Feminisms in Motion: Voices for Justice, Liberation, and Transformation

by Jessica Hoffmann (Editor), Daria Yudacufski (Editor)

From 2007 to 2017, a small, Los Angeles-based magazine called make/shift published some of the most inspiring feminist writers of the decade, articulating ideas from the grassroots and amplifying feminist voices on immigration, state violence, climate change, and other issues. These writings contributed to the long and rich traditions of women-of-color-centered feminisms, which acknowledge all systems of power as connected, and understand that ending one form of violence demands the transformation of society on multiple fronts.

Feminisms in Motion highlights ten years of intersectional feminist thought and action, featuring authors like Alexis Pauline Gumbs, adrienne maree brown, and Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, among many others.

“Women of color have been at the center and forefront of some of the most urgent political struggles for freedom in the United States. They have pioneered, through practice and theory, models of collective, intersectional feminism that have demanded more radical and more just ways of living, being, and acting. Feminisms in Motion is a welcome and urgent anthology that foregrounds the exciting and compelling work of these activists and writers.” —Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize- winning author of The Sympathizer

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Gender, Politics, Queer, Social Justice

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 9, 2018

Reviews

[Stella ☆Paper Wings☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just bought this book from a local indie bookstore on a whim, but I'm so glad I did. As a college student, I don't read a ton of political theory in my free time since I get assigned so much academic/theory stuff, but I've started to get more into it recently. I think this is a great introduction to the vast community of everyday activists and thinkers involved in intersectional feminism. I've been casually studying intersectional feminism (mainly through youtube, not gonna lie) for a few years now, but at many points, I found myself surprised at just how many different issues can come into feminism and how easily they can all be drawn together.

I don't often write reviews for nonfiction (I'm just not very good at it) but I thought I'd list out some of my favorite essays and stories in this collection in the hopes that it will inspire anyone interested in feminist theory to add this book to your TBR.

My faves:
River: A haunting and unsettling short story about gendered violence and privilege (with all the trigger warnings you could imagine)
Why Misogynists Make Great Informants: A fascinating and essential look at misogyny and abuse within progressive movements
What's Pink Got to Do with It?: One of my absolute favorites, this essay really makes you think about how we derive feminist images from established gender roles in relation to antiwar movements
How That Poetry Is Also about Us: A beautiful examination of the tools poets use to explore intersectional feminism
Bring the Troops Home?: Examines how childhood trauma comes in many forms, and encourages a more nuanced understanding of who people are that enter the military
Immigration at the Front: A great explanation and evaluation of white feminism and how to evolve past it
Toward New Visions of Sex and Culture Entirely: A nuanced review of literature on sex work, examining the line between allyship and saviorship
Looking for Reproductive Justice (Interview with Loretta J. Ross): Ross put into words so many thoughts I've had about reproductive justice that I'd never been able to pinpoint before, and it's all so spot-on as a critique of the current movement, even though it's from 2007!

I guess I'm a little too young to have been a reader of make/shift, the now-defunct magazine these pieces were complied from, so I appreciated the opportunity to get a taste of it. Each essay, poem, short story, or interview brings a unique and fascinating challenge to the white feminist staus quo, and it's definitely a worthwhile read.

[ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so sad when make/shift announced they were ending their publication, and so thankful for all the hard work that went into making it an amazing magazine.

Some of the best articles and essays from make/shift are included in this collection. My favorites, which I originally read in the magazine itself:

- A roundtable of women of color organizing in Detroit, including among others Grace Lee Boggs and adrienne maree brown. One of the better interviews of Grace Lee Boggs toward the end of her life.
- "Why Misogynists Make Great Informants," about the undercover operative Brandon Darby. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say when this article first came out, it shot through activist networks and changed the direction and foundation of countless radical projects.
- Anna Torres's interview with her aunt Emma Torres about Nuyorican radicals in the 1970s and '80s.
- "On Prisons, Borders, Safety, and Privilege: An Open Letter to White Feminists" by one of the magazine's founding editors, Jessica Hoffman.
- Sylvia Federici's interview on her Wages for Housework campaign in the 1970s (before she became every radical's fave author in the late 2000s).
- Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore's interview with the radical queer directors of "Homotopia."
- "Some Monologues on Happiness: Performed By My Friends, Extemporaneously, as I Performed Oral Sex on Them."
- The Azolla Story collection on queer and trans disabled people of color, especially Mia Mingus's contribution.

It's an incredible collection. Highly recommend.

[Lisa Pontén · Rating 4 out of 5]

while not mindblowing at all times, this is a beautiful and thought-provoking collection of essays, poems, interviews of feminists of color, which in its entirety feels like (im no expert in the field so i cannot be sure) a diverse although most probably not all-encompassing testament of BIPOC feminism in the USA at the time

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult to read, at times, but so informative and educational. And it's a really good window into perspectives and experiences different from my own.

[Michael Lindgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little anthology of writings from the West Coast collective make-shift is a potent introduction to intersectional feminism in action. Comprising essays, reviews, poems, and polemics, "Feminisms in Motion" gives a sense of a righteous political and literary movement coming into focus and finding its voice. Moving, necessary, and invigorating.

[Constance Siobhán · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the following on the first day of reading this book, and I see no reason to change a word of it:

Ok, you’re going to say, “2020 only just started, and you’re only 60 pages into this book!”—but, for real though, Feminisms In Motion is an immediate and strong contender for book of the year. No.freakin.lie. This is intersectional and fully representative, loving and honest, candid and vulnerable. Without hesitation I can immediately recommend it to all my friends who’ve wanted, needed, to feel their community reflect their light on them. This book is belonging.

[Molly Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feminisms in Motion: Voices for Justice, Liberation, and Transformation edited by Jessica Hoffmann & Daria Yudacufski

This was easily one of the best books I’ve read all year. The is a collection of pieces previously published in the feminist magazine, make/shift. They all center around woman of color feminism and take on topics like sex, motherhood, activism, queerness, state violence, etc. There’s not one piece in here that I would change. This was a fantastic read to end the year on. Love love love.
5/5⭐️

[Kelly Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enlightening collection of essays, poetry, stories, and interviews on a number of issues, focusing on the myriad contributions of voices often under-represented in mainstream feminism. Queer writers, trans writers, and writers of color are the focus of this volume, which brings issues that have been largely ignored by media coverage the fore.

[Jenny Boronyak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this collection expanded my awareness of intersectional feminist issues and continued my feminist education from college almost ten years ago. The non-interview pieces selected for the book are well-written and kept my attention.