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Feminism is
Do you call yourself a feminist? What does this mean in your daily life? In this book, South African feminists explore their often vastly different experiences and perspectives in accessible and engaging voices. Feminism Is touches on issues as wide-ranging as motherhood, anger, sex, race, inclusions and exclusions, the noisy protest and the quiet struggle. It will challenge your thinking and inspire you to action, reaffirming the urgent necessity of feminism in South Africa today.
- GenresNonfictionFeminismAfrica
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2018
15 people are currently reading
909 people want to read
About the author
Jen Thorpe
10 books21 followersJen Thorpe is a feminist writer and researcher based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Her latest book, Adulting 101: How to Survive the Real World, was published by Kwela in 2022.
Her first novel, The Peculiars (2016), was long listed for the Etisalat Prize for Literature (2016) and the Sunday Times Fiction Prize (2017). Her second novel, The Fall, was published in July 2020.
Thorpe has edited three collections of feminist essays – My First Time: Stories of Sex and Sexuality from Women Like You (2012); Feminism Is: South Africans Speak Their Truth (2018) and Living While Feminist (2020).
Her latest book, Adulting 101: How to Survive the Real World, was published by Kwela in 2022.
Her first novel, The Peculiars (2016), was long listed for the Etisalat Prize for Literature (2016) and the Sunday Times Fiction Prize (2017). Her second novel, The Fall, was published in July 2020.
Thorpe has edited three collections of feminist essays – My First Time: Stories of Sex and Sexuality from Women Like You (2012); Feminism Is: South Africans Speak Their Truth (2018) and Living While Feminist (2020).
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May 3, 2018Interview & review for the Sunday Times: s://bit.ly/2FDNkHV
~As feminists raising boys, we are determined to live our lives in ways that make sense.~ Pumla Dineo Gqola
~To read Zadie is to confront yourself...To read Zadie is the possibility of arriving at a sense of order, something like filing the mess in your mind into a neater configuration...~Danielle Alyssa Bowler
~Feminism is a way of life for me, a place where I stand as I live my life, it is complex and intricate and utterly simple.~Colleen Higgs
~Feminism is now expressed and shaped by a younger generation, who sometimes make me profoundly uneasy.~Ferial Haffajee
~We did not wake up as 'woke' feminists. We are the products of fragmented conversations that started in generations past and have happened between other women over a long period, of painful challenges that live silently in the minds of these struggling women and their internal rage.~ Haji Mohamed Dawjee
~If there is ever one thing I want my brother to learn – from me, my mother, my grandmother – it is that he's not particularly special...Of course he's special in that we adore and love him...What I would like him to know is that what is more special than his inherent special, is the context in which he grew up...~ Gugulethu Mhlungu
~While I am always very grateful for the magic of the life opportunities that opened up to me, I carry with me a dormant sense of rage that all these wonderful things had been denied to my mother, my grandmother, my aunts and the majority of women in this country.~ Joy Watson
~Fear creeps up again when I think that being someone who has classified themselves as part of a movement of organisation or way of thinking makes it sound like you must be bound by its limitations...If a person understands how their thoughts/actions from previous years were wrong and have better educated themselves of these new way of thought because of their past transgressions?~ Thembe Mahlaba
~Muslim women are not a homogeneous group with a single identity, and do not have a homogeneous struggle. Muslim women come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, and races. 'Muslim woman' does not equal brown-veiled woman. & Your struggles do not have to be validated. Your anger is justified. You are the one who has to tell your own story. You are the one responsible for controlling your own narrative.~Aaisha Dadi Patel
~'Fuck you, and your feminism!' he bellowed.~ Anja 'Nanna' Venter
~In the age of social media, it seems like there is a need for everything to have a catchy slogan, and a clear brand. Today we find ourselves in a space where if you're a part of a movement, and you do not all share the same ideas, then the movement is portrayed as a failure or incomplete by others.~Bongeka Masango
~The online space once seemed to hold wonderful opportunities for political organising and discussion. There are corners in which it still does, but what I see mostly is an increasingly toxic and fractured environment in which the genuinely free sharing of views is ever more difficult.~Rebecca Davis
~We need to build a sense of togetherness that does not pit us against each other all in the name of creating a hierarchy of understanding, behaviour, and ultimately crowning the 'better feminist'.~Nwabisa Mda
~The political task of feminism is to eradicate gender.~ B Camminga
~We cannot think of gender today without thinking of capitalism and how it has shaped broader society and Black households specifically.~ Nomalanga Mkhize in conversation with Gogo Nogoatjakumba / Nokulinda Mkhize
~only then I knew the pain
could not be named
and so it became me
...
