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Anarchy and the Sex Question: Essays on Women and Emancipation, 18961926
For Emma Goldman, the “High Priestess of Anarchy,” anarchism was “a living force in the affairs of our life, constantly creating new conditions,” but “the most elemental force in human life” was something still more basic and vital: sex. “The Sex Question” emerged for Goldman in multiple contexts, and we find her addressing it in writing on subjects as varied as women’s suffrage, “free love,” birth control, the “New Woman,” homosexuality, marriage, love, and literature. It was at once a political question, an economic question, a question of morality, and a question of social relations. But her analysis of that most elemental force remained fragmentary, scattered across numerous published (and unpublished) works and conditioned by numerous contexts. Anarchy and the Sex Question draws together the most important of those scattered sources, uniting both familiar essays and archival material, in an attempt to recreate the great work on sex that Emma Goldman might have given us. In the process, it sheds light on Goldman’s place in the history of feminism.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1896
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About the author
Emma Goldman
360 books1,041 followersEmma Goldman was a feminist anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century.
Born in Kovno in the Russian Empire (present-day Kaunas, Lithuania), Goldman emigrated to the US in 1885 and lived in New York City, where she joined the burgeoning anarchist movement.Attracted to anarchism after the Haymarket affair, Goldman became a writer and a renowned lecturer on anarchist philosophy, women's rights, and social issues, attracting crowds of thousands.
She and anarchist writer Alexander Berkman, her lover and lifelong friend, planned to assassinate Henry Clay Frick as an act of propaganda of the deed. Although Frick survived the attempt on his life, Berkman was sentenced to twenty-two years in prison. Goldman was imprisoned several times in the years that followed, for "inciting to riot" and illegally distributing information about birth control. In 1906, Goldman founded the anarchist journal Mother Earth.
In 1917, Goldman and Berkman were sentenced to two years in jail for conspiring to "induce persons not to register" for the newly instated draft. After their release from prison, they were arrested—along with hundreds of others—and deported to Russia.
Initially supportive of that country's Bolshevik revolution, Goldman quickly voiced her opposition to the Soviet use of violence and the repression of independent voices. In 1923, she wrote a book about her experiences, My Disillusionment in Russia. While living in England, Canada, and France, she wrote an autobiography called Living My Life. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, she traveled to Spain to support the anarchist revolution there. She died in Toronto on May 14, 1940, aged 70.
During her life, Goldman was lionized as a free-thinking "rebel woman" by admirers, and derided by critics as an advocate of politically motivated murder and violent revolution.Her writing and lectures spanned a wide variety of issues, including prisons, atheism, freedom of speech, militarism, capitalism, marriage, free love, and homosexuality. Although she distanced herself from first-wave feminism and its efforts toward women's suffrage, she developed new ways of incorporating gender politics into anarchism. After decades of obscurity, Goldman's iconic status was revived in the 1970s, when feminist and anarchist scholars rekindled popular interest in her life.
Born in Kovno in the Russian Empire (present-day Kaunas, Lithuania), Goldman emigrated to the US in 1885 and lived in New York City, where she joined the burgeoning anarchist movement.Attracted to anarchism after the Haymarket affair, Goldman became a writer and a renowned lecturer on anarchist philosophy, women's rights, and social issues, attracting crowds of thousands.
She and anarchist writer Alexander Berkman, her lover and lifelong friend, planned to assassinate Henry Clay Frick as an act of propaganda of the deed. Although Frick survived the attempt on his life, Berkman was sentenced to twenty-two years in prison. Goldman was imprisoned several times in the years that followed, for "inciting to riot" and illegally distributing information about birth control. In 1906, Goldman founded the anarchist journal Mother Earth.
In 1917, Goldman and Berkman were sentenced to two years in jail for conspiring to "induce persons not to register" for the newly instated draft. After their release from prison, they were arrested—along with hundreds of others—and deported to Russia.
Initially supportive of that country's Bolshevik revolution, Goldman quickly voiced her opposition to the Soviet use of violence and the repression of independent voices. In 1923, she wrote a book about her experiences, My Disillusionment in Russia. While living in England, Canada, and France, she wrote an autobiography called Living My Life. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, she traveled to Spain to support the anarchist revolution there. She died in Toronto on May 14, 1940, aged 70.
