Call for Papers | Perspectives on Nancy Fraser’s Thought: Philosophy, Feminism, Capitalism, and the Climate Crisis

Perspectives on Nancy Fraser’s Thought: Philosophy, Feminism, Capitalism, and the Climate Crisis

edited by Valentina Antoniol, Olimpia Malatesta and Stefano Marino

Nancy Fraser is probably one of the most important intellectuals of our time. Philosopher, critical theorist of society, feminist theorist and activist: with her influential work from the mid 1980s until today Fraser has offered significant contributions in the fields of social and political theory, feminist theory, contemporary philosophy (with a special focus on French and German thought), and lately in the debates around the relation between climate change and capitalism. On the occasion of Nancy Fraser’s 75th birthday in 2022, and of the 20th and 10th anniversary of the publication of, respectively, her books Redistribution or Recognition? (2003, with Axel Honneth) and Fortunes of Feminism (2013), this monographic section of the issue 18/1 (2023) of “Scenari” aims to celebrate these anniversaries with selected contributions dedicated to the investigation of Fraser’s work and thought.

Scholars from different disciplines are invited to submit contributions that deal with various aspects of Fraser’s philosophical-political work and the main fields of her research. We welcome proposals addressing (but not limited to) the legacy of Redistribution or Recognition? (2003) and Fortunes of Feminism (2013) and assessing the relevance and impact of these books, respectively, 20 and 10 years after their publication. Particularly welcome will be also articles attempting to evaluate the significance of Fraser’s thought in the context of strictly contemporary debates through a critical comparison with the conceptions of other authors who have addressed similar questions concerning feminist theory and practice, the concept of justice, and the critique of capitalist society, also with respect to the climate crisis, the crisis of care, and the Covid pandemic (e.g.: “Cannibal Capitalism: How our System is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet and What We Can Do About It”: 2022). Contributions dealing with the notion of capitalism as “an institutionalized social order” (e.g.: “Capitalism: A Conversation in Critical Theory”, co-authored with Rahel Jaeggi: 2018) and with the groundbreaking definition of a “progressive neoliberalism” are also very appreciated. We furthermore invite scholars to pay particular attention to the interweaving of four different phenomena that Fraser isolates in order to describe the current political “interregnum”: the ecological crisis, the crisis of care and health, the economic crisis, and the social crisis. In this respect, particular consideration will be also given to contributions aimed at assessing the potential and possible limits of Fraser’s diagnosis of contemporary capitalist societies and their multiple crises. Finally, we will welcome proposals addressing Fraser’s influential book “Feminism for the 99 Percent” (2019, with Cinzia Arruzza and Tithi Bhattacharya): a work that aims to offer “a feminism […] that is radical and transformative”, that does not “confuse feminism with the ascent of individual women, […] a trending hashtag and vehicle of self-promotion”, and that “mark[s] out the road that must be traveled to reach a just society”; a feminism that, conceptually focusing its attention on “the sphere of social reproduction”, ambitiously aims to pave the way for “a new kind of politics”, to “anticipate the possibility of a new, unprecedented phase of class struggle (feminist, internationalist, environmentalist and anti-racist)”, and to “seek profound, far-reaching social transformation”.

Call for paper