Neoliberal Feminism and the Discourse of Self-Improvement

Giuliana Ferri is an Associate Professor in Language and Intercultural Communication at the IOE, University College London, in the Department of Culture, Communication and Media.

• Table of contentsChapter 1. An Introduction to the Contested History of Feminism.Introduction. The Waves of Feminism: A Contested Narrative Contesting the Narrative of the Waves of Feminism Gender Critical Feminism Femonationalism Conclusion. Aims and Outline of the BookChapter 2. The Marxist Wife (Still Does the Housework). Reproductive Labour and the Feminisation of Work.Introduction. Marxist Feminism. Marxist Feminism and the ‘’Woman Question’’.Is Reproductive Work Productive? The Marxist Wife (Still Does the Housework)Marxism and the Oppression of Women Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale Wages for Housework Workerism and Wages for Housework Wages for Housework: Race, Class and Sexuality The Feminisation or Housewification of Work Conclusion. Positioning Affective Labour in the Feminised Neoliberal Economy Chapter 3. Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis Introduction. Feminist LinguisticsThe Gender OrderThe Reproduction of Gender Heteronormativity Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis The Analysis The Selection of Texts Conclusion. FCDA and ReflexivityChapter 4. Neoliberal Feminism and Self-Help Literature.Introduction. Self-Help and Neoliberal Feminism. Neoliberalism.Self-Help Literature.The Neoliberal Gendered Self and Confidence CultureConclusion. ‘Having It All’’. The Rise of Neoliberal FeminismChapter 5. The Neoliberal Discourse of Female EmpowermentIntroduction. The Discourse of Female EmpowermentFemale Entrepreneurship Working Mothers Conclusion. The Empowered Rebel Feminist Conclusion. Social Reproduction and a Feminist Politics of the Commons.Chapter 6. The Neoliberal Discourse of Female Leadership. Lean In or Lean Out?Introduction. The Neoliberal Discourse of Female LeadershipLeadership and Gender Equality in the Workplace Lean In Feminism Lean Out. Reactions to Corporate Feminism Lean Out and Right-Wing Feminism Conclusion. The False Dichotomy of Lean Out/Lean In FeminismChapter 7. Neoliberal Subjects and Feminist Self-Help. The Discourse of Neoliberal Feminism. Introduction. The Discourse of Neoliberal Feminism. Feminist Self-Help Self-care as a Political Act of Resistance The Future Conclusion. List of Online Resources

"In the wake of an ubiquitous, normalised, commercially successful, and seductive appeal of neoliberal feminist values, we are confronted by a culture of post-social critique. True to feminist critical discourse studies, Ferri offers a robust engagement of feminisms to deliver a compelling and lucid critique of a privileged I-centered feminism at the heart of self-help discourses, and to return a decisively critical feminist gaze upon resistance and hopeful collective futures."Michelle M Lazar, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore"Ferri convincingly explores the complex relationships between female empowerment and neoliberalism, offering a rigorous and thorough examination of self-help literature targeting women. The book navigates the mosaic of intersectional identities, capitalism, colonialism, as well as the paradoxes that continue to disadvantage women within imbalanced gendered hierarchies."Federica Formato, Senior Lecturer in Sociolinguistics, University of Brighton