During her life, Goldman was lionized as a free-thinking "rebel woman" by admirers, and derided by critics as an advocate of politically motivated murder and violent revolution.Her writing and lectures spanned a wide variety of issues, including prisons, atheism, freedom of speech, militarism, capitalism, marriage, free love, and homosexuality. Although she distanced herself from first-wave feminism and its efforts toward women's suffrage, she developed new ways of incorporating gender politics into anarchism. After decades of obscurity, Goldman's iconic status was revived in the 1970s, when feminist and anarchist scholars rekindled popular interest in her life.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 18, 2021
Concise and relevant, then and now, Emma Goldman’s Anarchy and the Sex Question analyzes the oppressive nature of marital unions under capitalism. The pamphlet, itself, is only one essay, spanning about fourteen pages with almost-abnormally large font—and, exactly for this reason, I would recommend just reading the PDF, linked at the bottom of this review; for its age, still, I found it very, very digestible and well-written, a great introductory reading, overall. Under capitalism, Goldman insists, men toil in factories and fields, as women attend to their grueling house duties, slaving for their families, starting at dawn and dragging across the night, together, day by day, surviving off the meagre wages of their husbands—it should be noted that, being a product of her time, Goldman limits the discussion of marriage to the union between man and woman. Because of their constant labouring, these partners become strangers, contemptuous of each other and, at once, longing for each other’s affection, their children are left in the streets and alleys, illiterate and malnourished, all the while, peering from the balconies of their lofty mansions and the venetian blinds of their factory offices, the capitalist class enjoys the fruits of someone else’s labour; they are confined to each other, to this misery, to poverty, unable to escape, by decree of the Church or fear of public ridicule. While Goldman’s conception of marriage is, to an extent, outdated, with gender roles having abated, slightly, over the past century, her critiques of the institution and how its malices are perpetuated under capitalism remain ever so salient.
Link: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/librar...
Link: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/librar...
August 1, 2021
"The system which forces women to sell their womanhood and independence to the highest bidder is a branch of the same evil system which gives to a few the right to live on the wealth produced by their fellow-men, 99 percent of whom must toil and slave early and late for barely enough to keep soul and body together, while the fruits of their labour are absorbed by a few idle vampires who are surrounded by every luxury wealth can purchase" (16-17).
"My hopes also move towards that goal, but I insist that the emancipation of woman, as interpreted and practically applied today, has failed to reach that great end. Now, woman is confronted with the necessity of emancipation from emancipation, if she really desires to be free. This may sound paradoxical, but is, nevertheless, only too true" (28).
"The narrowness of the existing conception of woman's independence and emancipation; the dread of love for a man who is not her social equal; the fear that love will rob her of her freedom and independence, the horror that love or the joy of motherhood will only hinder her in the full exercise of her profession--all these together make of the emancipated modern woman a compulsory vestal, before whom life, with its great clarifying sorrows and its deep, entrancing joys, rolls on without touching or gripping her soul" (30).
"Salvation lies in an energetic march onward towards a brighter and clearer future. We are in need of unhampered growth out of old traditions and habits. The movement for woman's emancipation has so far made but the first step in that direction. It is to be hoped that it will gather strength to make another. The right to vote, equal civil rights, are all very good demands, but true emancipation beings neither at the polls nor in courts. It begins in woman's soul. History tell us that every oppressed class gained its true liberation from its masters through its, own efforts. It is necessary that woman learn that lesson, that she realize that her freedom will reach as far as her power to achieve her freedom reaches. It is therefore far more important for her to begin with her inner regeneration to cut loose from the weight of prejudices, traditions, and customs. The demand for various equal rights in every vocation of life is just and fair, but, after all, the most vital right is the right to love and be loved. Indeed if the partial emancipation is to become a complete and true emancipation of woman it will have to do away with he ridiculous notion that to be loved, to be sweetheart and mother, is synonymous with being slave or subordinate. It will have to do away with the absurd notion of the dualism of the sexes, or that man and woman represent two antagonistic worlds" (35).
