Introduction: feminist policymaking in turbulent times: critical perspectives

This introductory chapter maps the international feminist institutional landscape, outlines the contributions of the book to the gender-policy nexus, and presents a thematic reading guide. On the one hand, the institutionalisation of gender has generated substantial critique for de-politicising feminist struggles and reflecting (neo)liberal and white feminist perspectives that may reproduce structural forms of injustice. On the other hand, the rapid and global growth of anti-gender and anti-feminist standpoints has raised the stakes for feminist policymaking and possibly reaffirms the urgency of incorporating gender into policy frameworks. Situating the edited volume within this tension and carving out new research questions at this political junction, this Introduction homes in on four dimensions of ‘feminist policymaking’: (1) methods, metrics, and impact of feminist policies; (2) opening the ‘black box’ of feminist foreign policy; (3) the role of the international; and (4) alternative imaginings of feminist policymaking.