Feminisms Matter: Debates, Theories, Activism

271 Pages·2015·12.585 MB·English

by  Bromley, Victoria

Feminisms Matter
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Copyright © University of Toronto Press Incorporated 2012
Higher Education Division
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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Bromley, Victoria L., 1959–
Feminisms matter : debates, theories, activism / Victoria L. Bromley.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4426-0500-8
1. Feminism. 2. Anti-feminism. 3. Feminist theory. 4. Women political
activists. I. Title.
HQ1154.B85 2012 305.42 C2012-905269-8
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For my family James, Yvonne, Tekie, and Kuwor.
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Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction xi
1 Don’t Call Me That! Feminism and Other “F-words” 1
2 What’s Feminism Done (For Me) Lately? Feminist Contributions 13
3 How Do I Know What I Know? Epistemology and Theory 37
4 Making My Head Spin: Critical Intersectionality 47
5 So Many Details and So Much Reading: Feminist Theories 65
6 From Universalizing to Queering and Globalizing Theories 91
7 Taking Feminism on the Road: Feminist Methods 115
8 It’s Not Dead? Connecting the Dots across the Waves of
Feminisms 131
9 Don’t Men Count, Too? Feminisms and Masculinities 151
10 The Strategies That Empower Us: Feminist Activism 173
11 Still Struggling: Making Change 189
Works Cited and Suggested Readings 213
Index 247
vii
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ACknowledgements
I would like to begin by thanking my students over many years who have
given me the opportunity to teach and learn alongside them. You have helped
to create a space for us to explore feminisms from diverse perspectives, to
travel together through feminist debates, and to engage in feminist activism.
I would also like to thank my many dedicated teaching assistants who have
enriched my teaching experience, provided insights into student perceptions,
and helped me to develop my feminist pedagogy.
I would like to thank my friends and colleagues for their unwavering
support throughout the process. To Aalya Ahmad, my friend and colleague:
you have been both my academic sounding board and intellectual cheerleader.
You were always ready to listen to my ideas, help me over the stumbling blocks,
and edit my work before I would let anyone else read it. You made it possible
for me to write this book. To Beth Hughes, my friend and colleague, you made
the often-lonely task of writing this book tolerable. You suffered through my al-
most daily updates. Allowing me to talk about my progress and difficulties was
more important than you will ever know. The endless coffee shop excursions to
talk about not just the book but about life made this book possible. Your com-
ments on drafts were invaluable to the end product but your friendship extends
far beyond this publication. To Virginia Caputo, who is my friend, mentor and
colleague, you have taught me what it means to be a feminist. Your generosity
of spirit on every level offers a model for teaching and living life to its fullest.
Your enduring support and confidence in me has given me the strength to
continue the fight for justice. To Pamela Walker, my friend, trusted advisor and
colleague, your comments on this book were excellent and made it a better
product. Your sense of humour, even under difficult circumstances, is always
appreciated. To Karen March, my friend and colleague, thank you for sharing
your vast intellectual insights regarding qualitative methodologies. You were
incredibly generous with your time in offering critical commentary, and your
record for fastest turnaround on chapter drafts remains unchallenged. I want
to thank André Turcotte for carefully reading a book about which you knew
nothing and yet still provided great insights! To Andrew Asare, thank you for
creating diagrams that allowed some of my concepts to be visually interpreted
ix