Erdilmen, ‘Rethinking feminist alliances: avoiding feminism, but advancing gender equality within refugee communities?’, 2026

Erdilmen, M. (2026). Rethinking feminist alliances: avoiding feminism, but advancing gender equality within refugee communities? International Feminist Journal of Politics, 1–23.

This article examines how Syrian women and queer refugees approach feminism, and how the organizations they establish address gender-based inequalities in access to rights and services in Turkey. In the face of growing anti-gender movements and the global prominence of gender equality, there is an urgent need for a refugee-centered understanding of feminism and feminist solidarity. Drawing on 53 in-depth interviews with women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) members of refugee-led organizations, I make a two-part argument: first, that women and queer refugees take diverse approaches to feminism; and second, that these approaches shape the practices they adopt to tackle gender-based inequalities in their communities and foster solidarity with non-refugee women and queers. I introduce the term “subtle solidarity practices” to describe how women and LGBTI-refugee-led organizations promote equal access to rights and services for refugees with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. In authoritarian contexts where feminist and pro-migrant alliances are under attack, refugee service providers adopt two solidarity practices: they avoid overtly feminist rhetoric by using more community-aligned language in gender-focused programs, and they collaborate discreetly with national feminist and queer groups. These practices allow them to advance gender equality while mitigating potential government backlash, anti-feminist opposition, and community resistance.