"The poor, stupid, free American citizen! Free to starve, free to tramp the highways of this great country, he enjoys universal suffrage, and, by that right, he has forged chains about his limbs. The reward that he receives is stringent labour laws prohibiting the right of boycott, of picketing, in fact, of everything, except the right to be robbed of the fruits of his labour. Yet all these disastrous results of the twentieth-century fetich have taught woman nothing. But, then, woman will purify politics, we are assured" (47).
"[On Birth Control movement] I may be arrested, I may be tried and thrown into jail, but I never will be silent; I never will acquiesce or submit to authority, nor will I make peace with a system which degrades woman to mere incubator and which fattens on her innocent victims. I now and here declare war upon this system and shall not rest until the path has been cleared for a free motherhood and a healthy, joyous and happy childhood" (108).
"My hopes also move towards that goal, but I insist that the emancipation of woman, as interpreted and practically applied today, has failed to reach that great end. Now, woman is confronted with the necessity of emancipation from emancipation, if she really desires to be free. This may sound paradoxical, but is, nevertheless, only too true" (28).
"The narrowness of the existing conception of woman's independence and emancipation; the dread of love for a man who is not her social equal; the fear that love will rob her of her freedom and independence, the horror that love or the joy of motherhood will only hinder her in the full exercise of her profession--all these together make of the emancipated modern woman a compulsory vestal, before whom life, with its great clarifying sorrows and its deep, entrancing joys, rolls on without touching or gripping her soul" (30).
"Salvation lies in an energetic march onward towards a brighter and clearer future. We are in need of unhampered growth out of old traditions and habits. The movement for woman's emancipation has so far made but the first step in that direction. It is to be hoped that it will gather strength to make another. The right to vote, equal civil rights, are all very good demands, but true emancipation beings neither at the polls nor in courts. It begins in woman's soul. History tell us that every oppressed class gained its true liberation from its masters through its, own efforts. It is necessary that woman learn that lesson, that she realize that her freedom will reach as far as her power to achieve her freedom reaches. It is therefore far more important for her to begin with her inner regeneration to cut loose from the weight of prejudices, traditions, and customs. The demand for various equal rights in every vocation of life is just and fair, but, after all, the most vital right is the right to love and be loved. Indeed if the partial emancipation is to become a complete and true emancipation of woman it will have to do away with he ridiculous notion that to be loved, to be sweetheart and mother, is synonymous with being slave or subordinate. It will have to do away with the absurd notion of the dualism of the sexes, or that man and woman represent two antagonistic worlds" (35).
"The poor, stupid, free American citizen! Free to starve, free to tramp the highways of this great country, he enjoys universal suffrage, and, by that right, he has forged chains about his limbs. The reward that he receives is stringent labour laws prohibiting the right of boycott, of picketing, in fact, of everything, except the right to be robbed of the fruits of his labour. Yet all these disastrous results of the twentieth-century fetich have taught woman nothing. But, then, woman will purify politics, we are assured" (47).
"[On Birth Control movement] I may be arrested, I may be tried and thrown into jail, but I never will be silent; I never will acquiesce or submit to authority, nor will I make peace with a system which degrades woman to mere incubator and which fattens on her innocent victims. I now and here declare war upon this system and shall not rest until the path has been cleared for a free motherhood and a healthy, joyous and happy childhood" (108).
July 21, 2016
Discourse by Emma Goldman written 1896...
Introduction: "The workingman, whose strength and muscles are so admired by the pale, puny off-springs of the rich, yet whose labour barely brings him enough to keep the wolf of starvation from the door, marries only to have a wife and house-keeper, who must slave from morning till night, who must make every effort to keep down expenses. Her nerves are so tired by the continual effort to make the pitiful wages of her husband support both of them that she grows irritable and no longer is successful in concealing her want of affection for her lord and master, who, alas! soon comes to the conclusion that his hopes and plans have gone astray, and so practically begins to think that marriage is a failure. "
Can be read online: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/librar...
Introduction: "The workingman, whose strength and muscles are so admired by the pale, puny off-springs of the rich, yet whose labour barely brings him enough to keep the wolf of starvation from the door, marries only to have a wife and house-keeper, who must slave from morning till night, who must make every effort to keep down expenses. Her nerves are so tired by the continual effort to make the pitiful wages of her husband support both of them that she grows irritable and no longer is successful in concealing her want of affection for her lord and master, who, alas! soon comes to the conclusion that his hopes and plans have gone astray, and so practically begins to think that marriage is a failure. "
Can be read online: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/librar...
