Feminism and counter-trafficking: Exploring the transformative potential of contemporary feminism in Portugal

Focusing on the Portuguese case, this article explores the role of feminism in counter-trafficking. Through analysing feminist discourse on human trafficking, the article interrogates feminism's ability and its limitations in challenging or reinforcing some of the most controversial policy outc...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor principal: Clemente, M. (author)
Formato: article
Idioma:eng
Publicado em: 2022
Assuntos:
Texto completo:http://hdl.handle.net/10071/26011
País:Portugal
Oai:oai:repositorio.iscte-iul.pt:10071/26011
Descrição
Resumo:Focusing on the Portuguese case, this article explores the role of feminism in counter-trafficking. Through analysing feminist discourse on human trafficking, the article interrogates feminism's ability and its limitations in challenging or reinforcing some of the most controversial policy outcomes. The article argues that, due to a structural weakness within feminism itself and the profound institutionalisation of counter-trafficking, any possibility of challenging dominant discourses on trafficking remains a distant dream. Rather, counter-trafficking attempts ultimately help create a controversial neoliberal space that strains feminism's transformative potential while simultaneously strengthening bureaucratic state feminism.