Balancing Pessimism of the Intellect and Optimism of the Will: Some Reflections on the Capability Approach, Gender, Empowerment, and Education

Abstract

In this chapter, Elaine Unterhalter considers four brief moments in the history of the concept of ‘empowerment’ and links these with the capability approach. To ‘empower’ in a pessimistic sense dates to the English civil war and was initially used to describe the illicit exercise of authority on behalf of powerful actors. In the twentieth century, ‘empowerment’ came to be reframed optimistically to describe Black Power and liberation theology, and later a kind of solidarity and activism associated with the women’s movement. Since then the term has been increasingly criticised by feminists and social activists due to its co-optation by the status quo, which typically involves suppressing its transformative potential. Unterhalter draws on Gramsci’s notion of hegemony to help explain this process. But her main contribution is to show how three conceptual links with the capability approach (along with reflexive comparative education) can bolster the notion of empowerment by helping to ensure that it continues to engage with equality and social justice. The three conceptual connections in question involve emphasising the importance of context and human diversity for articulating capabilities, stressing the role of human agency in promoting fairness and solidarity, and embracing deliberative democracy and participation for evaluative purposes.