Feminist generations? The long-term impact of social movement involvement on Palestinian women's lives

Abstract

While there is an extensive literature addressing gender and women in social movements, there is very little addressing the impact of such participation on individual women in the aftermath of involvement. This article explores the individual impact of social movement participation using longitudinal qualitative research with working-class Palestinian women and argues that there exists among these former participants a "feminist generation" that is differentiated by a gender-egalitarian ideology and a high sense of self-efficacy. The article also argues that feminist subjectivities and possibilities will be circumscribed and difficult to maintain without the structural and cultural support provided by a stable, sovereign, and at least nominally democratic state and accountable feminist organizations that are responsive to diverse groups of women.