September 29, 2019
You definitely don't have to be an anarchist to appreciate these essays (I'm not). Things are much better for women now than they were then, but it's sad that some of the issues Goldman writes about are still relevant 100 years later. Lots of food for thought and a good history lesson.
June 28, 2021
Good collection of essays - I thought it was really interesting to think about universal suffrage from this POV, where an assumption that the system of governance is corrupt means voting rights shouldn't be pursued. I obviously disagree with Goldman's views on government, but I appreciated her arguments, and found it refreshing to read someone who argued that men and women are essentially the same. Interested in how disability and health are treated by anarchists too.
January 27, 2023
“The defenders of authority dread the advent of a free motherhood, lest it will rob them of their prey. Who would fight wars, who would create wealth? Who would make the policeman, the jailer, if woman were to refuse the indiscriminate breeding of children? The race, the race! shouts the king, the president, the capitalist, the priest. The race must be preserved, though woman be degraded to a mere machine—and the marriage institution is our only safety valve against the pernicious sex-awakening of woman” (65).
What a fierce woman. I’d say she’s a Queen, but she was an anarchist so she would have rejected that praise. What I love about this collection is how Goldman’s writing evolves (and improves) over the years. You can see her become a better writer but never lessening her passion, and remaining admirably consistent in her anti-authoritarianism across discussions. Through them all, Goldman reminds us never to lose sight of the anarchist foundation of women’s emancipation. Stand-out essays were “Marriage and Love,” “The Victims of Morality,” and a beautiful tribute to Mary Wollstonecraft—also an idol of mine. I’d say this book is less of an exhaustive case for anarcha-feminism to the unconvinced and more of a plea to get those already on board fired up with passion to participate in the struggle.
What a fierce woman. I’d say she’s a Queen, but she was an anarchist so she would have rejected that praise. What I love about this collection is how Goldman’s writing evolves (and improves) over the years. You can see her become a better writer but never lessening her passion, and remaining admirably consistent in her anti-authoritarianism across discussions. Through them all, Goldman reminds us never to lose sight of the anarchist foundation of women’s emancipation. Stand-out essays were “Marriage and Love,” “The Victims of Morality,” and a beautiful tribute to Mary Wollstonecraft—also an idol of mine. I’d say this book is less of an exhaustive case for anarcha-feminism to the unconvinced and more of a plea to get those already on board fired up with passion to participate in the struggle.
March 9, 2025
I originally got this book for someone at Red Emma’s, a café and bookstore, but I ended up in possession of it and decided to see what made Emma Goldman “red.” Reading these essays was incredibly engaging—she writes with such vigor, passion, and confidence that you can’t help but be drawn in.
Emma Goldman was both a feminist and an anarchist, fiercely advocating for women’s rights. Looking at her work through a modern lens, many of the issues she fought for seem like common sense today, at least in 2025. While I don’t believe anarchism will ever take hold in the USA, women’s rights have come a long way since the late 1800s and early 1900s. That said, there are still plenty of issues today that Mama G would take issue with.
Goldman cared little for laws or institutions she viewed as repressive, whether for women or for humanity as a whole. I imagine she was a firecracker in her time—sharp as a knife, unwavering in her convictions.
Her views on relationships were particularly thought-provoking. She believed that human connections should be private affairs, free from institutional constraints, and that people should be able to leave relationships as easily as they enter them. One moment that stood out was when she called a man a coward for refusing to cheat on his wife. While I understand her perspective—she rejected marriage as an institution and saw no reason why a commitment should override personal desires—calling someone a coward for honoring their vows seemed a little extreme. She argued that marriage and societal expectations degrade relationships by restricting our innate sexual impulses. I’m still grappling with this idea. There is a truth to the way long-term relationships can become strained by economic realities and everyday life, but is the solution really to abandon commitment in favor of impulse?
Goldman’s stance on love was also complex. She insisted that love should never be restricted by institutions or customs, and I can see her point—many people do feel trapped in unhappy marriages. But does that mean we should always be free and follow our desires without regard for commitment? Acting purely on impulse doesn’t seem like the right answer either. As she herself admitted, love is far from free. My own experiences have taught me that love, when treated lightly, can come at a high cost. Maybe I’m misunderstanding her ideas, or maybe I’m applying them too broadly, but her writing made me reflect on my own beliefs about love, relationships, and personal responsibility.
