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The Fire This Time: Young Activists and the New Feminism
Young feminists today are becoming activists on behalf of many causes beyond the classic—and indispensable--feminist ones of reproductive rights and equal pay for equal work. In The Fire This Time, Dawn Martin, one of four founders of The Third Wave Foundation--a multiracial, multi-issue, and multicultural activist organization--and Vivien Labaton, its first executive director, offer an exciting cross section of feminist voices that express new directions in activism, identity, and thought. Ayana Bird dissects the role of black women in hip-hop; Joshua Breitbart and Ana Noguiera demonstrate how Indimedia can break the hold of the corporate media over the news; and Jennifer Bleyer reviews the exhilarating power unleashed by the GirlZine movement. Anna Kirkland’s analysis of transsexual and transgendered people and the law is deeply thoughtful, and Shireen Lee's piece on women, technology, and feminism envisions empowering prospects for women..
Ranging from media and culture to politics and globalization, The Fire This Time is a call to new frontiers of activism, and helps reinvent feminism for a new generation.
Ranging from media and culture to politics and globalization, The Fire This Time is a call to new frontiers of activism, and helps reinvent feminism for a new generation.
384 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 5, 2012
This anthology's heart is in the right place, but it's very badly dated. The sensibility is very much 1990s political correctness. Sort of a grab bag of issues loosely organized around feminism, defined in "not what the 60s and 70s feminists were like). Way too rhetorical. I'd like a more nuanced contemporary version.
May 31, 2010
Wonderful feminist anthology. The chapters on the School of the Americas, domestic workers rights, and a writer's black feminist perspective on hip hop were stand outs for me.
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August 5, 20111 of 2 books that made me switch majors and put a name to my philosophy on life...must read for any gender or feminist studies
July 30, 2025
A VERY DIVERSE COLLECTION OF ESSAYS FROM ‘THIRD WAVE’ FEMINISTS
Editors Vivien Labaton and Dawn Lundy Martin wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 collection, “During the course of our work with the Third Wave Foundation… we are frequently asked by the media, older activists, philanthropic organizations, and others where the next generation of feminist movers and shakers is, what we care about… People wonder who is carrying on the legacy of the women’s movement and they look to the same old haunts to find the answers. The problem is, they are looking in the wrong places. Young feminists in large numbers … are doing social justice work all over the country. They are moved to action by social and economic injustice, the growing divide between the rich and poor… the prison-industrial complex, and the deterioration of democracy… Growing pockets of young feminist activism across the country (and the world) are building steam with renewed vigor and a broadened vision.” (Pg. xxi-xxii)
They continue, “In 1996, though, the landscape of feminist activism looked very different. Both of us felt uncertain about whether we were relevant to any sort of feminist activity… As Dawn remembers that time: ‘When in was 25 I felt cast out of feminism… A young, queer, African-American woman, I hunkered down in the progressive lesbian-feminist organization where I worked… I had friends just like me … [who] had taken … positions at traditional feminist organizations but felt… that the movement, whose philosophies had literally changed their lives… neither wanted nor needed them.’… Vivien had just graduated from college… She recalls: ‘I was looking for a job that reflected my political perspectives and the range of issues that I was passionate about. What I found … was that I was forced to pick. I could work at an organization that dealt with abortion rights or… at an organization that dealt with racial and economic justice, but I could not do both.’ … Then Dawn and three other young activists … decided to create an organization that reflected our feminist sensibilities, the Third Wave Foundation. For us, ‘third wave’ was simply men and women doing social justice work while using a gender lens.” (Pg. xxii-xxiii)
They go on, “We wanted to put new faces on the feminist movement. We wanted to make it hot, sexy, and newly revolutionary… Feminism needed… a face-lift, a remodeling---but it also needed an ideological expansion so that it could be more pertinent to contemporary realities and attractive to younger feminists.” (Pg. xxiv) Later, they add, “The feminism that emerges in [this book] shows that there are few issues beyond the movement’s reach. It may not be possible to identify a third wave, but we do know that feminist women and men, most 35 and under, are making feminism do more work.” (Pg. xxvii)
They explain, “The essays in [this book] show how a generation of activists is developing feminist responses to contemporary social and political problems. Some of us boldly claim the term ‘feminist’;’ some of us embrace Alice Walker’s term ‘womanist’… [and] some of us choose not to claim any term at all… What some may see as a detrimental fragmentation within the feminist movement, we understand it to be a place of power. If we were to build a feminist movement made up primarily of ‘feminists’ between the ages of 18-35, we would find no single ideological framework from which their activisms emerge. In fact, if we asked ten young feminists what feminism meant to them, we’d likely get ten different answers. We would find, instead, LINKED ideas that incorporate certain second wave feminist tenets: a movement that, like the collected voices in this book, is situated in discrete and multiple sites.” (Pg. xxxi)
