Little feminism, but lots of feminists: Feminist resistance and the Scottish independence movement

The Scottish independence campaign became a mass social movement against austerity in the lead-up to the independence referendum of 18 September 2014. The participation of the radical left in the campaign built up a form of resistance to the British neoliberal status quo. However, little attention has been paid to the role of feminist radicals in the movement. Drawing on feminist theory, this article presents data from interviews with 37 pro-independence activists illuminating feminist strategies of resistance. Feminist participation and practices of resistance in two main forums are examined: firstly, in the cross-class women’s group Women for Independence (WFI), and secondly in the principal left-wing organisation, the Radical Independence Campaign (RIC). The possibilities of the alliance with WFI are considered, alongside the constraints of a cross-class group for feminist radicals in resisting multiple interacting power relations. Conversely, in RIC, resistance to the marginalisation of women and feminism is examined. This article critically examines contemporary feminist radical resistance to unravel the limitations imposed by a discourse of individualism. As shown in the analysis, while structural understandings of concepts such as capitalism or patriarchy are rhetorically invoked, resistance is primarily focused on self-transformation or persuading others to change their personal behaviour. This emphasis impedes the development of a collective feminist praxis to resist the structures behind individual behaviour.