Political Restructuring and Social Transformation (PRST)

DAWN’s work on the theme of Political Restructuring and Social Transformation (PRST) began in 1998 and assumed priority within the network in 1999-2000. The work entailed developing a Southern feminist global analysis of the changing character of the state system, social movements and multilateralisms in the context of an emerging global governance complex during the era of economic globalisation. The resulting book, titled Marketisation of Governance: Critical Feminist Perspectives from the South, is DAWN’s third global analysis. Based on the findings of commissioned regional research and consultations, the analysis strongly critiques global financial and trade liberalisation, a process that has resulted in the erosion of the state’s capacity to meet national social development needs. The analysis highlights the challenges and dilemmas for social movements pursuing economic and gender justice in the era of globalisation, and lays down a number of fundamentals which cannot be compromised. The increase in conflicts resulting from the fragmentation of states, global power shifts and persistent imbalances have become a focus of DAWN’s research effort in this area.