FJDG Discussions: 'Struggle over Needs' by Nancy Fraser

Join us for our first event of Michaelmas Term 2021 which will take the form of a discussion of Nancy Fraser’s piece on ‘Struggle over Needs’ which can be found in her book ‘Fortunes of Feminism: From State-Managed Capitalism to Neoliberal Crisis’.

The piece presents one of the central theories within the broader scholarship of feminist critiques of capitalism (or ‘socialist feminism’ / ‘Marxist feminism’). It offers the author’s perspective for marrying feminist theory to New Left Critique (i.e. critique of modern capitalism – welfare state capitalism). From its initial publication in 1989, it provided inspiration to many feminist authors within law and political theory in their accounts for policy and law as instruments of social reproduction.

We will discuss how can this theory be applicable in legal research. From obvious involvement of this theory in analysis of law-making and legislative rationality we aim to discuss which other areas of legal research can benefit from the use of this theory and how. The discussion will analyse law as an instrument of power to stratify the society and distribute benefits/entitlements from a feminist-Marxist perspective. 

In order to obtain a pdf copy of the text please sign up below and we will circulate the text after sign-ups close. 

The discussion will take place on the 10th November 2021 at 12pm in a hybrid format at St. Hilda's College in suite A and B. Arrival will be from 12, and the discussion will start promptly at 12:30pm. In order to attend, please fill in the relevant form below by the 1st November. We will be posting a link to join the discussion online. 

Link for in person sign-ups: https://forms.office.com/r/5fBNMu3RAJ  

Link for online sign-ups: https://forms.office.com/r/cSWEhbrnjL 

If you have any questions please feel free to email: feminist-juris@law.ox.ac.uk