‘If not now, when?’: feminism, activism and social movements in the European South and beyond

This essay introduces a special issue of the Journal "Gender and Education" dedicated to Feminist activism in the global era, its impact on both politics and education. The title and inspiration for this special issue emerged from an event: on February 13th 2011, nationwide demonstrations took place in various Italian cities, with over a million participants in total. They were coordinated by a group known as Se Non Ora Quando? (If not now, when?). The demonstrations voiced concerns about sexism and the urgent need to reassert women’s dignity, and renewed faith in the effectiveness of a coherent and vibrant feminist movement. There seems to be a pervasive feeling that feminism is now entering a new political era, as evidence of growing engagement from different countries seem to suggest. At the same time, it is said that the advance of neoliberalism and the indisputable gains in the last thirty years have resulted in de-politicisation and a decline of interest in feminism. Our introduction explores the links between feminism and new forms of activism together with a reconsideration of what has been called "the mainstreaming of feminism". Special attention is devoted to the impact of feminism in higher education in the light of the major changes the academic world is undergoing in times of economic crisis and resurgence of austerity policies.