Social Sciences for an Other Politics

"What a joy it is to greet this inspirational book of engaged feminist political theory. I love the image of our thinkers floating down from on high, some free flying, some with parachutes entangled into webs of collectivity, all, aiming to land on an earth that has been transformed by their courageous work. J.K. Gibson-Graham applauds this daring stunt!" (From the 'Foreword' by J.K. Gibson-Graham) "This book brings together some of the most exciting social theorists writing, thinking and working today. It ventures beyond familiar accounts of contemporary challenges and opens up important new ways of framing future trajectories for change. It should be read far and wide." (Professor Keri Facer, University of Bristol, AHRC Leadership Fellow for Connected Communities)

This book opens up a unique intellectual space where eleven female scholar-activists explore alternative forms of theorising social reality. Finally, they discuss the dynamics of prefiguration by social movements, critiquing social movement theory in the process.This book opens up a unique intellectual space where eleven female scholar-activists explore alternative forms of theorising social reality. These‘Women on the Verge’ demonstrate that a new radical subject– one that is plural, prefigurative, decolonial, ethical, ecological, communal and democratic- is in the making, but is unrecognisable with old analytical tools. Of central concern to the book is the resistance of some social scientists, many of them critical theorists, to learning about this radical subject and to interrogating the concepts, methodologies and epistemologies used to grasp it. Echoing the experiential critique of capitalist-colonial society that is taking place at the grassroots, the authors examine how to create hope, decolonise critique and denaturalise society. They also address the various dimensions of the social (re)production of life, including women in development, the commons, and nature. Finally, they discuss the dynamics of prefiguration by social movements, critiquing social movement theory in the process. This thought-provoking edited collection will appeal to students and scholars of gender studies, social, Marxist and Feminist theory, postcolonial studies and politics.