No one saves you like in the stories~ Gabeba Baderoon
~Words only gain meaning when a critical mass agrees to that meaning, which means (a) that language is constantly being commandeered by groups in or angling for power, then seized back by groups aiming to subvert power; and (b) that it's constantly changing.~ Helen Moffett
~Womainism is just for black women. For Us, By Us. As a womanist, my whole complex existence is at the centre of discourse around which scholars and activists are actively mobilising. What a sweet joy to be enough. Womanism is a radical act of self-care and preservation in our own languages, and for the fullness of our own expression not tainted by others. ~Owethu Makhathini
~Rape made me a feminist.~ Dela Gwala
~Solidarity sounds simple: it sounds easy, and peacenik, and entirely uncontroversial. Nothing could be further from the truth. Solidarity is a radical act that confronts patriarchy's most fundamental tenet–that women are untrustworthy; they lie, they ask for it, and when they get it, they deserve it. Solidarity is love as a political act, and it disrupts and enrages those it opposes precisely because it exposes rape as a systematic tool of oppression.~ Larissa Klazinga
~My feminism is that swathing twilight beneath my feet. It forces me to keep looking for new pathways to reconstruct gender relations at all levels of our lives, to shift and transform our society. Each time we challenged the silence around sex, sexuality, and AIDS in our communities, the socio-cultural walls were cracking.~Vuyiseka Dubula
~Poetry gave me a space to learn how to speak and think about politics. Through it, I began to slowly tease out my understandings of feminism and intersectionality, to try to explain what I thought, but also to listen to and learn from others.~Genna Gardini
~As a black woman and a feminist, I find myself navigating the very same oppression I experience at the hands of men, but now also from the very 'comrades' with whom I am meant to be fighting injustice.~ Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng
~And you can do all of [the work at Rape Crisis] and not have to identify as a feminist to do this work, because the work is already inherently feminist.~ Kathleen Dey
~Floating your private beliefs in the same way you float your public persona is a key component of butt-naked politics and making sure that our collective feminism is on track.~ Kagure Mugo
~Since 2014, when the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities was dissolved, and reconstituted as the Department of Women, the engagement with women's issues (outside of the financial requirements such as quarterly reporting) in Parliament has decreased rather than increased.~ Jen Thorpe
~Patriarchy is not just the dominance of masculine traits in society, but also an ego centric and anthropocentric approach to solving issues by presenting the illusion of choice, rather than real choices.~ Neoka Naidoo
~Feminism is action. It is determination. It is energy. Focusing on the environment is one of the ways I want to use my energy. It is such a simple way to make a tangible difference, no matter how small. Climate change is a feminist issue.~ Louise Ferreira
~Feminism is as relevant today as it ever was. With Donald Trump in the White House, international anxiety over the advocacy of women has rocketed.~ Nancy Richards
~Feminism carved itself into my flesh...After I was raped, feminism gave me the words to fight the hopeless moments.~ Michelle Hattingh
~My feminism is a daily exercise. It is reading and writing and thinking and talking. It is unlearning and ever-changing and complex. But it is also so much more than that. It is supportive. In finding the 'you too?' in a stranger Or a 'me too' reflected in the women I admire.~Sarah Koopman
~As feminists raising boys, we are determined to live our lives in ways that make sense.~ Pumla Dineo Gqola
~To read Zadie is to confront yourself...To read Zadie is the possibility of arriving at a sense of order, something like filing the mess in your mind into a neater configuration...~Danielle Alyssa Bowler
~Feminism is a way of life for me, a place where I stand as I live my life, it is complex and intricate and utterly simple.~Colleen Higgs
~Feminism is now expressed and shaped by a younger generation, who sometimes make me profoundly uneasy.~Ferial Haffajee
~We did not wake up as 'woke' feminists. We are the products of fragmented conversations that started in generations past and have happened between other women over a long period, of painful challenges that live silently in the minds of these struggling women and their internal rage.~ Haji Mohamed Dawjee