One thing I truly appreciate about Goldman is how her views evolved over time. After years of rejecting marriage, she eventually married. After detesting America and moving to Canada, she wanted to return. I don’t see this as hypocrisy but as a testament to human growth—our ideas change, but the core of who we are often remains the same. At her core, Goldman always believed that relationships are private matters and that societal norms surrounding love and sex should be challenged.
Emma Goldman was an exciting, formidable woman who fought hard for her beliefs. The biggest takeaway from this book, for me, was a deeper understanding of how women can be reduced to objects for use in a relationship—a dynamic that harms true companionship, this was something I was always confused about. I think both men and women would benefit from reading her work.
Emma Goldman was both a feminist and an anarchist, fiercely advocating for women’s rights. Looking at her work through a modern lens, many of the issues she fought for seem like common sense today, at least in 2025. While I don’t believe anarchism will ever take hold in the USA, women’s rights have come a long way since the late 1800s and early 1900s. That said, there are still plenty of issues today that Mama G would take issue with.
Goldman cared little for laws or institutions she viewed as repressive, whether for women or for humanity as a whole. I imagine she was a firecracker in her time—sharp as a knife, unwavering in her convictions.
Her views on relationships were particularly thought-provoking. She believed that human connections should be private affairs, free from institutional constraints, and that people should be able to leave relationships as easily as they enter them. One moment that stood out was when she called a man a coward for refusing to cheat on his wife. While I understand her perspective—she rejected marriage as an institution and saw no reason why a commitment should override personal desires—calling someone a coward for honoring their vows seemed a little extreme. She argued that marriage and societal expectations degrade relationships by restricting our innate sexual impulses. I’m still grappling with this idea. There is a truth to the way long-term relationships can become strained by economic realities and everyday life, but is the solution really to abandon commitment in favor of impulse?
Goldman’s stance on love was also complex. She insisted that love should never be restricted by institutions or customs, and I can see her point—many people do feel trapped in unhappy marriages. But does that mean we should always be free and follow our desires without regard for commitment? Acting purely on impulse doesn’t seem like the right answer either. As she herself admitted, love is far from free. My own experiences have taught me that love, when treated lightly, can come at a high cost. Maybe I’m misunderstanding her ideas, or maybe I’m applying them too broadly, but her writing made me reflect on my own beliefs about love, relationships, and personal responsibility.
One thing I truly appreciate about Goldman is how her views evolved over time. After years of rejecting marriage, she eventually married. After detesting America and moving to Canada, she wanted to return. I don’t see this as hypocrisy but as a testament to human growth—our ideas change, but the core of who we are often remains the same. At her core, Goldman always believed that relationships are private matters and that societal norms surrounding love and sex should be challenged.
Emma Goldman was an exciting, formidable woman who fought hard for her beliefs. The biggest takeaway from this book, for me, was a deeper understanding of how women can be reduced to objects for use in a relationship—a dynamic that harms true companionship, this was something I was always confused about. I think both men and women would benefit from reading her work.
June 25, 2023
Reading this has re-affirmed to me that "radical" ideas are often first thought of and promoted way sooner than society remembers. Around the turn of the 20th century, Emma Goldman was already talking about how "aesthetic" advancements for women's rights, like suffrage or holding "male" positions, doesn't actually address the root of inequality. She believed that as long as women were considered a "weak" class that needs to be protected and provided for, women can never be equal. She also talked a lot about "free love" as an answer to imposed hierarchies that try to bind our nature with false modesty. She was so ahead of her time.
Outside of politics, it was also just so interesting to read essays written a century ago. They spanned from women's suffrage to debunking lesbian accusations. It was surprisingly really fun to read and there were multiple points when Goldman's sarcasm actually made me laugh. Her essays were real and sincere and funny. Not at all boringly outdated.
Reading this has also helped me start to heal my anxious attachment style. This might sound crazy, but I think that Goldman's idea of "Free Love," that is, love that is not motivated by financial security, social status, or personal insecurities, is an antidote to the anxiety inducing love expectations that are normal in our society. Love is not supposed to be an avenue to security or status. It's just supposed to be love.
Outside of politics, it was also just so interesting to read essays written a century ago. They spanned from women's suffrage to debunking lesbian accusations. It was surprisingly really fun to read and there were multiple points when Goldman's sarcasm actually made me laugh. Her essays were real and sincere and funny. Not at all boringly outdated.
Reading this has also helped me start to heal my anxious attachment style. This might sound crazy, but I think that Goldman's idea of "Free Love," that is, love that is not motivated by financial security, social status, or personal insecurities, is an antidote to the anxiety inducing love expectations that are normal in our society. Love is not supposed to be an avenue to security or status. It's just supposed to be love.
January 6, 2022
Este año me he propuesto leer sobre política, y qué menos que leer a la gran Emma Goldman para acercarme al anarquismo y al feminismo.
Este pequeño escrito habla sobre la influencia del capitalismo en el matrimonio y su consecuente machismo y del cambio social y el divorcio como solución. Es fácil de leer por su brevedad aunque sí que he tenido que pararme para releer y reflexionar al respecto.
En algunas cosas estoy a favor, como que la mujer (de 1986) se veía limitada y sufría a nivel social y mental a consecuencia de la sociedad capitalista y la institución del matrimonio. También me gusta su énfasis en la alianza de izquierdas para acabar con la desigualdad de género y clase, concretamente mencionando a la prostitución.
Sin embargo, no estoy de acuerdo con el mensaje de “el trabajo (femenino) empodera”, ni tampoco creo que cambie drásticamente las dinámicas de pareja ni la sociedad por el simple hecho de que las mujeres trabajen. No obstante, rompo una lanza a favor porquGoldman — a pesar de quedarse en la superficie — era una mujer muy adelantada a su época en cuanto a teoría sociopolítica y cuestiona desde el s.XIX las relaciones hombre/mujer.
December 16, 2020
Truly phenomenal. Might be the best collection of feminist thought I have read to date. Discusses the topic of sex in ways I feel are avoided in other schools of feminism. I think most writing I read often just discusses the immediate plan and the ways in which we will have to settle under the state. I want to dream about the future I truly desire. I’m tired of settling under the state as a woman. I’m tired of constantly begging for my rights. I want to just reach out and take them. If you do too then you have to read this.
October 8, 2025
3,75.
Reseña pendiente:
- Amor y matrimonio.
- Cuidados (crianza colectiva de lxs niñxs!!!!!).
- Amor libre y poliamor.
- Ateísmo y materialismo.
- Abolición del matrimonio.
- El voto femenino.
- La Iglesia la pecadora number one.
- El voto en general (spoiler: el voto es un mojón, lo explica).
- La emancipación de la mujer.
- Los celos.
- ...
Reseña pendiente:
- Amor y matrimonio.
- Cuidados (crianza colectiva de lxs niñxs!!!!!).
- Amor libre y poliamor.
- Ateísmo y materialismo.
- Abolición del matrimonio.
- El voto femenino.
- La Iglesia la pecadora number one.
- El voto en general (spoiler: el voto es un mojón, lo explica).
- La emancipación de la mujer.
- Los celos.
- ...
December 29, 2020
Really well written, clear, cutting throught the heart of the matter. Though her description of the matrimonial couple might be old, in the sense that gender roles are less prevalent now, it's still a strong consideration for a lot of people. The emancipation of women in all spheres of life, but especially in the couple, is extremely important.
July 28, 2022
really admire Goldberg for her dedication and unwavering support so women’s emancipation. she does not hold back on anything and is truly inspirational in her loyalty to the cause. cannot wait to discover more of her work
July 14, 2021
Goldman is such a powerhouse for women's and workers rights. It is no surprise that powerful leaders sought to silence her
September 8, 2021
she was,,, very smart
December 21, 2021
Read this as a beginner leftist and duly enjoyed it. A light but enlightening reading that transcends generational differences.
January 22, 2022
A must read for anyone that calls themself a Feminist or Woman’s Rights Activist. There’s a reason Emma Goldman is such a household name in communist circles.
September 18, 2024
In Anarchy and the sex Question, Emma Goldman writes about issues still relevent today. As a leftist, not an anarchist, I believe anyone can apprieciate this book as an important work of literature !
January 20, 2025
riveting, life-changing, fundamental
February 3, 2018
We need an "up tune!" Let's all watch: "Sax and Violins" (Gilda Radner as Emily Litella on Saturday Night Live).
In Anarchy and the Sex Question: Essays on Women and Emancipation, 1896–1926, from PM Press, Emma Goldman shocked the country with statements like “with Puritanism as the constant check upon American life, neither truth nor sincerity is possible… is itself the creator of the most unspeakable vices,” and the Comstock and other restrictive laws “the grave diggers of American life and culture.”(p. 70)
21 May 1916, New York, New York, USA --- 5/21/1916 - New York: Emma Goldman standing in car speaks about birth control at Union Square Park. INP photo. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
“Ideal home life” is where woman is “the servant, the mistress and the slave of both husband and children,” (p.22) “Moses to Trinity Church” “ushered in prostitution,” and “complete ignorance on sex matters;” and greed “the White Slave traffic.” (p. 39)
"...all forms of government rest on violence... and are therefore are unnecessary"
Well chosen and edited by Shawn P. Wilbur, Goldman was never one to mince words. As to “the sex and love relation…Neither the State, the Church, morality or people should meddle with it.”(p.87) You GO, Emma! Right ON!
We bleed without dying. We bear our young live, frequently without dying. We nourish them with our milk. These are the miracles of mammals, the miracles and mysteries of women. We have seven times the amount of “the bonding hormone,” the neuropeptide oxytocin, in our systems than men do.
This also makes us respond with more horror to events and scenes of violence than men do; either “increases approach/avoidance to certain social stimuli” (Grab the kids, hide or run?) and/or “increases the salience of certain social stimuli, causing the animal or human to pay closer attention to socially relevant stimuli.” (“Psych out” people/surroundings with “women’s intuition?”)
“It has also been shown that testosterone directly suppresses oxytocin in mice.[83] This has been hypothesized to have evolutionary significance. With oxytocin suppressed, activities such as hunting and attacking invaders would be less mentally difficult as oxytocin is strongly associated with empathy.[84]…” (Wikipedia)
"Crowd control Policing in the US is Stuck in Riot Mode"
Is that why we need more women in leadership positions worldwide? And more "horizontal" and "circular" "leadership?"
Due to the early to midcentury miracles of birth control, Title IX and the general egalitarianism of the Eisenhower and Kennedy public school systems; Baby Boomer women in the United States came nearly abreast of men in public, academic, religious and financial power in the 20th Century – but a chilling of that progress has occurred over the past 40-50 years. “Kinder, Küche, Kirche?” Maybe. Very different from Goldman, and Margaret Sanger's "No Gods, No Masters" slogan.
What else do we know about women’s power? About human power because we are half woman, half man?
Berkeley’s Ten Speed Press has come out with a sequel to the City Lights bestseller Rad American Women A-Z, Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! It’s the engaging and graphic Rad Women Worldwide, featuring international women and the same author, Oakland’s Kate Schatz, and “illustrator” in dynamic black and white cut paper, Berkeley High School’s Miriam Klein Stahl.
I said to myself, “If it’s got Wangari Maathai, the great tree-planter of Kenya in it, I’ll buy it.” It did and I did. Very RAD!
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Arendt, Hannah, On Violence, New York, Harcourt, Brace & World [1970]
Ibid, The Origins of Totalitarianism, (1951) New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich [1973] (part 2 and 3 text)
Goldman, Emma, Ed. Shawn P. Wilbur, Anarchy and the Sex Question: Essays on Women and Emancipation, 1896–1926, PM Press/Revolutionary Pocketbooks (1 October, 2016)
Montagu, Ashley, The Natural Superiority of Women, New York, Collier Books [1974].
Radner, Gilda, Weekend Update with Chevy Chase (1976) “Emily Litella on Television Violins” http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-liv... (11 March 2017)
Schatz, Kate and Miriam Klein Stahl, Rad American Women A-Z, Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=... City Lights Booksellers and Publishers, San Francisco, CA, (2015).
Ibid, Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History, Ten Speed Press, Penguin Random House, Berkeley, CA, (27 Sept 2016).