They summarize, “Younger feminist activists have a keen sense of connectedness of issues based on identities, and how the ugly realities beneath economic globalization interfere with the liberation of a whole class of women across the planet. The battle for a feminist future, or course, is several-headed. We must look in many directions at once. The fire this time will burn in our own backyards and in the yards of neighbors. A match will be struck here, and its sulphur will be smelled elsewhere. In these pages, new feminist voices chart a fresh path for feminism---one that lifts the feminist work that has previously been shadowed into the light.” (Pg. xxxvii)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying Third Wave feminism.
Editors Vivien Labaton and Dawn Lundy Martin wrote in the Introduction to this 2004 collection, “During the course of our work with the Third Wave Foundation… we are frequently asked by the media, older activists, philanthropic organizations, and others where the next generation of feminist movers and shakers is, what we care about… People wonder who is carrying on the legacy of the women’s movement and they look to the same old haunts to find the answers. The problem is, they are looking in the wrong places. Young feminists in large numbers … are doing social justice work all over the country. They are moved to action by social and economic injustice, the growing divide between the rich and poor… the prison-industrial complex, and the deterioration of democracy… Growing pockets of young feminist activism across the country (and the world) are building steam with renewed vigor and a broadened vision.” (Pg. xxi-xxii)
They continue, “In 1996, though, the landscape of feminist activism looked very different. Both of us felt uncertain about whether we were relevant to any sort of feminist activity… As Dawn remembers that time: ‘When in was 25 I felt cast out of feminism… A young, queer, African-American woman, I hunkered down in the progressive lesbian-feminist organization where I worked… I had friends just like me … [who] had taken … positions at traditional feminist organizations but felt… that the movement, whose philosophies had literally changed their lives… neither wanted nor needed them.’… Vivien had just graduated from college… She recalls: ‘I was looking for a job that reflected my political perspectives and the range of issues that I was passionate about. What I found … was that I was forced to pick. I could work at an organization that dealt with abortion rights or… at an organization that dealt with racial and economic justice, but I could not do both.’ … Then Dawn and three other young activists … decided to create an organization that reflected our feminist sensibilities, the Third Wave Foundation. For us, ‘third wave’ was simply men and women doing social justice work while using a gender lens.” (Pg. xxii-xxiii)
They go on, “We wanted to put new faces on the feminist movement. We wanted to make it hot, sexy, and newly revolutionary… Feminism needed… a face-lift, a remodeling---but it also needed an ideological expansion so that it could be more pertinent to contemporary realities and attractive to younger feminists.” (Pg. xxiv) Later, they add, “The feminism that emerges in [this book] shows that there are few issues beyond the movement’s reach. It may not be possible to identify a third wave, but we do know that feminist women and men, most 35 and under, are making feminism do more work.” (Pg. xxvii)
They explain, “The essays in [this book] show how a generation of activists is developing feminist responses to contemporary social and political problems. Some of us boldly claim the term ‘feminist’;’ some of us embrace Alice Walker’s term ‘womanist’… [and] some of us choose not to claim any term at all… What some may see as a detrimental fragmentation within the feminist movement, we understand it to be a place of power. If we were to build a feminist movement made up primarily of ‘feminists’ between the ages of 18-35, we would find no single ideological framework from which their activisms emerge. In fact, if we asked ten young feminists what feminism meant to them, we’d likely get ten different answers. We would find, instead, LINKED ideas that incorporate certain second wave feminist tenets: a movement that, like the collected voices in this book, is situated in discrete and multiple sites.” (Pg. xxxi)
They summarize, “Younger feminist activists have a keen sense of connectedness of issues based on identities, and how the ugly realities beneath economic globalization interfere with the liberation of a whole class of women across the planet. The battle for a feminist future, or course, is several-headed. We must look in many directions at once. The fire this time will burn in our own backyards and in the yards of neighbors. A match will be struck here, and its sulphur will be smelled elsewhere. In these pages, new feminist voices chart a fresh path for feminism---one that lifts the feminist work that has previously been shadowed into the light.” (Pg. xxxvii)
This book will be of great interest to anyone studying Third Wave feminism.
