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Globalization and Democracy 233

that the presentation of relations between the sexes there is generally not

intended to be ironic – to realize that the definition of what it is to be a
woman in contemporary society has completely changed. It is no longer

simply assumed that all women will sacrifice their individual desires in
the name of being a good wife and mother, living vicariously through
their husbands and children; or that they will defer to men in public in
exchange for men ’ s protection and chivalry. Such changes are almost
imperceptible over the long term, but they are, nevertheless, very real. It
is incontrovertible that the way in which representations of women, and
also men, gendered subjectivity, and the details of relations between the
sexes contested as a result of the women ’ s movement has resulted in pro-
found changes in all these aspects of our lives. The expression “ I ’ m not
a feminist, but … ” followed by a statement which would have been

unthinkable before the emergence of the women ’ s movement in the 1960s
is a well - documented feature of contemporary life.
Other social movements have also been very effective. Now represented

by a multitude of scientific and political organizations, as well as putting
climate change on the agenda of political parties and governments every-
where, the environmental movement has also had a more intangible, but
more far - reaching impact on our very sense that we live on a planet with

finite resources and to which we may do irreparable damage out of care-

lessness. Reflections on the causes and consequences of climate change
have entered into the ways in which we work and enjoy ourselves; it is
diffi cult to avoid knowing about the range of ways in which we could,
or should, change our daily routines, think about what we consume or
what modes of transport we use, the extent to which we support how
national economies are oriented toward growth, our relationship with
animals and the countryside, and so on. Although, as in the case of the
women ’ s movement, there are no uncontroversial answers to any of the
problems raised by the environmental movement, the very fact that they
are now widely understood to be issues that require urgent attention is
in itself of political importance. They are not problems that can simply
be solved by states, by national or even international regulation, or by
markets appealing to self - interest. They require a complete transformation
in our understanding of how life should be lived and who we are.
Environmental problems can only be addressed if our self - image becomes
tied in to routines of daily life that protect rather than damage the planet.
In this respect, politics at the level of the state will only succeed if they
are related to fundamental transformations in all social relations.
Finally, the global justice movement, which is much newer than either
the feminist or the environmentalist movement and which has yet to make