The Feminist Fourth Wave: Affective Temporality

207 Pages·2017·1.56 MB·English

by  Prudence Chamberlain (auth.)

The Feminist Fourth Wave
Prudence Chamberlain
The Feminist Fourth
Wave
Affective Temporality
PrudenceChamberlain
RoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon
London,UnitedKingdom
ISBN978-3-319-53681-1 ISBN978-3-319-53682-8(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-53682-8
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2017937305
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Acknowledgements
Aspects of this book have been presented at various conferences, where
ff
discussion helped me to develop my thinking on a ect and understand-
‘ ’
ing of the wave narrative. Feminism in the Academy hosted at RHUL
allowed me to have a dialogue with Ika Willis on negativity and the
‘ ’
power of no, while Radical Negativity at Goldsmiths similarly forced
ff
me to focus on bad a ect as well as the feelings of solidarity associated
’ fl
with feminist groups. Finally, Queen Marys Feminism: In uence:
Inheritance Symposium served as a stimulating forum for discussing
irony and contemporary activism.
A number of the ideas included in the book have been developed in
‘
and through previously published work. Critical Waves: Exploring
’
Identity, Discourse and Praxis in Western Feminism, co-written with
Elizabeth Evans, was published in Social Movement Studies: New
‘
Feminisms in Europe. Inheriting Irony and the Development of
’ fl
Flippancy was included in Feminism, In uence, Inheritance: New Essays
‘ ff
in English Studies and most recently A ective Temporality: Towards a
’
FourthWave inGenderandEducation:IfNotNow,When?Feminismin
Contemporary Activist, Social and Educational Contexts. These articles all
had rigorous and helpful reviewers who challenged, developed and
ff
encouraged my thinking on a ect, temporality and feminism.
IbeganthisbookwhileworkingatRoyalHollowaywithanumberof
supportive colleagues. Both Robert Hampson and Robert Eaglestone
v
vi Acknowledgements
ff
discussedtheoriginalproposalwithme,o eringincrediblyusefuladvice
ontheprocess.KristenKreiderwasabrilliantPhDsupervisor,aswellas
fl
a supportive colleague, sel essly reading drafts of every piece of work.
ff
Without her support, a ective temporalities would not have come into
‘ ’
being. Generative Constraints has also been a useful group to discuss
identity politics and temporality, and so my thanks go to Nisha
fi
Ramayya, Diana Damien, Kate Potts and Nik Wake eld. Working
and writing with Elizabeth Evans has consolidated my appreciation of
the wave narrative and hugely informed my understanding of contem-
poraryfeministactivism.DiscussionsandemailswithKristinAunehave
ff
also o ered great insight into contemporary activism, especially in rela-
tion to online spaces and younger generations. Eley Williams has been
anunwaveringfriendandstoiceditor,aswellasinspirationallyarticulate
ff
inherpolitics.Thankyoualso,toSpela,forsayingthatsurelya ectand
feminism had been done in the 1980s.
Thanks to my family for their support; my father for all of his links
and ongoing interest in feminism; my sister for discussing politics with
ff
me, always o ering the alternate voice over a glass of wine; and my
mother for her continual and patient draft-reading, and brilliant argu-
mentative mind. Primarily though, I would like to thank them for their
interest,andhumourwhenmineislost.Finally,thankstomywife,Kim
ff ff
Bussey, who knows where the co ee is and when to cut me o .
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 The Wave Narrative 21
3 What is feminist time keeping? 45
ff
4 A ective Temporalities 73
5 Why Fourth Wave Now? 107
6 Feminist Futurities 155
Conclusion 185
Bibliography 197
Index 199
vii
1
Introduction
Recent feminist scholarship, journalism and activism have recognised
that feminism has reached a fourth-wave iteration (Aune and Dean
2015; Evans 2015; Cochrane 2014; Munro 2013; Baumgardner 2011;
Wrye 2009). While some assertions of this fourth wave originated from
the USA, the term has strong traction within the UK, having been
championed from as early as 2013. This book, as a whole, considers
this fourth wave moment, while addressing the problematic of using a
wave narrative. Recognising criticism of the wave, I will place the
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narrative in dialogue with a ect, in order to explore the concept of an
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a ective temporality. While the wave has been critiqued for limiting
feminism, its usage persists. This is not to say that the problems regard-
ing the wave narrative have been resolved, but that it nonetheless has a
number of productive possibilities. As such, it is necessary for feminists
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to nd a way to work with the narrative that allows for a greater
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exibility of approach. The wave can be a means by which to approach
feminist temporality, considering how the past and future inform the
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a ective immediacy of the present moment.
