Materiality-critique-transformation: challenging the political in feminist new materialisms

The rise of new materialisms in feminist theory since the late 2000s signals a dynamic shift in intellectual approaches to social, political, and ecological challenges. Scholars in this domain advocate for a departure from entrenched dualisms like nature/culture or human/non-human, aiming to transcend traditional epistemic frameworks rooted in Western thought. This "turn" to materiality, spurred by figures like Karen Barad, challenges the dominance of social constructivism and language-focused paradigms in feminist theory. New materialist thinkers propose that a re-engagement with material conditions and a more-than-human worlding could offer transformative insights into contemporary crises, such as those in ecology, politics, and technology. These approaches assert that the entanglement of materiality and political agency is crucial for addressing ongoing global inequalities and environmental degradation. However, as the feminist debates within new materialism evolve, there is increasing caution and introspection. Scholars are re-evaluating the political dimensions of new materialist theory, grappling with questions of domination, exclusion, and exploitation. There is a growing need for these perspectives to engage more deeply with issues of political emancipation and utopian visions, alongside the material and discursive entanglements explored by new materialist thought. Key to this recalibration is the task of linking new materialisms with historical materialism, social constructivism, and postcolonial theory, fostering a critical dialogue that is sensitive to the political stakes of contemporary feminist struggles. This special issue takes up these challenges, focusing on the political potential of feminist new materialism. [...] exploitation, the intersection of materiality with political agency, and the viability of envisioning a new materialist utopia in the context of ongoing global crises.