~If there is ever one thing I want my brother to learn – from me, my mother, my grandmother – it is that he's not particularly special...Of course he's special in that we adore and love him...What I would like him to know is that what is more special than his inherent special, is the context in which he grew up...~ Gugulethu Mhlungu
~While I am always very grateful for the magic of the life opportunities that opened up to me, I carry with me a dormant sense of rage that all these wonderful things had been denied to my mother, my grandmother, my aunts and the majority of women in this country.~ Joy Watson
~Fear creeps up again when I think that being someone who has classified themselves as part of a movement of organisation or way of thinking makes it sound like you must be bound by its limitations...If a person understands how their thoughts/actions from previous years were wrong and have better educated themselves of these new way of thought because of their past transgressions?~ Thembe Mahlaba
~Muslim women are not a homogeneous group with a single identity, and do not have a homogeneous struggle. Muslim women come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, and races. 'Muslim woman' does not equal brown-veiled woman. & Your struggles do not have to be validated. Your anger is justified. You are the one who has to tell your own story. You are the one responsible for controlling your own narrative.~Aaisha Dadi Patel
~'Fuck you, and your feminism!' he bellowed.~ Anja 'Nanna' Venter
~In the age of social media, it seems like there is a need for everything to have a catchy slogan, and a clear brand. Today we find ourselves in a space where if you're a part of a movement, and you do not all share the same ideas, then the movement is portrayed as a failure or incomplete by others.~Bongeka Masango
~The online space once seemed to hold wonderful opportunities for political organising and discussion. There are corners in which it still does, but what I see mostly is an increasingly toxic and fractured environment in which the genuinely free sharing of views is ever more difficult.~Rebecca Davis
~We need to build a sense of togetherness that does not pit us against each other all in the name of creating a hierarchy of understanding, behaviour, and ultimately crowning the 'better feminist'.~Nwabisa Mda
~The political task of feminism is to eradicate gender.~ B Camminga
~We cannot think of gender today without thinking of capitalism and how it has shaped broader society and Black households specifically.~ Nomalanga Mkhize in conversation with Gogo Nogoatjakumba / Nokulinda Mkhize
~only then I knew the pain
could not be named
and so it became me
...
No one saves you like in the stories~ Gabeba Baderoon
~Words only gain meaning when a critical mass agrees to that meaning, which means (a) that language is constantly being commandeered by groups in or angling for power, then seized back by groups aiming to subvert power; and (b) that it's constantly changing.~ Helen Moffett
~Womainism is just for black women. For Us, By Us. As a womanist, my whole complex existence is at the centre of discourse around which scholars and activists are actively mobilising. What a sweet joy to be enough. Womanism is a radical act of self-care and preservation in our own languages, and for the fullness of our own expression not tainted by others. ~Owethu Makhathini
~Rape made me a feminist.~ Dela Gwala
~Solidarity sounds simple: it sounds easy, and peacenik, and entirely uncontroversial. Nothing could be further from the truth. Solidarity is a radical act that confronts patriarchy's most fundamental tenet–that women are untrustworthy; they lie, they ask for it, and when they get it, they deserve it. Solidarity is love as a political act, and it disrupts and enrages those it opposes precisely because it exposes rape as a systematic tool of oppression.~ Larissa Klazinga
~My feminism is that swathing twilight beneath my feet. It forces me to keep looking for new pathways to reconstruct gender relations at all levels of our lives, to shift and transform our society. Each time we challenged the silence around sex, sexuality, and AIDS in our communities, the socio-cultural walls were cracking.~Vuyiseka Dubula
~Poetry gave me a space to learn how to speak and think about politics. Through it, I began to slowly tease out my understandings of feminism and intersectionality, to try to explain what I thought, but also to listen to and learn from others.~Genna Gardini
~As a black woman and a feminist, I find myself navigating the very same oppression I experience at the hands of men, but now also from the very 'comrades' with whom I am meant to be fighting injustice.~ Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng
~And you can do all of [the work at Rape Crisis] and not have to identify as a feminist to do this work, because the work is already inherently feminist.~ Kathleen Dey
