SOAS Feminist Political Economy Research Group

About

The SOAS Feminist Political Economy Research Group brings together some of the world's leading scholars in Feminist Political Economy, with particular expertise on social reproduction from a global perspective. 

How we think

The SOAS Feminist Political Economy Research Group approaches the study of Global Political Economy from a feminist and decolonial perspective, examining how socio-economic processes are shaped by unequal, historically rooted power relations. We ask how production and reproduction under capitalism are organised and maintained through historically specific divisions along lines of gender, race, and class. 

We see these divisions as constitutive of the capitalist social and economic system. They shape how different forms of work are valued, who has access to resources and opportunities, and how power is distributed across micro and macro scales. Our work therefore analyses intersectional inequality as central in sustaining contemporary socio-economic structures and maintaining a profit-driven economic system, characterised by exploitation, oppression, and dispossession. 

What we do

We specialise in understanding the organisation of social reproductive labour, the backbone of capitalist accumulation, and the depleting effects this work has on those who perform it. Grounded in feminist theories for the study of Political Economy and informed by different strands of ‘feminisms’ in Development, the network cherishes methodological and theoretical plurality and applies a variety of approaches, while privileging perspectives for, on, and from the Global South. 

This plurality helps us better understand the diverse contexts which structure social reproduction and allows us to contribute to the development of transnational solidarities and networks of resistance which challenge capitalist oppressions and reclaim spaces and activities of life-making.

We collaborate to develop rigorous research, organise seminars and workshops, provide a rich teaching curriculum in Feminist Political Economy, and host public events.

Meet the members

The scholars, researchers, and students who make up our community.

Find out more

'We are a tight-knit group of feminist scholar-activists, and nurturing a rising collective of wonderful students and young scholars committed to understanding the complexities of our planetary political economy through feminist lenses set on social justice.'

— Alessandra Mezzadri, Professor in Global Development and Political Economy

Reading list

Ten key texts, recommended by our members, for anyone seeking an introduction to Feminist Political Economy:

  • Caliban And The Witch: Women, The Body, and Primitive Accumulation – Silvia Federici
  • Social Reproduction Theory: Remapping Class, Recentering Oppression –Tithi Bhattacharya
  • Feminist Political Economy: A Global Perspective – Cantillon, Stevano and Mackett
  • Cannibal Capitalism: How our System is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet – and What We Can Do About It – Nancy Fraser
  • Pluralizing Social Reproduction Approaches – Mezzadri et al.
  • Depletion: the human costs of caring – Shirin Rai
  • A Value Theory of Inclusion: Informal Labour, the Homeworker, and the Social Reproduction of Value – Alessandra Mezzadri
  • Social Reproduction and the Agrarian Question of Women’s Labour in India – Ossome and Naidu
  • Care: the Highest Stage of Capitalism – Premilla Nadasen
  • Vagabond Capitalism and the Necessity of Social Reproduction – Cindi Katz

Upcoming events