Back to the Drawing Board: African-canadian Feminisms

by Njoki Nathani Wane (Editor), Katerina Deliovsky (Editor), Erica Lawson (Editor)

What are the fundamental tenets of African-Canadian feminism? What are the elements of feminist theory that have contributed to African-Canadian feminist thought? African-American feminists have influenced thinking and writing in Canada. As well, Black-Canadian feminists have published on a wide range of issues relating to Black women's lives, history and experience. Back to the Drawing Board builds on this existing literature and maps out a new space in which to articulate a stronger vision of African-Canadian feminism. While the essays focus on key concepts and debates that underlie Black feminist theory and challenge the dominant structures that continue to exclude Black women, the objective is to bring the plurality of African-Canadian women's voices and experiences into the centre of analysis.

To accomplish this, the editors draw on different theories and insights. The fourteen contributors come from different race and gender backgrounds and are committed to creating an empowering space where Black women can speak to and about each other and find a home for their words. They write on the subjects of Black-Canadian feminist thought, African-Canadian feminist historiography Black feminist political activism, white mainstream feminism as a liberatory movement Black women in the white feminism and anti-racist education Native education and spirituality that form and shape identity, how the media and law construct Black identity, the social consequences of interracial relationships. Includes a Glossary, Bibliography and Index.

Back to the Drawing Board initiates a dialogue critical for defining feminisms that validate the contributions and experiences of African-Canadian women.

332 pages, Paperback

First published November 13, 2002

Reviews

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a lot of black feminist writing, and almost none in the Canadian context, so I was glad to pick this up. some essays were very powerful, some less so. a number of essays felt like they started out as great1000 word pieces, but authors were then told they needed to fill 3000. as someone fairly green about this area of study, the bibliographies were a goldmine of recommendations.

Chapters on the history of black women in Canada, and on the experiences of black women in academia, were the best, I thought. also really liked a chapter on building an explicitly ani-racist grade school classroom

[Scott Neigh]

Reviewed here.