This book goes a long way towards explaining why many women don't identify as feminists, and don't want to. The authors conflate traditional feminism (I.e. equality between men and women) with a huge number of other areas, which only serves to alienate people.

For example, the book argues that feminists cannot be capitalists because capitalism embeds 'structural inequalities'. No case is made for this argument, more it is simply assumed that the reader agrees. Fine, if that's your target audience, but don't be surprised if non-lefties don't want to abandon all their politics for the 'privilege' of the feminist label. ( )

For some reason, the 'F' word has become almost a word of shame for many modern women. They see the feminism of their mothers as something irrelevant or out of date. This book has been written to redress that balance. The thesis of the book is that feminism is more relevant than ever in today's modern society. Despite the leaps forward for women, we are still a very long way from achieving equality.

This book sets out a new agenda for the modern feminist movement - relevant to women today rather than women 40 years ago. It updates many of the old demands, sometimes reclaiming them, sometimes offering something new. But when you finish the book, you realise that feminism is something that can't be left to the annals of history. If today's women don't continue to fight, even the current progress could be lost.

A strong book which is worth referring back to again and again, and which should be on the bookshelf of every modern woman. ( )

I had really high hopes when I started this book. I wanted it to educate and inspire me, to rouse my passions and show me some of the amazing people today who are fighting for equality for all, highlighting the issues that really matter to the modern woman. I think that's probably how Redfern and Aune want their book to be received, too, but sadly, it just didn't hit the spot for me, particularly after reading the amazing 'The Beauty Myth' by Naomi Wolf a few years ago.

Don't get me wrong, it was an interesting little read. It is split into seven chapters, covering different areas of feminist interest, including body image, sexuality, violence against women, home and work, politics, religion and popular culture. The seventh chapter focuses on feminism itself, and the necessity of reclaiming the term from the negative connotations that have risen up around it. Not knowing that much about feminism over the years, it came as a surprise to me to find, for example, that it is truly about equality, focussing on bringing men up to women's levels in areas where they are undervalued, as much as it as about raising women to the level of men where they face discrimination. Each chapter discusses the modern issues within that particular area of society, giving statistics and survey results, showcasing feminist battles to counteract discrimination, and offering ideas as to how to get involved.

My problem was that it all seemed so shallow, so half-baked, somehow. Feminism-lite, if you will. Surveys and statistics were thrown around without a word of explanation of interpretation, and anecdotes and examples were offered haphazardly for the reader's perusal. Reading it sometimes felt like I was bouncing across a sea of figures and quotes, hopping around without any kind of enlightenment or analysis from the authors. If I'd written an essay like that at university, I'm fairly sure it would have come back with 'own thoughts?' or 'explain further?' scribbled in red pen in the margins. It made certain sections, particularly the politics and religion chapter, very difficult to read without getting bogged down. There were also problems with certain terms and references going unexplained. For example, I know what FGM means, but other readers might not - the briefest of explanations would have served to clarify things.

That said, it was an easy-to-read introduction to modern feminism that might suit younger readers and newcomers to feminist thought wanting to know more about feminism in society today. The popular culture references and surveys are bang up-to-date, and perhaps most refreshingly of all, this is a British-focussed book, so most of the statistics and feminist activities mentioned are British-based. There is an extensive 'notes' section listing all sources used for the book, and a condensed bibliography for each chapter, pointing the reader in the direction of more specialised books on each issue, which might come in especially handy for students. The verdict? Some interesting ideas - but I've read better. ( )

I have really enjoyed this book and although its contents are not exactly groundbreaking, I think it is very useful in two ways:
First, it is a book that would serve very well as a fairly thorough introduction to feminism as it stands now; and it is definitely something I'd recommend to someone who was looking for something to give (for example) to their teenage daughter. It is a surprisingly easy and fluid read, and covers the multiple issues affecting women today with enough brevity to keep those with a short attention span interested, yet still providing a remarkably comprehensive overview.
It is divided into chapters moving gradually from the personal to the public spheres, and offers a handy list of ways to get involved at the end of each chapter. While this is mainly written from a UK perspective, with results of surveys carried out in the UK used as examples and published at the end of the book, it still provides a useful snapshot of the views feminists today, and helps set a few preconceptions straight.
Secondly, it serves as a reminder to those who, while definitely considering themselves feminists, have maybe become a little complacent and are not always aware how much really still needs to be done to truly achieve the kind of equality that feminism strives for. I would count myself in that group, and while I not always agree with the possible solutions supplied, it has served as an encouragement for me to become a little more outspoken and question a few more things that I previously accepted at face value. ( )

Reclaiming the F Word: The New Feminist Movement (A Review – of the Book, Not the Movement)

(Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program.)

