Women, Culture and Politics

by Angela Y. Davis

A collection of her speeches and writings which address the political and social changes of the past decade as they are concerned with the struggle for racial, sexual, and economic equality.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Theory, Race, Essays

Paperback

First published February 4, 1989

About the author

Angela Yvonne Davis is an American political activist, scholar, and author. She emerged as a nationally prominent activist and radical in the 1960s, as a leader of the Communist Party USA, and had close relations with the Black Panther Party through her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement despite never being an official member of the party. Prisoner rights have been among her continuing interests; she is the founder of Critical Resistance, an organization working to abolish the prison-industrial complex. She is a retired professor with the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is the former director of the university's Feminist Studies department.

Her research interests are in feminism, African American studies, critical theory, Marxism, popular music, social consciousness, and the philosophy and history of punishment and prisons. Her membership in the Communist Party led to Ronald Reagan's request in 1969 to have her barred from teaching at any university in the State of California. She was tried and acquitted of suspected involvement in the Soledad brothers' August 1970 abduction and murder of Judge Harold Haley in Marin County, California. She was twice a candidate for Vice President on the Communist Party USA ticket during the 1980s.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This set of essays is mostly derived from speeches Dr Davis gave in the late 1980s, during Reagan's second administration, though a few are from earlier. I'm not sure it's really intended that a reader should sit down with an apple and just plow through this collection end-to-end as if it were a literary snack: there is some overlap of issues in many of the chapters, which is to be expected because they originated as talks to a variety of audiences, from women's groups to graduating high school classes, over a number of years.

Throughout the volume she centers on women's issues, racial issues, and economic issues; particularly as those all affect the working class and prospects for social progress. A few of the essays could be profitably used as required reading in modern US history classes, and her comments about social problems are often equally valid today.

One interesting essay is about her experiences in Egypt; another covers South African politics, and Winnie Mandela in particular; another is all about Clara Zetkin (a name I didn't previously know). The last few essays concern the arts, photography, and so forth; and in one she touches upon some issues in her own life, such as her imprisonment. (So I urge you to go forth and read her bio on Wikipedia.)

The thing that struck me most glaringly about every single essay in the book is not the fact that they're all articulate, pointed, and sometimes uplifting... But that, sadly, there has been remarkably little improvement in civil rights, racial equality, and women's status since the 1980s.

Truly, as I've read on signs for several protest marches over the years, we live in a world of "same shit, different century", and we obviously need to keep protesting this crap because in 2017, we seem to be in a horrifying downward tailspin back into the Dark Ages. (Haha, so now you know my political leaning, if that wasn't obvious before.)

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book several times...so ready to teach my women's studies class!

[Sunny Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

essential readinggggg

[Zuzana Kubáň · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, I think that Angela Davis might have given this book its name due to the previous success of "Women, Race, & Class" which - while comparable - are vastly different books. Where her first book was a narrative of American history which incorporated gender, race, and class, this book was a collection of her speeches relating to gender, culture, and politics (as well as race).

Frankly, I did not find this book as exciting. Any kind of reader who is familiar with Davis’ work will already know most of the things she's spoken about. Moreover, it also feels quite “outdated” with her references to the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Despite that though, I still found some parts of the book which were new to me. I particularly liked her discussion on the wearing of a veil by Egyptian women, in which she incorporated the narratives and reasoning of these women or her explanation of what’s so problematic about white feminist’s “crusade” against FGM in the Global South. Furthermore, although some of the ideas and thoughts expressed in the book felt rather repetitive, they were certainly worth reiterating - such as her explanation of how black women continue to carry the greatest burden in our society.

Perhaps this isn’t a book that you should “read as a book” per se. Rather than reading the book chapter by chapter and then putting it away, this book is meant to embody something to pick up every so often to remind yourself of the importance of the fight against discrimination; as well as to serve as a check to yourself to stay grounded and humble as a white woman - that is, to not do more harm than good.

[Camino · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Prácticamente nada nuevo respecto a Mujeres, raza y clase. 21 euros bastante mal invertidos, esto me pasa por no innovar en autoras

[aynekaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Progressive art can assist people to learn not only the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about THE INTENSELY SOCIAL CHARACTER OF THEIR INTERIOR LIVES. [min caps]"

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The content here is obviously great and very interesting, if a little dated--though also upsetting to realize how much is actually still relevant today. But I didn't find the formatting of a bunch of essays and speeches all collected together to feel particularly strong or inspiring. There was something a little lacking here in the execution of the collection for me.

[Arushi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute must-read in 2025. Angela Davis is such an inspiring writer and activist, and her voice literally commands action out of you. She articulates the working class, female, and racial struggle with urgency and bravery, empowering the reader to feel connected to the collective's need, a citizen of all humanity and not just the individual.

Women, Culture, and Politics is a collection of essays and speeches Davis gave in the 1980s, during a time not unlike the one we currently live in. She critiques Reagan's "Make America Great Again" philosophy and anti-working class, anti-affirmative action, anti-welfare, etc. views as he colludes with the interests of corporations instead of those of the average American. She explains that people were ensnared through bred ignorance into a trap that would worsen the lives of all working class people, and how his presidency undid years of progress for employment, healthcare, food security, etc. There are too many sad parallels to the country we live in today-- Trump and Reagan use the same fear-based, anti-facts rhetoric to uphold a system of white supremacy.

It's easy to read this book and lament about all that has not changed. Fundamentally, America has always been an exploitative, capitalistic, racist, patriarchal system built on the backs of genocide and slavery. This has not changed, and Trump's presidency has only reminded us that billionaires and corporations do not care about our wellbeing. However, despite the periods of progress and regression over the last few decades, the tides of social power have trended upwards for marginalized folks. At the time of Davis' writing, forced sterilizations, death by starvation/malnourishment, and KKK violence were significantly more prevalent. There had only ever been one female supreme court justice, much of Black America lacked any economic or political power, and women were largely excluded from the workforce. While the unjust systems have yet to fall, we the people have more power and people in the fight than ever before.

In today's prevalent culture of Gen-Z "doomerism" around political issues, so many of us are inundated with constant barrages of traumatic, enraging content that optimizes for engagement and not action. This is deliberate. The far-right wants us overwhelmed, jaded, and utterly immobilized. Davis's voice, drawing from her years of being a freedom fighter and political prisoner, cuts through the noise. If you take one thing from this book, it is that we must celebrate every victory we get, no matter how small. In a country designed to subjugate, disenfranchise, and exploit us, we have made progress in our fight for the dignity and rights we as all deserve. Every win must be rejoiced in, and we must continue to dance, sing, and make art throughout the revolution - as Angela Davis says, freedom is a constant struggle, a war and not a battle.

[Corinne Mammarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another example of how public school history failed me

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely outdated... but as a child of the early 90's I have no conceptualization of the Reagan years. I obviously know the infamous nature of his presidency and in particular the economic and social implications his public policy had in shifting the the dominate political discourse of the US to the right; ensuring the power of global corporations, right wing pundits, and further veiling white supremacy in the individualistic rhetoric of neoliberal multiculturalism... That being said, I felt that Angela Davis's collection of speeches and essays (in which this book embodies) provides a powerful analysis and radically articulate critique of the political, societal, and economic climate that defined the 80's. The importance of this text emerges (for me) in the connections evoked between the forgotten and ignored subjectivities (i.e. queer, of color, women, immigrant, and poor communities) that were the real victims of Reagan's administration. Now more than ever, I understand the importance of historical memory and its roll in defining the collective consciousness of those who are oppressed by American hegemony. I recommend this book to all the members of my generation, as tool in helping conceptualize the evolution of white supremacy, racism, economic inequality, and women's oppression at the end of the 20th century.

