Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South Asia

Friendship has been central to the forging of feminist solidarities. Cross-border friendships and feminist activism in South Asia have disrupted narratives of violence and hostility between countries. Friendship then is deeply political for multiple reasons, often facilitating a powerful critique an...

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Main Authors: Nithila Kanagasabai, Shilpa Phadke
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Lectito Journals 2023-03-01
Series:Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.lectitopublishing.nl/download/forging-fraught-solidarities-friendship-and-feminist-activism-in-south-asia-12880.pdf
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author Nithila Kanagasabai
Shilpa Phadke
author_facet Nithila Kanagasabai
Shilpa Phadke
author_sort Nithila Kanagasabai
collection DOAJ
description Friendship has been central to the forging of feminist solidarities. Cross-border friendships and feminist activism in South Asia have disrupted narratives of violence and hostility between countries. Friendship then is deeply political for multiple reasons, often facilitating a powerful critique and unsettling hegemonic, heteropatriarchal narratives of affective relationships. Drawing on the narratives of feminist activists in South Asia, we explore the nuances of ‘doing activism’ with friends as well as how friendship itself inflects activism and the interrogations that these might bring to the fore. We reflect on the ways in which feminist activism has engaged with fun arguing that joy is intrinsic to feminist organising. We also examine feminist fractures and how these might impact our activism, our friendships, and what they reveal about structural inequalities. As we reflect on the transformative potential of feminist activism within the South Asian region over the last four decades and the friendships it has nurtured, we ask if friendship has fulfilled the promise of challenging existing structural hierarchies and reimagining our relationships, concluding that the answer must be yes and no.
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spelling doaj.art-34c0fd85445f4ca6a46649b01ea4c9c42023-12-26T20:51:21ZengLectito JournalsFeminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics2468-44142023-03-01710210.20897/femenc/12880Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South AsiaNithila Kanagasabai0Shilpa Phadke1Tata Institute of Social Sciences, INDIATata Institute of Social Sciences, INDIAFriendship has been central to the forging of feminist solidarities. Cross-border friendships and feminist activism in South Asia have disrupted narratives of violence and hostility between countries. Friendship then is deeply political for multiple reasons, often facilitating a powerful critique and unsettling hegemonic, heteropatriarchal narratives of affective relationships. Drawing on the narratives of feminist activists in South Asia, we explore the nuances of ‘doing activism’ with friends as well as how friendship itself inflects activism and the interrogations that these might bring to the fore. We reflect on the ways in which feminist activism has engaged with fun arguing that joy is intrinsic to feminist organising. We also examine feminist fractures and how these might impact our activism, our friendships, and what they reveal about structural inequalities. As we reflect on the transformative potential of feminist activism within the South Asian region over the last four decades and the friendships it has nurtured, we ask if friendship has fulfilled the promise of challenging existing structural hierarchies and reimagining our relationships, concluding that the answer must be yes and no.https://www.lectitopublishing.nl/download/forging-fraught-solidarities-friendship-and-feminist-activism-in-south-asia-12880.pdfSouth Asiafeminist activismfriendshipfeminismfun
spellingShingle Nithila Kanagasabai
Shilpa Phadke
Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South Asia
Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture and Politics
South Asia
feminist activism
friendship
feminism
fun
title Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South Asia
title_full Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South Asia
title_fullStr Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South Asia
title_full_unstemmed Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South Asia
title_short Forging Fraught Solidarities: Friendship and Feminist Activism in South Asia
title_sort forging fraught solidarities friendship and feminist activism in south asia
topic South Asia
feminist activism
friendship
feminism
fun
url https://www.lectitopublishing.nl/download/forging-fraught-solidarities-friendship-and-feminist-activism-in-south-asia-12880.pdf
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