by Steven Litchy
Introduction
Quantum feminist futures represent the fusion of quantum social theory (QST) and feminist futures, offering a robust and holistic interdisciplinary framework for addressing some of the complexities of the shared epistemic, spiritual, and global challenges related to our meta-crisis (Rowson, 2020). Contemporary dominant paradigms guiding humanity’s engagement with society, governance, economies, and our shared natural environment remain trapped in epistemologies, ontologies, and axiologies (values, ethics, aesthetics, etc.) that typically only produce more “used futures.” These are unlikely to change radically in the coming decades; therefore, this short article contributes a speculative futures exploration of quantum feminist futures (QFF).
As a fused paradigm, QFF weaves these two scholarly frameworks to: 1) critique patriarchal power and deterministic models, 2) embrace complexity and fluidity by acknowledging intersectional identities and the non-linear nature of social change, 3) amplify marginalised voices and universal agency, and 4) envision transformative change for just, equitable futures. QFF’s applications span geopolitics, relational ethics, climate change, alternative economies, and addressing social trauma from colonialism, conflict, and displacement.
QST and feminist futures are vast fields, and this article serves as a roadmap rather than an exhaustive discussion. The journey begins with Milojevic’s The Hesitant Feminist’s Guide to the Future, followed by an introduction to QST’s key contributions, a discussion of the QFF paradigm, and concluding suggestions for moving forward.
Feminist Futures
Feminist futures encompass diverse pathways shaped by feminism’s complex and multifaceted history, which has had numerous beginnings, phases, and revivals across different cultural contexts. As a movement toward social change, feminism inherently looks to the future, often clashing with forces that aim to maintain the status quo. Social movements, especially those advocating for women’s rights, challenge existing power structures, revealing that people often resist change due to habits and ingrained societal norms. This is particularly relevant in patriarchal societies, where men are typically seen as the “norm” and women as “the other.” Feminism’s quest for equality continues to push against these historical weights, envisioning a future of partnership rather than domination.
A recent contribution to feminist futures includes Milojević’s The Hesitant Feminist’s Guide to the Future (2024), where the author explores the evolution and complexities of feminist thought, emphasising its ongoing relevance in envisioning equitable futures, but also feminism’s historical struggles and modern challenges, particularly the hesitancy some people feel towards identifying as feminists despite agreeing with core principles of gender equality. Milojević delves into the role of language and social structures in shaping feminist discourse and the importance of reimagining gender norms to foster inclusive societies. She also references an array of feminist futurists, from Elise Boulding to Hazel Henderson to Eleonora Masini.
Milojević highlights several elements of feminist futures that converge with QST. Her concept of gender as a spectrum, where identities are dynamic rather than fixed, aligns with QST’s superposition, possibilities, and view of social realities as fluid and multiple. Her focus on interconnectedness and the collective nature of feminist movements, supporting the idea that social change requires solidarity, reflects QST’s emphasis on entanglement. Milojević’s optimism about the potential for transformative feminist change, while also introducing an understanding that progress toward gender equality may be non-linear and complex, resonates with the concept of quantum leaps, representing sudden shifts in consciousness.
Quantum Social Theory
As an emerging framework in social sciences, quantum social theory (QST) draws from principles of quantum mechanics to explore complex and often non-linear social phenomena. While quantum theory has been traditionally associated with physics, its concepts, such as entanglement, superposition, and uncertainty, are increasingly being applied to social sciences to address limitations in classical social theories, which often rely on linear, deterministic models (Atmanspacher, 2004; Orrell, 2024; Wendt, 2015; Zohar & Marshall, 1994). Quantum social theory provides a new way of understanding human behavior, social interactions, and cultural dynamics by acknowledging the inherent indeterminacies and interconnectedness within social systems (Fierke, 2022, 2024; Kastner, 2012, 2019; Van Langenhove, 2021).
QST uses analogies and metaphors to apply quantum principles to social domains like microvita and medical theory. Its influence spans psychology, sociology, political science, international relations, human geography, and peace studies (Der Derian & Wendt, 2020; Fierke & Mackay, 2020, 2022 & 2023; O’Brien 2016, 2021 & 2024). Researchers explore quantum concepts to explain complex social behaviours—such as voting patterns and reconciliation—where traditional models fall short (Barad, 2007; Khrennikov, 2010, 2021; Shimizu, 2024). QST also impacts research methodologies, advocating for approaches that embrace complexity, context, and reflexivity (Kauffman & Lomonaco, 2002; Kauffman & Radin, 2023; Stapp, 2012).
