books
when women have wings feminism and development in medellin colombia
p in when women have wings donna f. murdock provides an insightful and detailed look at the tensions contradictions and positive moments apparent in a womens development project in medellin colombia . based on sixteen months of ethnographic field research in a working class womens community center run by a local feminist ngo this in depth account illuminates both working and middle class womens perspectives on the professionalization of feminist ngos and provides an unusual ethnographic lens on the process as it unfolds . using detailed descriptions of the encounters between working and middle class women to highlight how the womens center attempts to negotiate the pressures of feminism and professionalization murdock depicts the frailty and complexity of cross class organizing and the ways that this process may be threatened by professionalized ngo styles . poignant accounts of womens attempts to navigate these challenges amid poverty and civil war show how changing political and economic demands may ultimately compromise feminist ngos long held commitments to sustainable development practice focused on grassroots empowerment . with its clear and vivid style when women have wings fills a gap for scholars of feminist development professionalized feminist ngos grassroots democracy and latin american womens movements and will contribute much needed insight into the everyday workings of the problems of professionalization and democratic development . p by offering a fine grained engaging and provocative account of the workings of feminist nongovernmental organizations and their working class women constituencies when women have wings fills a gaping lacuna in the now expansive literature on womens movements in the global south . br sonia e. alvarez department of political sciences university of massachusetts amherst p donna murdocks in depth ethnographic account will be an important contribution to the literature on womens movements latin american feminisms and gender identity politics in the context of neoliberalism and political violence . br amy lind department of womens studies university of cincinnati p this remarkable book full of ethnographic detail and lucid analysis tells a compelling story of feminist struggles with neoliberalism in latin america . murdock takes us into the lives and struggles of working class women and their feminist allies illustrating how class divides are painfully exacerbated by shrinking state budgets rising requirements for citizenship and the professionalization of social movements . she nonetheless leaves us with the fragile wings of hope grounded in womens ongoing efforts to confront violence and make their voices heard in the face of difficult odds . this is important reading for feminists scholars of development and those concerned with global justice . br millie thayer department of sociology university of massachusetts amherst p
hardcover university of michigan press 2008 isbn13 9780472070350 isbn10 0472070355
abridged n isbn 13 9780472070350 number in series 1 number of pages 259 publisher university of michigan press release date 62135769600000