Socialist Feminism: A New Approach

by Frieda Afary

What is socialist feminism and why is it needed to fight the global rise of authoritarianism and fascism? Frieda Afary brings the insights gained through her study of feminist philosophy, her international activism and her work in community education as a public librarian in Los Angeles, offering a bold new vision of an alternative to capitalism, racism, sexism, heterosexism and alienation. Socialist A New Approach reclaims theories of women’s oppression through a return to humanism, enriched by social reproduction theories, Black feminist intersectionality, abolitionism, queer theories, Marxist-Humanism and the author’s own experiences as an Iranian American feminist, scholar and activist. She looks at global developments in gender relations since the 1980s, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the distinct features of twenty-first century authoritarianism and current struggles against it, drawing out lessons for revolutionary theorising, organising and international solidarity including the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. This book also contains a study guide which transforms it into a useful pedagogical tool for teachers and activists.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism

248 pages, Paperback

Published October 20, 2022

Reviews

[Sasha Fuson · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a really interesting book to read directly after Where Have All the Democrats Gone because Afary argues the opposite of Judis & Teixeira—that any effort to address the economy/capitalism needs to challenge their intertwining with racism/sexism/heterosexism and develop a humanist alternative. admittedly a lot of the alternatives offered in the book are practically impossible at least in the united states, but she provides a strong case for intersectionality; as all of these conditions are happening/experienced simultaneously, anything else is an oversimplified approach/incomplete version. identity politics is a “refusal to subsume these struggles in the name of unity” and “empowerment of some does now entail the disempowerment of others” (p. 105).

[Berra Bakoğlu · Rating 4 out of 5]

güncel sorunların ele alındığı ve sosyalist feminizm bakış açısıyla bu sorunların nasıl çözülebileceğine dair önerilerin de olduğu güzel bir kitap. ama bence sosyalist feminizm yerine sosyalizmin daha ağır bastığını düşünüyorum. feminist bakış açısı tabii ki de var, birçok güncel sorunu her ikisiyle de ele alınmış ama genele bakıldığında bunu düşünüyorum. daha öncesinde feminist okuma yapmayanlar için ağır bir okuma olabilir belli kısımları fakat genel olarak beğendiğim bir kitap oldu.

[Simon Punga Bilsen]

stiekem deze gelezen niet die andere sorry

[Mrtfalls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book in general. Tries to cover a lot of ground for less than 200 pages - MeToo, BLM, history of social reproduction theory, queer theory, intersectionality, philosophical theories on oppression, and more.

She’s good on a lot of things, notably on being consistent anti-imperialist as regards Russia and China. She seems herself in the Marxist Humanist tradition - not a tradition that i'm particularly familiar with. Her emphasis is on being universalist and she's critical of parts of the left who digress from this, particular where it ends up covering for their support for authoritarian regimes or groups. She is also good on being serious about people reading deeply and that this is less of a thing now, including on the left.

For a book about socialist feminism there was nothing about the labour movement. This is unfortunate considering big strikes that have been fought in education and healthcare and other industries where women have been at the forefront and also with movements like Starbucks United whose activists are predominantly young, queer, and women.

Some bits went a bit over my head and I would need to go back, particularly the last chapter that discusses a lot of Hegel - to this day i still dont understand dialectics. However, the bit at the end of that chapter where she argues that Audre Lorde and Hegel are getting at similar things as regards oppression, has made me more interested in reading both writers.

[Mo Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would really rate this 3.5, but don't have the option to.

Some really strong chapters with insightful exploration of the different feminist perspectives of socialism and anticapitalism.

Analysis of authoritarianism felt wanting at times, and some chapters were a bit too abstract to hold my interest.

[Cherry (cherryreadsbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok i guess, but i am extremely sensitive to any portrayal of sex work, or opinions of sex work, that denigrate the women who *choose* to be a part of it. i think it's entirely valid to be uncomfortable with it because we have our personal morals, and indeed there are cases where people do not choose freely to enter the profession. that said, i think afrary comes across as sufficiently anti-choice in terms of sex work for me to fully enjoy this, so that's where the two stars have been knocked off.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when I thought the future wasn't bleak enough