In Anarchy and the Sex Question: Essays on Women and Emancipation, 1896–1926, from PM Press, Emma Goldman shocked the country with statements like “with Puritanism as the constant check upon American life, neither truth nor sincerity is possible… is itself the creator of the most unspeakable vices,” and the Comstock and other restrictive laws “the grave diggers of American life and culture.”(p. 70)
21 May 1916, New York, New York, USA --- 5/21/1916 - New York: Emma Goldman standing in car speaks about birth control at Union Square Park. INP photo. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
“Ideal home life” is where woman is “the servant, the mistress and the slave of both husband and children,” (p.22) “Moses to Trinity Church” “ushered in prostitution,” and “complete ignorance on sex matters;” and greed “the White Slave traffic.” (p. 39)
"...all forms of government rest on violence... and are therefore are unnecessary"
Well chosen and edited by Shawn P. Wilbur, Goldman was never one to mince words. As to “the sex and love relation…Neither the State, the Church, morality or people should meddle with it.”(p.87) You GO, Emma! Right ON!
We bleed without dying. We bear our young live, frequently without dying. We nourish them with our milk. These are the miracles of mammals, the miracles and mysteries of women. We have seven times the amount of “the bonding hormone,” the neuropeptide oxytocin, in our systems than men do.
This also makes us respond with more horror to events and scenes of violence than men do; either “increases approach/avoidance to certain social stimuli” (Grab the kids, hide or run?) and/or “increases the salience of certain social stimuli, causing the animal or human to pay closer attention to socially relevant stimuli.” (“Psych out” people/surroundings with “women’s intuition?”)
“It has also been shown that testosterone directly suppresses oxytocin in mice.[83] This has been hypothesized to have evolutionary significance. With oxytocin suppressed, activities such as hunting and attacking invaders would be less mentally difficult as oxytocin is strongly associated with empathy.[84]…” (Wikipedia)
"Crowd control Policing in the US is Stuck in Riot Mode"
Is that why we need more women in leadership positions worldwide? And more "horizontal" and "circular" "leadership?"
Due to the early to midcentury miracles of birth control, Title IX and the general egalitarianism of the Eisenhower and Kennedy public school systems; Baby Boomer women in the United States came nearly abreast of men in public, academic, religious and financial power in the 20th Century – but a chilling of that progress has occurred over the past 40-50 years. “Kinder, Küche, Kirche?” Maybe. Very different from Goldman, and Margaret Sanger's "No Gods, No Masters" slogan.
What else do we know about women’s power? About human power because we are half woman, half man?
Berkeley’s Ten Speed Press has come out with a sequel to the City Lights bestseller Rad American Women A-Z, Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! It’s the engaging and graphic Rad Women Worldwide, featuring international women and the same author, Oakland’s Kate Schatz, and “illustrator” in dynamic black and white cut paper, Berkeley High School’s Miriam Klein Stahl.
I said to myself, “If it’s got Wangari Maathai, the great tree-planter of Kenya in it, I’ll buy it.” It did and I did. Very RAD!
() https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/we-inv... ()
Arendt, Hannah, On Violence, New York, Harcourt, Brace & World [1970]
Ibid, The Origins of Totalitarianism, (1951) New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich [1973] (part 2 and 3 text)
Goldman, Emma, Ed. Shawn P. Wilbur, Anarchy and the Sex Question: Essays on Women and Emancipation, 1896–1926, PM Press/Revolutionary Pocketbooks (1 October, 2016)
Montagu, Ashley, The Natural Superiority of Women, New York, Collier Books [1974].
Radner, Gilda, Weekend Update with Chevy Chase (1976) “Emily Litella on Television Violins” http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-liv... (11 March 2017)
Schatz, Kate and Miriam Klein Stahl, Rad American Women A-Z, Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=... City Lights Booksellers and Publishers, San Francisco, CA, (2015).
Ibid, Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History, Ten Speed Press, Penguin Random House, Berkeley, CA, (27 Sept 2016).
September 8, 2021
It was interesting, a lot of it is still relevant but I don't like the judgemental tone towards prostitutes. It doesn't consider the fact that some people are not forced into it but like it and does not separate those two (or more) situations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 20, 2018335.83092 G619q 2016
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