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Uneasy passages between neoliberalism and feminism: Social inclusion and financialization in Israel's empowerment microfinance

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  • Adriana Kemp
  • Nitza Berkovitch

Abstract

This article focuses on feminist non‐governmental organizations advocating for economic empowerment of women (EEW) through microfinance, using Israel as a case study. Through fieldwork, interviews and documents, we investigate the institutional practices, cultural discourses and struggles that EEWs develop in order to expose the particular ways in which feminist organizations interact with the world of finance and state institutions. Our analysis points to the complex power dynamics of mediation, suggesting that there are ‘uneasy passages' between neoliberalism and feminism, ones that help re‐signify the meaning of financial discourses while re‐politicizing women's social and economic exclusions. Simultaneously, however, this relation induces a series of compromises, whereby EEWs adopt neoliberal modes of governance. Rejecting the notion that contemporary feminism has simply been co‐opted by neoliberalism or the perception of EEW microfinance as a mere expansion of neoliberal rationalities, we reveal new sites and ways in which feminism both colludes and collides with neoliberalism.

Suggested Citation

  • Adriana Kemp & Nitza Berkovitch, 2020. "Uneasy passages between neoliberalism and feminism: Social inclusion and financialization in Israel's empowerment microfinance," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(4), pages 507-526, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:27:y:2020:i:4:p:507-526
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12400
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Radhakrishnan, Smitha, 2015. "“Low Profile” or Entrepreneurial? Gender, Class, and Cultural Adaptation in the Global Microfinance Industry," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 264-274.
    4. Fischer, Stanley, 1987. "The Israeli Stabilization Program, 1985-86," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(2), pages 275-278, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Omika Bhalla Saluja & Priyanka Singh & Harit Kumar, 2023. "Barriers and interventions on the way to empower women through financial inclusion: a 2 decades systematic review (2000–2020)," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Kirsten Locke & Rebecca W. B. Lund & Susan Wright, 2021. "Rethinking gender equity in the contaminated university: A methodology for listening for music in the ruins," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 1079-1097, May.
    3. Francesco Paolo Lagrasta & Barbara Scozzi & Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo, 2024. "Feminisms and entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review investigating a troubled connection," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 3081-3112, December.
    4. Haifa Asif & Sana Fayyaz, 2023. "Sustainable Development and Women’s Personal Empowerment for Becoming Socially Inclusive: A Study from the Informal Sector in Lahore, Pakistan," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 28(1), pages 115-133, Jan-June.

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