~Floating your private beliefs in the same way you float your public persona is a key component of butt-naked politics and making sure that our collective feminism is on track.~ Kagure Mugo
~Since 2014, when the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities was dissolved, and reconstituted as the Department of Women, the engagement with women's issues (outside of the financial requirements such as quarterly reporting) in Parliament has decreased rather than increased.~ Jen Thorpe
~Patriarchy is not just the dominance of masculine traits in society, but also an ego centric and anthropocentric approach to solving issues by presenting the illusion of choice, rather than real choices.~ Neoka Naidoo
~Feminism is action. It is determination. It is energy. Focusing on the environment is one of the ways I want to use my energy. It is such a simple way to make a tangible difference, no matter how small. Climate change is a feminist issue.~ Louise Ferreira
~Feminism is as relevant today as it ever was. With Donald Trump in the White House, international anxiety over the advocacy of women has rocketed.~ Nancy Richards
~Feminism carved itself into my flesh...After I was raped, feminism gave me the words to fight the hopeless moments.~ Michelle Hattingh
~My feminism is a daily exercise. It is reading and writing and thinking and talking. It is unlearning and ever-changing and complex. But it is also so much more than that. It is supportive. In finding the 'you too?' in a stranger Or a 'me too' reflected in the women I admire.~Sarah Koopman
February 15, 2019
This collection of 31 essays took me nearly a year to read. My plan was to read an essay a week but some had me reflecting for longer than 2 weeks.
The collection is divided into 5 themes and my first essay was from the 5th theme, "IN PRACTICE", " My feminism is problematic and exposed". Kagure Mugo lays her journey bare from as a young conservative girl to a woman who embraced her feminism even though it came veiled in a layer of uncomfortableness. Feminism is not a slogan. Feminism is a way of life. Feminism is a lifestyle. My last essay was from the 3rd theme, "Conversations", an essay titled " Conversations with Louise", by Helen Moffet. Light but layered series of snippets of conversations between Helen and a very young woman, Louise. Here the overzealousness of youth enveloped by naïveté of the world around them and the progress made by those who came before them, took me back to my early twenties, where all inroads were overlooked as stale and instead of picking up the baton from where it had fallen, my ilk and I would want to start from scratch.
The writing is excellent, the essays personal. From Nomalanga Mkhize to Tlaleng Mofokeng. B Camminga and Genna Gardini. This collection is a constellation of all our favourite people whom we only engage with on social media and through "Feminism Is", Jen Thorpe has given us a unique opportunity to hear them, and listen at our own leisure. To savour every word. To admire. To question. To prod. To learn. To reflect because a book only refreshes its pages at your whim.
This is a treasure trove. A perfect birthday, wedding, graduation, Valentine's gift...actually a gift for all occasions...for everyone after all " Feminism Is For Everybody ".
The collection is divided into 5 themes and my first essay was from the 5th theme, "IN PRACTICE", " My feminism is problematic and exposed". Kagure Mugo lays her journey bare from as a young conservative girl to a woman who embraced her feminism even though it came veiled in a layer of uncomfortableness. Feminism is not a slogan. Feminism is a way of life. Feminism is a lifestyle. My last essay was from the 3rd theme, "Conversations", an essay titled " Conversations with Louise", by Helen Moffet. Light but layered series of snippets of conversations between Helen and a very young woman, Louise. Here the overzealousness of youth enveloped by naïveté of the world around them and the progress made by those who came before them, took me back to my early twenties, where all inroads were overlooked as stale and instead of picking up the baton from where it had fallen, my ilk and I would want to start from scratch.
The writing is excellent, the essays personal. From Nomalanga Mkhize to Tlaleng Mofokeng. B Camminga and Genna Gardini. This collection is a constellation of all our favourite people whom we only engage with on social media and through "Feminism Is", Jen Thorpe has given us a unique opportunity to hear them, and listen at our own leisure. To savour every word. To admire. To question. To prod. To learn. To reflect because a book only refreshes its pages at your whim.
This is a treasure trove. A perfect birthday, wedding, graduation, Valentine's gift...actually a gift for all occasions...for everyone after all " Feminism Is For Everybody ".
