Social Reproduction

What is the connection between gender and class? Why must socialists be feminists, and feminists be socialists? What does socialist feminist struggle look like? To answer these questions, we look to social reproduction theory.

The question of social reproduction is the question of how workers are “reproduced” in order to keep capitalism surging along. Many humans—especially women—spend much of their time in the (often unrecognized) work of social reproduction. But this work is also a rich terrain for struggle! Come study the feminist Marxist concept of social reproduction with us, and think through how this concept can help us make larger demands for a better society. This time we’ll pay special attention to the ways the covid-19 pandemic is pushing questions of social reproduction to the forefront of the global consciousness.

The session will be led by Amanda Huron, associate professor of interdisciplinary social sciences at the University of the District of Columbia and author of Carving Out the Commons: Tenant Organizing and Housing Cooperatives in Washington, D.C.

Below, you will find a recommended reading list.

Reading List

“What is Social Reproduction Theory,”	Tithi Bhattacharya
“Women and Capitalism: Dialectics of Oppression and Liberation,”	Angela Davis
Revolution at Point Zero: Housework, Reproduction, and Feminist Struggle	Silvia Federici
“Social Reproduction: What’s the Big Idea?”	Susan Ferguson
Fortunes of Feminism: From State-Managed Capitalism to Neoliberal Crisis	Nancy Fraser
“Coming Full Circle: the Intersection of Gender Justice and the Solidarity Economy”	Sacajawea Hall
Social Reproduction Theory: Remapping Class, Recentering Oppression	Tithi Battcharaya, ed.
Contradictions of Capitalism and Care	Nancy Fraser