Interim Report of the Working Group "A moral compass?"

9 December 2025

Photo: Pixabay

This project raises two questions in order to address three objectives:

First, how can feminist visions guide the transformation from societies suffering from interrelated crises to sustainable societies, and second, how is feminism both contesting the status quo and is itself internally contested through differing conceptions of Feminism? By applying the method of ‘zooming in’, the project highlights three dimensions of governance pertaining to aspects of the polycrisis in more detail: the role of order, norms and policy.

• On order, feminists have, for instance, been involved in criticising the dominant ordering of nuclear weapons governance. Conventionally, the global nuclear order entails deterrence as a central element, clashing with nuclear disarmament. Feminist interventions from civil society and academia have long advocated for disarmament, yet Feminist Foreign Policies published by governments frequently exclude this normative aspiration - nuclear ordering remains contested.
• By focusing on the role of norms within governance we investigate how feminists navigate norm clashes occurring in the response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine: is it, for instance, possible to reconcile pacifism and self-defence? Within this work, core norms of feminist theory will be identified and then analysed and challenged within the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, by looking at Ukrainian feminists’ practice.
• To address questions about policy details, we specifically look into the practices of Feminist Foreign Policy (FPP) in order to uncover structures of FPP and to illuminate social dynamics. Here we reconstruct how FPP is conceived and implemented in order to unearth transformative potential towards achieving and maintaining societal sustainability. Here, we are particularly interested in implicit knowledge as the epistemic infrastructure for action, which we bring to the fore based on a practice-focused inquiry of contested conceptions of Feminism. Looking at this through the lens of communities of practice enables grasping the social dynamics of FFP-practice.

In a nutshell, this working group aims to deliver a research application with the German Research Foundation (DFG Sachbeihilfeantrag) as well as an academic expert workshop, a CSS working paper and as a follow-up of these a further peer-reviewed publication.

Have the objectives of the working group been achieved or has the objective changed?

The working group has successfully realised the goals, a process which involved some adaptations such as adding a more rigorous focus on sustainable governance in a global context. To that end, we hypothesised that what matters centrally for feminist actors attempting to create a sustainable international society is access to norm contestation. To that end, we developed a comprehensive research plan envisioned to re-centre studying I/international R/relations from international institutions and state-governments towards non-state actors and governance from below. In doing so, we are building on norms research, social movement studies and practice theory.

What significance does the work of the working group have for research in this field?

• Antje Wiener submitted the project proposal “Re-Centring Global Governance from below: The Case of ‘Feminist Global Politics’ (RECENTRE)” with the DFG in September 2025. The project applies for three PhD researcher positions over three years (640.670 EUR). The proposal writing stage was supported by the WG budget (6.200 EUR for research assistance).
• In addition, Valentin Lechner and Jannis Kappelmann presented their respective research at the European International Studies Association’s Pan-European Conference 2025 in Bologna. Valentin Lechner presented the working paper “Practicing Feminist Foreign Policy – Between Innovation and Reproduction”, Jannis Kappelmann presented the working paper “The diverse ways of feminist practices contesting nuclear ordering under digital conditions: arts, activism, academia and imagining the nuclear” (this activity was supported by CSS/ESRAH with 1.534 EUR).
• Furthermore, Jannis Kappelmann presented the draft working paper "Feminist Futuring and the Polycrisis” by Antje Wiener, Zoe Huppertz, Jannis Kappelmann and Valentin Lechner at the international conference “Security Beyond Exclusion? Reimagining Desirable Security Futures” in Hamburg.
• All papers resulted from collaborative research in the context of the working group; they aim to make a contribution to International Relations (IR). Conference travel was supported by the WG budget (1.534 EUR).

What significance does the work of the working group have for the sustainable development of society?

The interim results of the working group have significant implications for studying sustainable development of global order by analysing pathways to contestation in global governance, we are in the position to develop strategies of increasing societal multiplicity and study successful pathways to participation, leading to more inclusive and more legitimate decisions. In our research, we apply a broad understanding of sustainability, going beyond environmental sustainability and encompassing social and societal sustainability.

What's next for the working group? What can we look forward to?

In the short term, the working group’s focus will be on completing the CSS Working Paper. In addition, and pending reviewer reports which are expected in early 2026, the group aims to continue with follow-up research within the framework of a DFG funded project. In the mid- and long-term the three junior researchers will complete their respective doctoral dissertations, thereby drawing on the group’s joint research.

You can find out more about the Working Group here.