July 26, 2020
The book is a compilation of essays by third wave feminists. These essays were written in the early part of the twenty-first so they are somewhat dated. Many of these writers are Generation Xers now in their 40s and 50s and the issues discussed have ripened and taken center stage such LBGTQ rights, police brutality and prison reform. I was most interested in the essay that discussed the School of the Americas which served as a training facility for right wing Latin American dictators who furthered US corporate interests at the expense of the rights of indigenous peoples.
August 6, 2017
felt dated (especially after 2016 campaign) but still provided excellent perspective
May 28, 2024
(4.5 rounded up)
November 3, 2008
I wrote this review a few years back for my friend's zine. If you're interested in the zine, let me know. Here's the review:
Today’s feminism is generally referred to as the “Third Wave,” and is typified by deliberate inclusionary efforts (in response to feminism’s history of internal racism, classism, and homophobia), coalition-building, a return to the grassroots, and a recognition of the role of global capitalism in perpetuating oppressions. This work is being done by increasing numbers of men, young people, and people of color.
THE FIRE THIS TIME is an excellent contribution to today’s period of feminist reflection. This collection of essays successfully identifies new areas of feminist struggle and documents the activists who are responsible for new strategies of organizing.
The editors choose to embrace the word “feminism” despite its negative associations, misuse in the popular media, and co-optation by corporate fashion and entertainment. I agree with the editors that it is important to still use the word feminism and assert the new definition that is taking form. I understand the word to have the same meaning that they do: it is a belief and a movement that attacks our culture’s oppressive gender roles. The constructed roles of “men” and “women” are impossibly constringent and are the source of a multitude of social anxieties, ills, and violences.
With that said, the twelve essays investigate how patriarchy is manifest in many forms in American society: the missing or degrading portrayal of women in the arts, the exclusion of women in media and other technological sectors, the disproportionate effect of colonial oppression on women, the marginal position of female informal laborers, the double oppression of being an immigrant and being a woman, the threat posed by the xenophobic environmentalism movement to women, among others. Importantly, the articles give voice to the young, the transgendered, people of color, and other marginalized feminists.
Women organizing against the prison-industrial complex, youth creating their own independent media, immigrants organizing for their human rights, and others give us hope for a brighter, feminist America.
More than simply a review of activism, the authors in The Fire This Time urge the reader to get involved, and a “Recommended Organizations” section in the back of the book helps the reader connect with groups in their community.
I highly recommend this book. It is an accessible and enjoyable read for academics, activists, and strangers to feminism.
Today’s feminism is generally referred to as the “Third Wave,” and is typified by deliberate inclusionary efforts (in response to feminism’s history of internal racism, classism, and homophobia), coalition-building, a return to the grassroots, and a recognition of the role of global capitalism in perpetuating oppressions. This work is being done by increasing numbers of men, young people, and people of color.