Kira Cochrane, a journalist for The Guardian, published All The
Rebel Women: The Rise of the Fourth Wave in 2013. Her book explores
© The Author(s) 2017 1
P. Chamberlain, The Feminist Fourth Wave,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-53682-8_1
2 TheFeministFourthWave
theemergenceofafourthwave,discussingwhysuchasurgeinactivism
is occurring at this moment. The work divides into four areas that
Cochrane perceives as central to the fourth wave: rape culture, online
feminism, humour, and intersectionality and inclusion. In her discus-
sion of the fourth wave rising, Cochrane focuses on a number of UK-
fi
speci c activists, detailing the personal experiences that drove them to
feminism, as well as their more public contributions to the social
movement as a whole. She mentions Jinan Younis, who was galvanised
in her feminism through experiences of street harassment; Lucy-Anne
Holmes, who despaired of the sexist coverage of female athletes during
‘ ’
the Olympics, and started a No More Page 3 campaign; Nimko Ali,
who underwent FGM at the age of seven and set up Daughters of Eve
ff
to campaign against the practice while o ering physical and psycholo-
gical support to women involved in the process. Cochrane proceeds to
list a number of other important feminists, including Caroline Criado-
Perez,LauraBatesandSorayaChemaly,aswellasorganisationssuchas
Feminista, Reclaim the Night, and Rape Crisis South London. What
’ fi
is useful here is Cochranes UK speci city, in addition to her focus
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on individuals and single campaigns. While she is not o ering these
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women as gureheads for the fourth wave, Cochrane uses them as
examples that represent the progression of the surge in activism and
interest. The activisms that Cochrane details speak to my understand-
ff
ing of the a ective intensity that is constituting the fourth wave of
feminism.
‘ ’
In her chapter Why Now?, Cochrane traces the history of each
wave, considering its activism, main objectives, central achievements
and pivotal participants. In turning to the fourth wave, she considers
the way in which moments can emerge where women step back from
their culture, and with a keen eye, suddenly perceive its failures. The
movement to step back in order to examine cultural and social
contexts, however, must be catalysed by something: a sudden rushing
awareness that forces an even wider taking stock. Cochrane attributes
this moment to increasing worry about body image, with self-harm
and anorexia on the rise simultaneous to the shrinking and down-
sizing of models. She considers this in conjunction with the economic
crash, compounded by the coalition government coming to power in
1 Introduction 3
2010. The movements against austerity actually contributed and
fed into a new wave of feminism, creating a culture of protest and
resistance that seemed to have diminished in previous years. The
fi
politicisation of the nation, only ampli ed by the MP expenses
scandal and savage cuts to public services, added energy to the start
of the feminist wave.
‘
The history of feminism has demonstrated scepticism toward the
...
popular, where popular genres have often been positioned as coun-
’
ter to feminist politics and feminist subjects (McBean 2015: 15). In
spite of this, the fourth wave seemed to gain initial acknowledgment
and credence from journalism. Rather than this recognition being
counter to feminist politics and subjects, it seems as if those reporting
‘ ’ fi
from the midst of activism needed to nd a name for what they
fi
identi ed as a surge in activity. The term has since been used by a
ffi
numberofmediaoutlets,includingtheHu ngtonPost,TheTelegraph,
theL.A.Times,andNewYorkTimes.Thetermhasalsoemergedwithin
academia, with day symposiums being hosted at Leicester and UCL,
amongst others. In this case, the popular usage of the term does not
’
run counter to feminisms employment of it. Instead, it demonstrates
how widespread the surge of activism is. The fact that the fourth wave
fi
has not been purely identi ed by academics, but is being used by
activists, and journalists commenting on the unfolding action, is
indicative that the surge has penetrated multiple disciplinary manifes-
tations of feminism.
It is also possible that contemporary developments in technology
might have played a key role in catalysing the fourth wave of feminism.
‘ ff
As such, it is imperative that academics consider the e ects that new
’
technologies are having on debates and activism (Munro 2013). In her
‘ ’ ’
article, Feminism: A Fourth Wave?, Ealasaid Munros primary claim
for the fourth wave is that it has been enabled by the Internet, particu-
larly social media facilitating call-out culture. Social media has allowed
for the continual challenging of sexism and misogyny, creating an
environment in which feminism can directly engage with that which it
is against. Not only are the numbers of women online increasing, but
also multiple feminist campaigns have been launched on the Internet,
includingEverydaySexismandNoMorePage3.However,Munrodoes