Marchandisation, protection sociale et émancipation. Les ambivalences du féminisme dans la crise du capitalisme

Drawing on the thought of Karl Polanyi, I propose a non-economistic conception of capitalist crisis that can clarify feminist prospects in the current era. Revising his account of the conflict between economic liberals and social protectionists, I introduce a third axis of social struggle, oriented to emancipation and, so, transform his ?double movement? into a triple movement. After sketching this new perspective, I use it to rethink the stakes of feminist struggles in the 21st century. Positing emancipation?s inherent ambivalence, I show that efforts to combat gender domination can align in principle either with marketization or social protection. Recently, I contend, this ambivalence has been resolved in favor of marketization, as neoliberalism has instrumentalized feminist ideas. The best response, I claim, would be for feminists to break our ?dangerous liaison? with marketization and forge a principled new alliance with the forces of social protection. JEL classification codes: P51, Z13, J16, J71.