ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to the debates around feminism, neoliberalism, and co-optation in Gender and Development today. It argues against the prevalent notion that feminism has been fully co-opted by neoliberalism. The chapter also argues that the co-optation debate traps us in a circular mode of discussion, engaged in the futile task of trying to determine what is authentic feminism while ignoring some of the most important political and economic trends of the current era. It demonstrates that co-optation critiques have contributed essential criticisms of economic neoliberalism and convincingly shown us the way that pseudo-feminist rhetoric has been taken up in service of exploitative and harmful policy agendas. The chapter shows that co-optation narratives have limited usefulness for understanding more complex dimensions of ideological neoliberalism, insofar as it aims to shape subjectivities and modes of conduct. It explains how neoliberalism works through gender equality governance.
