Beyond hesitancy: Dialogues and reflections on feminist futures

This Symposium response builds on the themes of The Hesitant Feminist’s Guide to the Future (2024) and the contributions of thirty authors that emerged from it. The Symposium itself arose from a year-long engagement with the theme of feminist futures and affirms the enduring necessity of feminist thought and action in futures studies. The contributions, published as articles, essays, or texts in JFS Perspectives, explore diverse themes, including gender inclusivity, participatory research, feminist foreign policy and international relations, state and familial patriarchy, decolonial feminism, work and entrepreneurship, motherhood, time, ecology, and inner psychological processes such as hope and empowerment. The authors’ ‘positionality’ is equally diverse; geographically, they are spread across the globe. This diversity of thought is reflected in a range of methodological approaches, with contributors employing techniques such as Causal Layered Analysis and speculative design to explore alternative futures. What they share, however, is a commitment to challenging patriarchal and techno-utopian narratives while simultaneously advocating for intersectional and transformative approaches to futures thinking. In summary, the collection reinforces the potential of feminist thought to reshape dominant narratives and create new pathways towards inclusive and sustainable futures.