The Future of Feminisms in the Nordic Region

How do feminist movements react upon global crises and increases in mobility, diversities and inequalities? Which challenges are feminist movements (including feminist activism in other social movements) in the Nordic countries facing today? Five Nordic universities, coordinated by Aalborg University, have received funding from The Swedish Research Council (NOS-HS) (424 111 SEK) and The Nordic Council of Minister (NIKK) (270 000 DKK) for a network which has the aim to identify and discuss the commonalities and specificities of feminist movements in the Nordic countries, the present status of Nordic state feminism and the transnational relations of feminist communities.
The Nordic gender political landscape has changed dramatically over the last fifty years. The transformation of the Nordic welfare states, the emergence of the European Union and the advancements of gender issues in the United Nations have created new contexts for feminist projects and movements. This involves challenges for the strategies and ideas of feminist movements in the Nordic countries as regards ideas about solidarity, gender equality and social justice at home and abroad
The two-year project (2016-2017) will result in new knowledge of the central challenges faced by feminist movements and of the practices that can be used to deal with these challenges. The aim is to identify and explore the feminist movements and feminisms that evolve from different communities within and across the Nordic region, and to analyze continuities and changes in responses to new societal conditions and new challenges. Special attention will be given to the intersections between gender and other axes of inequalities and to the intersections of feminism and public institutions. The network will organize a series of workshops and bring together researchers and stakeholders, which will contribute to new and sustainable networks. The results will be presented on a website and in scholarly and popular publications.
The involved partners are Pauline Stoltz, Aalborg University (Department of Culture and Global Studies/FREIA), Diana Mulinari, Lund University (Centre for Gender Studies), Beatrice Halsaa, University of Oslo (Centre for Gender Research), Christel Stormhøj, Roskilde University (Department of Society and Globalisation) and Suvi Keskinen, University of Turku (Department of Social Research).