Women's cooperativism from the perspective of feminist political economy. A case study in rural areas of Portugal (Alentejo) and Chile (Biobío).

Orientação: Ana Cordeiro Santos

Programa de Doutoramento: Economia Política: Doutoramento Interdisciplinar

Financiamento: FCT

The analytical lens of social reproduction theory using Feminist Political Economy (FPE) has gained strength in recent years, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of the activities performed by agents of social reproduction. However, there is little empirical evidence regarding the ways in which productive and reproductive work interact and are expressed in peripheral or semi-peripheral economies. Furthermore, and although a certain epistemic closeness between the FPE and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) is recognised, the research agenda of the FPE has paid little attention to a particular form of work organisation: cooperativism. This study will address this research gap by analysing how the productive/reproductive work relationship is expressed in cooperatives composed exclusively of women, and also by investigating possible barriers to its development. The case studies are located in rural areas with low productive diversification: Arraiolos (Alentejo, Portugal) and Tirúa (Biobío, Chile).