The Language of Feminist Development

• In Event: Sociology of Development Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 1: Development & Gender

Abstract

Abstract: Feminist scholarship has played a significant role in the growth and expansion of development theory and praxis, bringing attention to a wide range of development issues that uniquely impact women, girls, and other marginalized groups. By foregrounding women’s experiences, needs, and agency within development discourse, feminist development scholars and feminist methodology have played a pivotal role in reshaping development initiatives and policies to prioritize gender equality, reproductive health, women’s labor, gendered violence, and women’s human rights as core development issues. The paper begins with an exploration of how the principles and linguistics of feminism have been used to challenge conventional development narratives and bring light to the disparate gender distribution of social, economic, and political resources, while recognizing the challenges in defining what exactly constitutes “feminist development.” This is followed by an examination of the language of feminist development in academic publications over the last 11 years (2015-2025), based on an analysis of 1,717 abstracts from three leading development journals. Findings suggest that despite continuous contributions of development feminists, direct references to feminist development remain underleveraged and a niche area of exploration. Yet, connections to feminist development can be found in contemporary development journals, providing opportunities for development sociologists to contribute to the literature by combining the principles and methods of feminism with a critical exploration of how inherently gendered social forces, political dynamics, and cultural norms shape development agendas as well as their gendered consequences.

Author

• Heidi E. Rademacher, SUNY-Brockport