QST suggests that human decision-making is probabilistic rather than deterministic, challenging classical rational choice theories (Haven & Khrennikov, 2013). Like quantum mechanics, where particles exist in probability states until measured, decisions emerge from multiple potential outcomes that coexist until a choice is made (Aspalter, 2024; Rosen, 2021, 2023).
Numerous QST concepts have applications to feminist futures. These include entanglement/interconnected, non-locality, superposition, intersectionality/fluidity, probability, non-linearity/complexity, non-binarity, power/agency, emergence, reimagining time, etc. Vast scholarship could address the nexus of any of these, so what follows is only a summary of this fusion.
Quantum Feminist Futures Insight
By fusing quantum social theory (QST) with feminist futures, QFF can provide several insightful elements. As an introductory article, five concepts are used in this next section to demonstrate the applicability and utility of QFF as a paradigm or social transformation framework.
Complexity and uncertainty
Both feminist futures and quantum social theory explore complexity and uncertainty in social dynamics, providing holistic insights into societal structures and systems. Feminist theories address the complex intricacies of social identities and power relations, while quantum theory emphasises complexity, where actions affect entire systems. This approach highlights the observer’s role in quantum mechanics, where observation affects the observed system states. Similarly, QST suggests that researchers influence social phenomena by their presence, underscoring the reflexivity of social research (Barad, 1998, 2007; Fierke, 2022).
Embracing uncertainty, as Zohar & Marshall (1994) and O’Brien (2021) advocate, shifts us from deterministic models to seeing indeterminacy as a source of creativity. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle challenges fixed views in social science, fostering openness to multiple outcomes—key for adaptive responses in areas like climate change (O’Brien, 2016). Fierke & Mackay apply quantum concepts to international relations, advocating for flexibility in diplomacy and conflict resolution. Their concept of Dynamic Entangled Memory Mapping (DEMM) “involves the representation and mapping of relational patterns of transgenerational traumatic memory, which, it is assumed, remain entangled with the past and fuel the affect surrounding contemporary migrations, among other things” (2020, p. 458). Meanwhile, Zohar (2022) extends QST to organisations, promoting adaptability and learning. Leaders who embrace uncertainty create resilient environments that support experimentation and change. Barad (2007) reinforces these ideas, rejecting linear cause-and-effect models and viewing uncertainty as a catalyst for creativity.
Interconnectedness and entanglement
Feminist futures theory’s exploration of diverse identities aligns with quantum theory’s view of interconnectedness, suggesting that feminist approaches can help develop holistic understandings of societal dynamics. QST’s concept of entanglement highlights the deep interconnectedness of individuals and groups, suggesting that social actors are not isolated but mutually influence one another in complex ways that transcend simple cause and effect (Barad 1998, 2007; O’Brien 2016, 2021 & 2024; Zohar 2010 & 2022). This perspective aligns with feminist ideals of solidarity and collective action, supporting the idea that social change is inherently collaborative and non-linear. By acknowledging entanglement, feminist futures can better appreciate how individual acts, like resistance or support, ripple through social systems, fostering broader societal transformation (Milojević, 1995, 1996, 1998a/b, 2024).
In practical terms, this quantum-inspired view promotes holistic leadership, emphasising systemic impact, shared purpose, and collective responsibility. It offers a valuable lens for addressing global challenges like climate change by recognising interdependencies (O’Brien, 2016).
Intersectionality and fluidity
Feminist futures and quantum social theory share a focus on intersectionality and fluidity, recognising identities as dynamic and interconnected. Grounded in Crenshaw (1991) and Butler (1990, 1993), intersectionality reveals how race, class, gender, and sexuality interact. Quantum social theory reinforces this by challenging linear, isolated identities and supporting a holistic view of social systems (Barad, 2007).