April 4, 2018
A necessary collection of voices. This book, to quote Toni Morrison in Beloved, "is a friend of my mind". All the pieces of my Feminism, all those that are missing and those that aren't orderly were gathered.
September 30, 2020
I went to the book launch a couple of years back and I remember being struck by the grace, power, resilience, majesty and bravery of the woman who spoke, themselves contributors to the book.
Every piece in the collection is so necessary. It reaffirmed for me that there is no perfect answer to what feminism is, because for feminism to be what it needs to be, it must be intersectional, and empathetic, and by virtue of those two things, it is subjective and personal and constantly fluctuating - and all of this is okay.
Having called myself a feminist for a long time now, it was really an incredible exercise to be able to read the words of some of our nations foremost feminist activists, and allow for their ruminations to inform how I view myself and what I believe my feminism to be. A truly remarkable read! I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants to know what feminism is - most importantly to those who believe it’s a threat or equal in form and function to misandry.
If we are ever to understand one another, irrespective of the sides we choose and the ideologies we subscribe to, we need more works like this. What’s upsetting, of course, is that I think those who hold automatically negative views of feminism and its purpose, would never be moved to open a book like this. And that is okay, too, so long as those of us who identify as feminists can demonstrate its multifaceted, intersectional and invaluable purpose in our daily lives as we live and love in a troubled world.
Every piece in the collection is so necessary. It reaffirmed for me that there is no perfect answer to what feminism is, because for feminism to be what it needs to be, it must be intersectional, and empathetic, and by virtue of those two things, it is subjective and personal and constantly fluctuating - and all of this is okay.
Having called myself a feminist for a long time now, it was really an incredible exercise to be able to read the words of some of our nations foremost feminist activists, and allow for their ruminations to inform how I view myself and what I believe my feminism to be. A truly remarkable read! I would recommend it to anyone and everyone who wants to know what feminism is - most importantly to those who believe it’s a threat or equal in form and function to misandry.
If we are ever to understand one another, irrespective of the sides we choose and the ideologies we subscribe to, we need more works like this. What’s upsetting, of course, is that I think those who hold automatically negative views of feminism and its purpose, would never be moved to open a book like this. And that is okay, too, so long as those of us who identify as feminists can demonstrate its multifaceted, intersectional and invaluable purpose in our daily lives as we live and love in a troubled world.
June 15, 2020
I started reading this book when it first came out. Because of life’s distractions, I’ve left it half read for the last two years but picked it up again last week and finished it in a couple of hours. Very interesting to look through the book then compared to where I am in my head and life now. Good balance of personal opinions and experiences and accounts, always grateful to have genuine inputs within the community!
November 10, 2022
Such a fantastic and thought-provoking read. Took me over a year to read because after every entry I felt the need to reflect and really think about it. As a feminist in South Africa, it's easy to feel hopeless and stationary but it's so inspiring to learn there are women in SA having these important conversations and making progress in feminism. These women are my role models and I'm so motivated for the future of feminism in South Africa! Letss goooo!
January 19, 2020
As with any collection, there are some pieces you really like and some that bore you, but overall I think this was a good read. It was very interesting to see so many different perspective, definitions and practices of feminism all in one place, without them dismissing any other forms. These essays were all very honest, insightful and inspiring.
June 12, 2019
I enjoyed reading this collection of essays by South African wxmen. So much I related to as a young feminist in Malawi. I was challenged and encouraged by the different perspectives and journeys of these women.
A great read 😊
A great read 😊
March 10, 2018
Excellent collection - lots and lots of feminism for thought.
June 27, 2018
I read only the essays that sparked my interest. Does that count as read ;)
July 2, 2018
Nice short stories— like reading magazine articles or essays. Some interesting, some not.
February 2, 2019
Some of these short essays were like a balm for the soul, some not so much. Overall I enjoyed it, would give it a 3.5 if I could and would recommend it to friends.
May 12, 2019
Enjoyed many of the essays in this collection. Some really hit close to home. Loved reading &learning about other women's journeys & feminist lived experiences!
December 3, 2024
Excellent collection. Diverse and thought-provoking.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews