There is a lot to learn from and find inspiration in the strategies, perspectives, and experiences of queer and feminist struggles which manage to influence and bring together diverse counter-hegemonic actors
In Latin America, the re-neoliberalization of political and economic systems has intensified an ongoing process of de-democratization, strengthening the onslaught by neoconservative religious and secular groups, which have been growing more powerful since around 2013. These two processes—re-neoliberalization and the growth of neoconservatisms—are connected.
Femicides stand out as one of the biggest social problems in Turkey today causing a widespread and pronounced public reaction. The femicide cases are frequently on the news exploited by mainstream media with graphic coverage. The names of murdered women and pleas for retribution regularly become trending topic on Twitter. The outrage against femicides is expressive of the liberalizing worldviews and gender ideology in Turkish society while also conveying the popular contention against the government’s overall authoritarian politics along with its efforts for the recomposition of patriarchy.
Even though the current crisis astonished most of us, it also came as no surprise. During the last decade, we have witnessed a densification of what Alex Demirovic calls “crises of denormalization”, i.e. crises that profoundly undermine the hegemonic neoliberal security dispositive. From the financial crisis in 2008–9, through to Europe´s so-called “migrant crisis” (in fact, a momentary collapse of Europe´s inhumane border regime), up to the climate crisis, world capitalism seems ever more prone to destroying its economic, social, and natural basis, and less and less capable of dealing with the consequences.
The COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold as a global drama in early 2020. Since then, international organizations have urged governments to protect both the rights of their citizens and human life. In (geo)political terms, the long-term outcomes remain uncertain. Some claim that dispossession and authoritarianism will be reinforced. Others state that capitalism as we know it will not recover, and there will be clearer openings to allow for more democratic and just social and economic forms.
