Can "agency" in the sense of "self-agency" be plural?

My question pertains to academic writing in fields like philosophy.

Normally "agency" meaning "the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power" (Merriam-Webster) is an uncountable noun, as in "My agency in this matter is limited. I can't do much to help you."

In academic usage, can it also be plural? Example: "Refugees have many agencies in resisting marginalization," meaning they have many different ways of taking control. Or should it be "Refugees have a great deal of agency." Can anyone find an example of the plural "agencies" in academic writing? I just need to know if it's permissible.

Solution 1:

Cambridge says that "agency" with this meaning is uncountable:

If you put it in the plural it will be understood as:

businesses that represent one group of people when dealing with another group

or

government organizations.

You don't want that. If your emphasis is on the plurality of ways, you may want to say:

Refugees have/find many ways to exert agency/ways of exerting agency in resisting marginalization.

Google provides a few academic instances of the expression ways of exerting agency or ways to exert agency.