Against White Feminism
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Summary
Personal, provocative and powerfully persuasive - an essential guide to what white feminism is, why it matters, and how we can put an end to it
'Thoughtful and provocative... It is a must-read' Roxane Gay
'A book to make you stop and think' Mishal Husain
'This book is going to light fires everywhere, so if you are prone to combust, get right the hell out of the way' Lit Hub
Most of us believe that feminism is a force for good. In the past 200 years, it has paved the way for women to advance economically, increasing their safety and their power in society, and advocating for their needs and experiences. But not for all women.
If you are poor, if you are an immigrant to the West or (even worse) don't live here at all, and above all if your skin is not white, the door to mainstream feminism has been shut against you from day one. This is not oversight or an accident. It is an active and sustained strategy to advance white women at the expense of everyone else. And what makes this strategy especially dangerous - and especially effective - is that most white people have no idea they are participating in it.
Attorney and activist Rafia Zakaria shines a spotlight on this urgent issue, revealing the fingerprints of white supremacy all over the feminist movement: from early suffragette campaigns right up to the divided and profoundly unequal world we inherit today. And she issues a powerful call to every reader to join her in building a new kind of feminism, lighting the path to emancipation for all.
'Thoughtful and provocative... It is a must-read' Roxane Gay
'A book to make you stop and think' Mishal Husain
'This book is going to light fires everywhere, so if you are prone to combust, get right the hell out of the way' Lit Hub
Most of us believe that feminism is a force for good. In the past 200 years, it has paved the way for women to advance economically, increasing their safety and their power in society, and advocating for their needs and experiences. But not for all women.
If you are poor, if you are an immigrant to the West or (even worse) don't live here at all, and above all if your skin is not white, the door to mainstream feminism has been shut against you from day one. This is not oversight or an accident. It is an active and sustained strategy to advance white women at the expense of everyone else. And what makes this strategy especially dangerous - and especially effective - is that most white people have no idea they are participating in it.
Attorney and activist Rafia Zakaria shines a spotlight on this urgent issue, revealing the fingerprints of white supremacy all over the feminist movement: from early suffragette campaigns right up to the divided and profoundly unequal world we inherit today. And she issues a powerful call to every reader to join her in building a new kind of feminism, lighting the path to emancipation for all.
Reviews
Bracing and compassionate... Make room beside Audre Lorde and Angela Davis on your shelves
Chicago Review of Books