[Miriam Houghton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been wanting to read Angela Davis’ work for awhile now and after this single book, I’m in awe of her! In this collection of essays/speeches analyzing the intersections between race, class, gender, imperialism, capitalism and more, her intellect and insight frequently caused me to sit back and take a moment to process her statements. While reading, the inextricability of all social justice causes was emphasized to me in ways that I had never previously considered through connections that I lacked the awareness to discern before. The principles that Davis espouses in this book remain extremely relevant today, as the fights she was involved in are still very much ongoing. I was really inspired by and learned a lot from this book.

[erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

definitely dated, but there are still some very important discussions in this book that still pertain to the world today

[Fernando Medeiros santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

MDS POR QUE DEMOREI TANTO PRA LER ALGO DA ANGELA DAVIS?

E agora eu só estou com esse sentimento de recuperar o tempo perdido e estudar absolutamente tudo que essa mulher incrível já publicou. Também de assistir à alguma palestra, assim que houver a oportunidade.

Como o livro do Ailton Krenak que eu li há alguns dias, esse aqui também é um compilado de textos e discursos organizados pela própria autora, com a diferença de que o volume de artigos nessa obra é bem maior do que no "Ideias para adiar o fim do mundo". Sei que a comparação não é a coisa mais saudável a se fazer, mas não posso deixar de dizer que todas as coisas que senti falta no livro do Ailton, eu encontrei com a Angela Davis: há uma contextualização muito interessante que ajuda o leitor a se situar sobre os problemas abordados. A própria ordem dos artigos ajuda na construção desse arcabouço e conforme eu avançava na obra, me sentia mais iterado sobre os acontecimentos históricos e cenário político da época.

Falando nisso, inclusive, esse é o Ponto Tapa na Cara: a autora está relatando coisas que ocorreram até e durante a década de 80, sendo muitas dessas questões ainda persistentes hoje, em 2021, 40 anos depois. Obviamente também há avanços, mas é difícil ver que a luta, apesar de árdua, gera resultados a prazos tão longos.

O ponto que mais me marcou, no entanto, foi logo nos primeiros capítulos quando Angela traz o lema de "Erguendo-nos, enquanto subimos" ("Lifting as we climb", no orginal), para relatar que a luta pela igualdade de gênero e contra o racismo não é algo exclusivo de um determinado recorte. Precisamos nos erguer juntos, enquanto escalamos. Precisamos enxergar perfis e cenários com problemas distintos dos nossos e ajudar aqueles em situações mais críticas, pois a vitória desses grupos também é uma vitória do todo. Ter esse conhecimento me ajudou a enxergar a luta LGBTQIA+ (da qual faço parte) por um outro tipo de prima, e até agora estou me questionando de como um grupo tão diverso pode se unir para ganhar mais força de mudança. É uma pergunta difícil, mas não é impossível de ser resolvida.

Leia esse aqui porque ele é extremamente necessário dentro do mundo que vivemos hoje.

[Kelvin Dias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li alguns livros de Angela esse ano e parte deles soa repetitivo, mas esse tem contribuições muito ricas. Talvez por ser um de seus primeiros lançamentos. Se eu pudesse elencar as 3 principais obras do pensamento de Davis, esse livro estaria ao lado de Mulheres, Raça e Classe, e Estarão as prisões obsoletas?.

Considero os capítulos que mais se destacaram: o que escancara o caráter racista do neoliberalismo, não apenas por se tratar de um projeto que atinge principalmente os mais vulneráveis, mas por mostrar como economistas tecnocratas usavam abertamente de argumentos racistas em defesa dessa política.

E também as considerações sobre as mulheres no Egito. Muitas nuances sobre mutilação genital feminina, como o local de visibilidade da mulher revolucionária ocidental é também um reflexo da divisão internacional do trabalho. Ainda, discute-se sobre o Véu, a priori, era um símbolo de resistência aos valores capitalistas ocidentais, paradoxalmente, passa a ser um meio de consolidação do próprio capitalismo, no sentido de ser uma consequência direta de desigualdades sociais.

Qualquer abordagem verdadeiramente comprometida com os direitos das mulheres por uma emancipação coletiva, não pode jamais ignorar as questões econômicas.

A capacidade do capitalismo em se apropriar de diversas questões para garantir sua adaptação e perpetuação é impressionante. A realidade é difusa e é preciso estar atento. Tudo é uma grande disputa. Se você opta pelo entendimento mais fácil, muito provavelmente a ideologia dominante está conseguindo fisgar você.

[Clara]

"Mulheres, cultura e política" é um livro de Angela Davis, filósofa e ativista muito conhecida pela luta pelos direitos civis. Este livro é um compilado de textos, artigos e discursos de Davis realizados na década de 1980. O livro é dividido em 3 grandes temáticas: "sobre as mulheres e a busca por igualdade e paz", "sobre questões internacionais", "sobre educação e cultura".
Nesse livro é visível o quanto Angela estudou muito sobre os assuntos que apresenta, trazendo diversas estatísticas e fatos históricos. Ainda que as estatísticas (por serem da década de 80) não estejam atualizadas, o livro traz muitos ensinamentos e reflexões acerca do feminismo e da luta contra o racismo. Davis traz as lutas contra o machismo, o racismo, a favor da classe trabalhadora e pelo fim das guerras como importantes e co-determinantes umas as outras, ao expor de maneira brilhante que essas lutas beneficiam a todos e todas, e que nenhum preconceito será de fato exterminado se não analisarmos e mudarmos a conjuntura sócio-historica inerente a eles. Recomendo a todos e todas, por ser um livro curto, de linguagem acessível e leitura e que apresenta conceitos fundamentais.

[Sofia Dolabela · Rating 4 out of 5]

o jeito que a angela davis escreve é fascinante; ela consegue transformar debates densos de sociologia e política em fluxos muito cativantes e didáticos com uma facilidade impressionante. a tradução da boitempo também é sempre excelente. acho que gostei mais da autobiografia e do mulheres, raça e classe porque são mais potentes na amplitude dos temas; nesse, naturalmente há certa repetição já que o compilado se limita a década de 1980. ainda assim, é uma aula, como sempre, especialmente rico justamente por se debruçar nesse período em específico - tão definidor do depois, e resultado dos violentos embates das duas décadas antes. recomendo sempre

[shar]

This is a loose collection of her writings and speeches so it's obviously not as detailed as her other works. It's more of a cursory glance. But whatever her politics in the present, Angela Davis remains one of the few thinkers who sees with startling clarity the interconnectedness of our oppressions; there's constant reference to Palestinian struggle and a lucid recognition that U.S. imperialism contributed to the detriment of women's rights across the globe. Some dated material but still an illuminating read.

[Elise Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Brent for this book! This book was jam packed with extremely relevant and insightful information. It was very helpful in reframing some of the sex-based feminist issues and contextualizing them in terms of socioeconomic status and the different desires and needs for collective improvement at different strata.
Some was out of date or repetitive across the speeches, but altogether I’m very glad I read it.

[Nishka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very important and informative collection of essays. Because a lot of the collection was made up of her speeches they started to become repetitive, which isn’t criticism of the material but rather the choice to include them together in this collection. The essay on women in Egypt was probably my favorite!

[Marília Bacci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embora também seja uma coletânea de textos (assim como Ideias para Adiar o Fim do Mundo, do Krenak), achei bem "fácil de ler, pois Davis traz bastante contexto.

Os assuntos não são fáceis de digerir, portanto não cometa o mesmo erro que eu: NÃO LEIA DURANTE O CAFÉ DA MANHÃ!

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peguei pra ler sem saber que era uma compilação de discursos e artigos dos anos 80. Não tenho tanto interesse nesse conteúdo, apesar de até ser interessante aprender mais sobre o contexto histórico do governo Reagan e comparar com os Estados Unidos hoje.
Por outro lado, o artigo sobre as mulheres no Egito foi muito instigante, o ponto alto do livro, e me induziu a ir atrás de saber mais.