Similarly, the concept of fluidity in quantum social theory—seen in its embrace of uncertainty and superposition—aligns with feminist efforts to move beyond binary gender constructs, promoting a view of gender as flexible and co-created through social interactions. This perspective reinforces the idea that identities are not fixed but are constantly evolving, offering a foundation for inclusive, adaptive, and transformative social futures (Cixous, 1976; Irigaray, 1977).
Superposition and observer effect
The concept of superposition in QST suggests that social systems, like particles in quantum mechanics, exist in multiple potential states simultaneously until an observation or intervention causes one outcome to “collapse” into a single state of reality through actions, decisions, or interventions (O’Brien, 2021; Wendt, 2015). This principle challenges deterministic views, emphasising that the future is open to possibilities shaped by human actions and decisions. The idea of quantum leaps—sudden shifts in social consciousness—supports the potential for rapid, transformative change, offering hope for reimagining social norms, such as those surrounding gender (Milojević 2024).
By embracing the concept of superposition, quantum social theory encourages us to recognise our agency in shaping the future. We are not merely passive observers but active participants in a dynamic and evolving social reality. This framework allows for sudden shifts in social consciousness and behavior, acknowledging the potential for rapid and unpredictable change. Ultimately, quantum social theory provides a lens for understanding social systems as complex, dynamic, and full of potential, inviting us to embrace uncertainty, challenge deterministic narratives, and actively participate in creating the future we desire.
QST’s observer effect—where observation influences reality—suggests that individuals can actively contribute to meaningful transformation by becoming more conscious of their influence (Barad, 2007). This principle extends to international relations, where Fierke (2022, 2023) argues that the perceptions of policymakers and media can shape social realities, particularly in security contexts where threats can become self-fulfilling. This also aligns with feminist futures’ vision of fluid gender spectrums and diverse futures, reinforcing the idea that multiple potential realities coexist, awaiting the right conditions for emergence and transformation (Milojević, 2024).
Quantum Leaps
The concept of quantum leaps in social theory describes sudden, transformative shifts in social consciousness and behaviour, inspired by electrons transitioning between energy states. This framework suggests that small actions or collective movements can trigger significant social changes, offering optimism for progress within entrenched systems (O’Brien, 2021; Zohar, 2010).
Feminist movements, as Milojević (2024) notes, can rapidly disrupt oppression, driving gender equity and social justice. Collective awareness shapes social change, enabling experimental policies like universal basic income or transformative justice. Such initiatives act as “quantum leaps”, fostering radically new futures for today’s complex possibilities in social organisation, where different futures can emerge from the current complex landscape of possibilities.
New Directions Forward
Quantum feminist futures (QFF) bridges physical sciences, social sciences, feminism, and futures studies, offering a nuanced lens on social phenomena. Integrating quantum principles and feminist thought highlights the fluid, interconnected, and indeterminate nature of human behaviour. QFF reshapes our understanding of social realities, fostering new ways to engage with complexity and unpredictability. Key themes and intersections include:
- Interconnectedness and the Environment: In recognising the deep interdependence between humans and nature, this framework advocates for sustainable practices that honor the rights of both human and non-human entities. Integrating diverse perspectives, particularly those of marginalised communities, fosters climate justice and ethical resource management.
- Transformative Economics: A critical examination of capitalist structures reveals their role in perpetuating inequality. Alternative economic models—such as cooperatives and mutual aid networks—offer more equitable and sustainable approaches. These systems prioritise collaboration over hierarchy, reflecting feminist values of inclusivity and shared prosperity.
- Politics of Inclusion: Challenging patriarchal political structures requires governance models that are community-driven, participatory, and transparent. Insights from quantum theory’s observer effect align with feminist calls for diverse representation, highlighting how the presence and actions of individuals—whether researchers, political leaders, or participants—can shape social and political outcomes.
- Cultural Shifts in Identity and Education: Emphasising fluidity in identity, this perspective questions binary constructs and informs educational reform that values diverse histories and perspectives. By embracing complexity, intersectionality, and self-determination, it empowers individuals to co-create inclusive futures.
- Potential for Rapid Social Transformation: The concept of quantum leaps parallels the momentum of feminist movements in disrupting oppressive structures. Even small actions can catalyze profound societal shifts, reinforcing the vision of just and equitable futures.
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