Planet: Critical Why Earth Needs a Feminist Movement | Silvia Federici
Jul 17, 2025
Silvia Federici, a Marxist-feminist scholar and author of Caliban and the Witch, discusses the critical link between capitalism and women's reproductive rights. She reveals how women’s bodies and the Earth are central to the capitalist system. The conversation delves into contemporary challenges women's rights face globally, the importance of reclaiming feminist analysis, and how women are key players in both ecological and economic struggles. Federici emphasizes the necessity for a revived feminist movement to counter these intertwined crises.
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Women's Broad Reproductive Role
- Women's reproductive and caretaking roles go beyond procreation to include food production, education, and community care.
- These interconnected activities are central to life and capitalism's accumulation, yet often overlooked in mainstream analysis.
Capitalism's Gendered Exploitation
- Capitalism enforces a sexual division of labor, exploiting women’s reproductive work uniquely.
- Anti-colonial struggles revealed multiple exploitations shaping capitalist accumulation beyond wage labor.
Capitalism Controls Demographic Trends
- Capitalist control of reproduction is complex: some women are forced to reproduce, others sterilized to control rebellious populations.
- Population control policies reflect demographic management tied to class and race for accumulation.
