Contemporary feminism as a transnational wave: multilevel opportunities, processes of diffusion and common challenges

This chapter analyses the processes of transnationalization of feminist movements in contemporary Europe, from the beginning of the 2010s up to the present. Transnationalization is understood here not so much as transnational activism, but rather as the diffusion of ideas, symbols and forms of action as well as the expression of transnational solidarity, both online and offline. These processes have taken place during a period in which widespread global crises are occurring at both the economic and political levels. Feminist movements in Italy, Greece and Spain are taken as paradigmatic instances, confirming the rise of a “fourth wave of feminism” that not only bears its own specific characteristics, but also displays a certain level of continuity with past feminist waves, black feminist theory and practice, while also sharing similarities with Latin American feminism. The analysis presented here demonstrates that transnationalization is the result of a mix of both contextual and agential factors: the “prolonged critical juncture” sparked supranational opportunities for resistance on the side of the weakest social subjectivities, which include women and young people. Nevertheless, contemporary feminist movements cannot be described as merely reactive, as they show a high degree of creativity and innovation that involves both their understanding of reality and repertoires of collective action.