Neoliberal and Feminist Projects on Sexual Violence at State University

• In Event: 4104 - Sexual Violence and Intersectional Inequalities

Abstract

Scholars invite studies of neoliberalism that focus on specific projects in their time and historical context. Neoliberal projects are one option among political projects. Social scientists have established that feminist projects, such as the anti-rape movement, sometimes partner with state neoliberal projects, leading to negative consequences. In my study, I analyze feminist and neoliberal projects regarding sexual violence at State University, a large, public, residential, Midwestern university, from 1972 through 2017. I draw on content analysis of archival student newspaper articles to show a decline in explicit feminist projects, an increase in university oversight, and an increase in governmental obligations regarding sexual violence. Contrary to prior studies of neoliberalism, I find individualizing discourses of personal responsibility to be prevalent starting in the 1970s, which suggests scholars could further refine how we define and study neoliberalism.

Author

• Nona Maria Gronert, University of Wisconsin-Madison