Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

The Remaking of Social Contracts:’ Dr. Marina Durano Co-Edits New Book

Details

Dr. Marina Durano, Assistant Professor at the Asian Center, co-edited a new book, “The Remaking of Social Contracts: Feminists in a Fierce New World” that was launched by the Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) last 31 October 2014 at the GT-Toyota Asian Cultural Center, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Published by ZED Books London, “The Remaking of Social Contracts: Feminists in a Fierce New World” examines the “emergence and fracturing of social contracts, the rise of social movements, and the promise of human rights” from a variety of critical perspectives. Departing from traditional understandings of the social contract and other concepts, “The Remaking of Social Contracts” highlights the need to “confront and interrogate the interfaces of multiple systems of power” and features articles on

  • Systemic inequalities
  • Sustainability and climate change
  • Religious fundamentalism and biopolitics
  • The building of nation-states and the galvanization of social movements

These topics cover South-South conflict and cooperation; the rise of “illicit economies” amidst “declining productivity in the traditional leading economic powers; human rights and political economy; consumption and production vis-à-vis population trends and climate change; planet re-engineering; food security, ecology, and land-grabbing in Africa; participatory decision-making; and the relationship between feminist politics and political economy.

Contributors to the book include Anita Nayar,  Diana Bronson, Zo Randriamaro, Alexandra Garita, Francoise Girard, Fatou Sow, Magaly Pazello, Rosalind Petchesky, Claire Slatter, Amrita Chhacchi, Kumudini Samuel, Josefa Francisco, Peggy Antrobus. Dr. Gita Sen was co-editor, who is also a member of DAWN’s Executive Committee.

According to its website, DAWN is a network of feminist scholars, researchers and activists from the economic South working for economic and gender justice and sustainable and democratic development. DAWN provides a forum for feminist research, analyses and advocacy on global  issues (economic, social and political) affecting the livelihoods, living standards, rights and development prospects of women, especially poor and marginalized women, in regions of the South.

For more information about the book, The Re-Making of Social Contracts: Feminists in a Fierce New World,” read the DAWN press release or visit the DAWN website. All quotations above are from the press release. 

Photo: During the launch of the book, 31 October 2014 at the Asian Center. Photo courtesy of DAWN.