There's absolutely a need for an accessibly written introduction to feminist history, one which stresses the plural and multivocal nature of feminisms and looks at the wide variety of feminist/women's liberation experiences and thought around the world. Lucy Delap sets out to do that in Feminisms: A Global History, which is arranged thematically (chapters are arranged around concepts like "Dreams", "Objects", and "Songs") rather than adhering to the Western-centric wave chronology. Sadly, I don't think Delap was the best person to undertake this project—there are just too many unexamined assumptions here (e.g. using "transwoman" and "Judeo-Christian" as neutral/unmarked terms) that mean the framing of the book is not as global as its aspirations. ( )

Feminisms: A Global History by Lucy Delap is a wonderful read and a great textbook for Feminist History courses.

This attempt at an inclusive global history, by Delap's own admission, will have some holes and omissions. To simply point at one of the holes and claim that with such a hole it isn't "real feminism" borders on sounding patriarchal in the sense of claiming exclusivity for one's own avenue into feminism. Petty at best and I won't even mention what at worst.

The strength of this book is the organization. Rather than chronological it is thematic. This might seem strange for a history book but works very well in this instance. If done by a strict chronology, it would have been disjointed with very few connections made between various local, regional, and national feminist movements. Not to mention having to jump geographically every few pages. By using themes, we see how these various incarnations of feminist activism and thought connect on different levels even when their apparent immediate goals seem quite different. Through this structure Delap is able to present it as much more of a global history rather than a bunch of separate local histories.

The WGS courses I taught (when I used to teach) were usually either theory/philosophy or literature rather than history, but I can imagine using this book in a history course. There are many jump points where discussion and research assignments could be used to either elaborate on a specific topic or to fill in one of the holes. I also would have been quite likely to use a couple of the chapters to supplement other texts in my theory or lit courses. Overall, this will be a useful addition for instructors in the field.

Don't let my talk of it being a good textbook keep readers from reading it as a wonderful book outside academia. This will offer the casual reader insights and connections they may not have known before, as well as highlighting new perspectives on things you did know. The writing is accessible and enjoyable (which also makes it even more valuable within academia).

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )