Research spotlight: Prof Maxine Molyneux

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what you do at UCL

I spent my teenage years in Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the 1960s, and this is what led me to become a ‘Latin Americanist’. But the Dirty Wars in the Southern Cone meant having to abandon plans to do doctoral research on Argentina’s feminist movements. Instead I decided to analyse revolutions and state socialism in the global south with particular reference to Ethiopia, South Yemen, and Nicaragua, the latter two through a focus on how gender inequality persisted in societies that claimed to have emancipated women. But for the most part my research has been on and in Latin America, complemented by an engagement with policy related work, chiefly with agencies of the UN with whom I have enjoyed a long and ongoing relationship, including with former students who went on to join different agencies.

I retired in September 2023 and I am now an Emeritus Professor at UCL but still feel pretty busy with writing plans, Fellowships at Chatham House and Canning house, and giving a few lectures here and there, including to the International Development course at the Institute which I enjoy very much. 

Tell us about your research

I’m a Political Sociologist which means that I’m interested in the relationship between politics, power and society. My research has been on issues of international development, social policy, law and society, with a focus on how sex and gender shape and are  shaped by social processes.

One area of interest is welfare systems and social rights, - a recent lecture I gave in Peru will be published later this year. Recent published research includes a collaborative project investigating young women’s attitudes towards sexual and reproductive health in Cuba. We found a high percentage of conservative views across the spectrum of social attitudes concerning marriage, family and sex most likely linked to the increased influence of the churches in parts of Cuba.  

My other project, just finished, was a UCL-funded collaboration with two other colleagues on women’s grass roots organisations in Chile and the UK that are concerned with the issue of care. These began as small groups working with carers of disabled children to raise awareness of the great ‘care deficits’ their communities suffered from, and over time they developed into highly effective advocacy organisations lobbying for  support and rights for carers.  We worked with the leaders here and in Chile to write a policy paper and with them, we made six webinars in Spanish and English to document their organisations’ evolution and to draw policy lessons  for dissemination to other activist care groups. I’ve always enjoyed collaborative work and this project was such a great illustration of the way community activists can work to bring important policy changes.

What has been your most memorable career moment so far?

There have been a few but none quite so absorbing as those associated with the international women’s human rights movement that started in the 1970s and which culminated in 30,000 delegates from all over the world attending the UN’s Beijing Conference in 1990. 

As a participant in the world of women’s rights advocacy I was given some great opportunities to work on improving policy outcomes for women. I had been fortunate to belong to a generation of pioneering feminist scholars and activists who, from the mid-70s were able to contribute to the paradigm shift towards a more critical, gender sensitive, international and equal rights approach to development policy and practice.

Latin America, after the return to democracy was ready for change. Civil society was effervescent, new demands were placed on governments, promises to deepen and further democracy were made, and women’s movements were pressing for the implementation of the new international frameworks proposed at the four UN women’s conferences. It was an inspiring and optimistic time, and quite a lot was achieved, but the deeper structures of inequality, and the model of capitalism that produced it undermined the real possibilities of more meaningful change.

What are your main interests outside work?

It sounds like work I guess, but can I say that I am very interested in politics and history and like a thoughtful podcast while out walking? I also love a good conversation over decent food, and watch quite a lot of art house movies. Art is a long standing must, so that’s another great pleasure.

If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I think I would die of dietary boredom if I had to eat one meal a day forever.

What’s your favourite city, and why?

London is for me the greatest city to live in, with its history, architecture, green spaces, internationalism, art and culture. Since coming to England I have always lived in London and have no plans to move elsewhere. But I have a nostalgic love of Buenos Aires, from when I was a schoolgirl there in the 1960s, and have some valued friendships that draw me back from time to time. 

Argentina also has a fascinating and perplexing political culture and I owe my first published research paper to that rich history. This was on Argentine Anarchism and the feminists who published a militant paper, La Voz de la Mujer, in the 1890s. To my great delight uncovering this hidden history has led an Argentine director to make a full length feature film on La Voz that appeared about ten years ago.   

Where are you happiest?

With my son Alex, almost anywhere.

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I generally have several books on the go, so at my bedside just now are Robert Kagan’s short book The Jungle Grows Back which reflects on US international policy from the 20^th century to the current rolling back from the post war settlement; I’m also enjoying Chimananda Ngozi Adiche’s Dream Count about female friendship; and I’ve just started a novel by the Argentine writer, Martin Kohan, Confession.

Links

• Celebrating 12 Years of Excellence - Reflecting on the Past and Shaping the Future of the Americas

• Professor Molyneux's profile