in Bangkok:‘Women’s Rights in Development’,Development 49(1), (January 2006);TheAWIDForum held in CapeTown: ‘Power, Movements, Change’, Development 52(2), (June 2009).2 See theWomen’s Major Group press release: http://www.wecf.eu/english/press/releases/2012/06/womenstatement-outcomesRio.php.Harcourt: Upfront259

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