Conflictual engagement : how Italian feminist movements navigate institutional interaction while preserving radical identity

Radical feminists face a difficult choice: remain pure outsiders with limited impact, or risk cooptation by engaging with the very institutions they seek to overthrow. Historically, the Italian feminist movement has maintained a staunchly anti-institutional stance. The Italian state, on the other hand, has exhibited limited institutional support for gender equality as well as a weak development of state feminism. Despite this antagonistic backdrop, feminist movements and institutions do interact through what this study terms “conflictual engagement,” a framework that reveals how anti-institutional movements can work within existing systems while preserving their radical identity. Three key elements define these interactions: antagonist representation, indirect influence, and pragmatic interaction. Drawing on thirty interviews with feminist activists and politicians, the study challenges binary interpretations of movements as either entirely antagonistic or fully aligned with institutions, emphasizing the productive role of conflict in shaping these relationships and enhancing democratic engagement.