[Toni Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Textos que no dejan de ser el recorrido vital por la vida de Angela Davis. Una buena forma de entender la lucha contra el racismo en Estados Unidos, la guerra sucía y la visión de los que no se quedan callados. Vuelve a ser vigente, tal como anda todo.

[Juliana Linares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essencial!!

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that makes you think

Th series of articles and speeches presented in this book certainly make one think. It gas certainly has made me rethink the Reagan Era. The author's downfall is in thinking that Che Guevarra was a revolutionary, instead of the murdering asshole that he really was. A must read for those wishing to learn and who don't mind having their political buttons pushed.

[sydney s · Rating 5 out of 5]

Radically important.

[Ryan O'Malley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so impressed by how ahead of the times Davis is puts a vision for the future that is pro equality in every aspect. Even writing from times when her peers were not at that point.

[Christina Cerutti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a thought-provoking, informative read. I think it's an incredibly important read, especially in today's political climate.

[Dayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this book contained essays from the Reagan years, I wonder if Angela Davis is still a communist. I mean , 40 years later, only Russia, China, and South Korea are all clearly dictatorships with a very unhappy population. Ideally, communism sounds like a fair deal, but in the end it has only weakened the population, and took away their hope.

[Ann (Inky Labyrinth)]

How can I give a rating to such a book?

I kept going back and forth on whether or not it was depressing or inspiring that Davis's words are just as true and just as important as they were forty years ago.

[Nea Poulain · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://www.neapoulain.com/2019/01/re...

Yo sólo diré que fue mejor Mujeres, raza y clase. Este libro tiene un problema: ser inconexo. Son un montón de discursos y trabajos que Angela Davis dio a lo largo de su trayectoria política y, aunque todos tienen contenidos similares en cuanto a línea política, no tienen una unión tan firme como para meterlos a todos en un libro. De verdad. Aun así, hay varias cosas destacables del libro que me gustaría hacer notar.

1) El ensayo y trabajo que hizo sobre Egipto me pareció bastante interesante. Creo que fue ahí onde más pude ver a la Angela Davis de mujeres, raza y clase. Su análisis hace mucho énfasis en como la clase separa a las mujeres y cómo los intereses de la burguesía no son los intereses del proletariado. Tiene un análisis muy bueno sobre el velo y sus implicaciones, que comparte con Nawal el-Sadaawi, de La cara desnuda de la mujer árabe. Acá les dejo una serie de tuits con los fragmentos del libro que hablan de este asunto:

2) Habla de la necesidad de no enfocarse sólo en las reformas parciales. Aunque el de este libro no me pareció un análisis tan agudo y bueno como el que hace en Mujeres, raza y clase, si me parece bastante bueno cómo hace mucho énfasis en que las luchas parciales no van a ninguna parte. Habla del apoyo que necesitan las mujeres trabajadoras de distintos países y sus distintas circunstancias. Deja muy claro que la lucha por el aborto no debe ser sólo por el aborto, sino por la educación, el acceso a la salud y el fin de las esterilizaciones forzadas.

3) Tiene un ensayo sobre la violencia sexual que vale bastante la pena. La gran mayoría de los ensayos en el libro son reguleros en cuanto a cohesión con el resto del libro, pero este me gustó mucho porque habla de ir a la raíz de la violencia. Al principio destaca cosas muy obvias, pero todavía muy necesaria y se hace una pregunta muy interesante: ¿por qué los hombres son violentos sexualmente? ¿Biología? ¿Socialización? ¿Les enseñan a ser así? Irnos por la cuestión biológica sería una condena, puesto que es algo que no podemos cambiar, pero cuando hablamos de socialización, estamos ante algo que podemos cambiar, que podemos luchar para que deje de existir porque queremos un mundo mejor donde las mujeres no sean víctimas de violencia sexual.

Bueno, pues concluyendo esto, yo diría que me hubiera gustado ver más unidad en el libro, entre los ensayos. A pesar de que no lo considero un mal libro, me supo a poco. De todos modos, fue una lectura muy interesante, por lo que se las recomendaría si les interesa el trabajo de Angela Davis.