Marta Rawłuszko will examine contemporary feminist tactics through the lens of social reproduction theory. Drawing on empirical research from 2018-2024, she analyzes two case studies: feminist support for migrants at the Polish-Belarusian border and assistance in accessing abortion in Poland. To understand these developments in feminist political dissent and properly recognize their political gravity, she introduces the concept of illegitimate care—care practices directed toward marginalized populations that are criminalized by the state. Care becomes illegitimate when it supports individuals whose lives, dignity, and rights are subordinated to the political and economic interests of capitalist nation-states.

About the speaker

Marta Rawłuszko – sociologist, graduate of the Jagiellonian University and the University of Exeter, is assistant professor at the Institute of Applied Social Sciences at the University of Warsaw, and chair of the Board of Sociology of Gender Section of the Polish Sociological Association (PTS). Her research interests include sociology of politics and social movements, feminist activism, and issues related to sexual violence, including the Polish #MeToo movement. She is the author of the monograph "Feminists in Collaboration with the State" (2020) and is an inaugural winner of the Flax Foundation’s Emma Goldman Prize.