This article originally appeared in T&S Issue 35, Summer 1997.
Hundreds of feminist academic books published each year, but few are written or edited by radical feminists and many are of interest only to those interested in abstract academic debates. Over the last eighteen months or so, however, there have been some books which speak directly to the political interests of radical feminists. Here are a few which think our readers should know about.
Lisa Adkins and Diana Leonard Sex in Question: French Materialist Feminism (Taylor & Francis, 1996)
Materialist feminism emerged as a distinctive form of radical feminism in France in the 1970s, but its adherents are usually excluded from the category ‘French Feminism’ as it is used in academic institutions in Britain, Australia and the US. Although some of these writers, notably Christine Delphy and Monique Wittig are well known outside France, many of the others are not. This collection makes translations of their work available and provides an informative introduction to this important tradition of feminist thought.
Diane Bell and Renate Klein (eds) Radically Speaking (Zed Books, 1996)
A huge compendium of recent radical feminist writing, some produced for this books and some reprinted from elsewhere. This book re-establishes the centrality of radical feminist thought for the women’s movement, addressing key issues for feminist activism today. The contributors also counter attacks on and misrepresentation of radical feminism and take on the pretensions of ‘high’ post-modernism.
Lynne Harne and Elaine Miller (eds) All the Rage: Reasserting Radical Lesbian Feminism (The Women’s Press, 1996)
The essays in this collection examine the emergence of gay lifestyles, queer theory and identity politics. Charting the rise of a new conservatism amongst lesbians, this book confronts the backlash against lesbian feminism, challenges the relevance of popular media images to lesbians today and offers strategies for collective action.
Stevi Jackson and Sue Scott (eds) Feminism and Sexuality: Reader (Edinburgh University Press, 1996)
This collection of feminist writings on sexuality over the last 25 years, focusing on crucial, and often heated, feminist debates. Issues covered include debates on essentialism, pornography, prostitution, political lesbianism and sexual violence. The editors aimed to include all shades of feminist opinion, but classic and more recent writings by radical feminists (including contributors to T&S) are well represented.
Monika Reinfelder (ed) Amazon to Zami: Towards a Global Lesbian Feminism (Cassell, 1996)
The articles in this collection explore the experience of lesbianism and lesbian feminist political activism on a global scale, challenging the idea that lesbian feminism is a Western phenomenon. It includes contributions from India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa, Costa Rica and Chile. Each of the authors discusses the oppression of lesbians in their respective countries and places their struggles in their specific political context.
Diane Richardson (ed) Theorising Heterosexuality (Open University Press, 1990)
The contributors to this book share an interest in developing feminist perspectives on heterosexuality and questioning the idea that it is ‘natural’ and ‘normal’. Not all of them are radical feminists — indeed they represent a broad spectrum of feminist opinion. However, the editor is a radical feminist and has ensured that differences are aired in the spirit of constructive discussion with none of the misrepresentation of others so common in debates around sexuality.