THE FIRE THIS TIME is an excellent contribution to today’s period of feminist reflection. This collection of essays successfully identifies new areas of feminist struggle and documents the activists who are responsible for new strategies of organizing.
The editors choose to embrace the word “feminism” despite its negative associations, misuse in the popular media, and co-optation by corporate fashion and entertainment. I agree with the editors that it is important to still use the word feminism and assert the new definition that is taking form. I understand the word to have the same meaning that they do: it is a belief and a movement that attacks our culture’s oppressive gender roles. The constructed roles of “men” and “women” are impossibly constringent and are the source of a multitude of social anxieties, ills, and violences.
With that said, the twelve essays investigate how patriarchy is manifest in many forms in American society: the missing or degrading portrayal of women in the arts, the exclusion of women in media and other technological sectors, the disproportionate effect of colonial oppression on women, the marginal position of female informal laborers, the double oppression of being an immigrant and being a woman, the threat posed by the xenophobic environmentalism movement to women, among others. Importantly, the articles give voice to the young, the transgendered, people of color, and other marginalized feminists.
Women organizing against the prison-industrial complex, youth creating their own independent media, immigrants organizing for their human rights, and others give us hope for a brighter, feminist America.
More than simply a review of activism, the authors in The Fire This Time urge the reader to get involved, and a “Recommended Organizations” section in the back of the book helps the reader connect with groups in their community.
I highly recommend this book. It is an accessible and enjoyable read for academics, activists, and strangers to feminism.
July 17, 2014
Reading this was quite the challenge. On the one hand, as a not-even-slightly-new feminist, I know this. I got it. There's a lot of intersectionalism here, a broad view of feminism as social justice, and the horrible assaults on humanity to maintain the status quo. Kathryn Temple's piece, "Exporting Violence" just broke my heart.
I'd recommend it highly to anyone new to feminism, or who only knows it as being about reproductive rights. It's a marvelous introduction to issues and actions.
I'd recommend it highly to anyone new to feminism, or who only knows it as being about reproductive rights. It's a marvelous introduction to issues and actions.
February 9, 2011
This work is a sad but accurate look into the devastating working and living conditions placed upon migrant women working in domestic roles for wealthy Americans in the U.S. These women have no rights as U.S. citizens since they have only been granted work visas temporarily. For this reason, many of their employers see no problem with underpaying, underfeeding, and maltreating the women working for them to the point of emotional and physical abuse These wealthy employers are well aware that as migrants in a foreign country, the workers are essentially helpless victims.
February 1, 2017
An essential reader for any young feminist. I wish I had discovered this when I was in college. I wish I had the time to adequately explore all the subjects addressed here. I wish I had time to read this that didn't consist of sitting on a train, half asleep. There's so much in here. So much necessary information to resist our current presidency. Pick up this book. Even if you read one essay. Research. Learn. Stay active, friends.
March 28, 2007
Finally! A young, diverse range of feminists talk about more than reproductive rights. Goodbye to the vapid and hello to an interesting collection of essays from young feminists. Choice reads include, Elisha Maria Miranda's, "Baptism by Fire"; Kathryn Temple's, "Exporting Violence"; Syd Lyndsley's "Bearing the Blame: Gender, Immigration, Reproduction and the Environment."
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August 8, 2007Hope you guys take time to read this book. It makes good connections.
February 19, 2009
third wave/po mo/feels good
update: introduction = most relevant. would you like theory or practice with that?
update: introduction = most relevant. would you like theory or practice with that?
February 3, 2009
Short activist narratives; good intro to feminist practice.
Want to read
July 1, 2013I jump around in this book on occasion, so I feel like I'm always reading it.
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January 15, 2010essays,women's studies
June 11, 2024
My favorite essay was Bearing the Blame: Gender, Immigration, Reproduction, and the Environment by Syd Lindsey
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews