"White women elected Trump": feminism in 'dark times,' its present and future

Women-centred social movements are currently undergoing a period of intense self-reflection and -criticism following the election of Donald J. Trump as President, and in the context of the large degree of support he received from white women. This paper analyses the event of the ‘women’s marches’ that took place globally the day following Trump’s presidential inauguration for its significance for the present and future of feminism. The consequence of the marches has been debated both by participants and non-participants, due to the broad range of issues, interests, and demands present at the events. While there was a diversity of participants in the marches, a common criticism from non-participants was that the march was insufficiently political in its goals and manifestation, too novice and too disparate to constitute real political action. This paper responds to this concern and its implications by staging an exchange between Hannah Arendt and Jacques Rancière, in order to clarify the possibilities of movements such as the marches for the future of feminism.