Spurred by the disconnect between the mainstream media's treatment of feminism (depending on the source, feminism is: dead; outdated; a fad that's passed; bad for your health; an utter failure; and/or proven so successful that it's outlived its usefulness) and the "vibrant feminist movement" that they bear daily witness to, UK-based feminists Catherine Redfern and Kristin Aune decided to investigate and document the "new feminist movement." Redfern - founder of The F-Word, a website dedicated to issues of contemporary UK feminism - and Aune - a sociology professor who teaches courses on feminism, gender and religion - surveyed 1,265 UK feminists in order to assess their thoughts on sexism and feminism and compare these to the demands made by their "second-wave" foremothers.* The results appear in the soon-to-be-published Reclaiming the F Word: The New Feminist Movement (July 6, 2010), along with a cogent introduction to the "third-wave" feminist movement. (The survey results are also available at http://www.reclaimingthefword.net .)

Redfern and Aune open the discussion by identifying the seven demands made by feminists meeting at Oxford's Ruskin College annually throughout the 1970s:

1. Equal pay now

2. Equal education and job opportunities

3. Free contraception and abortion on demand

4. Free 24-hour nurseries

5. Financial and legal independence

6. An end to all discrimination against lesbians; assertion of a woman's right to define her own sexuality

7. Freedom from intimidation by threat or use of violence or sexual coercion, regardless of marital status; and an end to all laws, assumptions and institutions which perpetuate male dominance and men's aggression towards women.

While feminists have made significant progress on many of these issues, clearly there's still much work to be done. For example, while legislation regarding rape and sexual assault has improved in both the UK and the US, women (particularly women of color, women with disabilities, trans women, children, etc.) are still physically and sexually victimized in great numbers - both by male perpetrators, and again by a culture fraught with rape apologism and a largely uncompassionate judicial system. Thus, it should come as no great surprise that contemporary feminists voice similar concerns some forty years later.

Based on the responses they received, as well as their own knowledge of current feminist activism and writing, Redfern and Aune group the interests of the "new feminist movement" into seven themes, in homage to the Ruskin College feminists' seven stated demands:

1. Liberated bodies

2. Sexual freedom and choice

3. An end to violence against women

4. Equality at work and home

5. Politics and religion transformed

6. Popular culture free from sexism

7. Feminism reclaimed

Following the book's introduction, subsequent chapters explore each of these themes in greater detail. Though the scope of their topic(s) could easily fill an encyclopedia, the authors manage to distill the issues into a compact-yet-comprehensive 220 pages. A sort of "Modern Feminism 101," Reclaiming the F Word is an excellent introduction to contemporary feminist issues. If you have a younger sister, teen daughter, or college-age granddaughter who's been known to preface a pro-feminist thought with "I'm not a feminist, but...," Reclaiming the F Word might just be the thing to bring her around. From violence against women to the unequal representation of women in politics to the objectification of women's bodies to sell anything and everything under the sun (including other social justice causes) - there's no shortage of fuel (renewable, natch) within these here pages to ignite the feminist flames within.

And focus them, too: throughout the text, the authors highlight feminists who are taking action in the here and now to combat the problems at hand. (Those already active in the "new feminist movement" will recognize more than a few names and faces.) Additionally, each chapter ends with a bulleted list of steps that the reader can take to further effect change in her (or his!) own life.

Although Reclaiming the F Word is written by UK feminists, about UK feminism, primarily for UK feminists, there's still much for international readers here. As someone who's mainly focused on US feminism, I found the discussions of UK laws, politics and culture especially enlightening. (Indeed, since I was already familiar with the basics of today's feminism going in to Reclaiming the F Word, the UK-specific information was really all that was new to me.) While we as individuals have the most power to impact our own communities, it's also important to keep abreast of world politics and events, to draw parallels and make connections between various forms of oppression - and liberation! - both at home and abroad. Think globally, act locally, yes?

Finally, a brief digression: As a vegan feminist who considers these two issues inextricably intertwined**, I would have liked to have seen some mention of nonhuman animals and environmental ethics in the seven "new feminist" demands. But, given mainstream feminism's tendency to ignore (at best) or openly mock (at worst) environmentalism and (especially) animal rights/anti-speciesism, I was not at all bewildered by their absence.***

I was, however, pleasantly surprised to see ecofeminism included as one of twenty possible answers on the "new feminism" survey, with 163 of the respondent identifying themselves as such (making ecofeminist the 9th most commonly identified "branch" of feminism). (Other choices include: general feminism; socialist; academic; liberal; radical; sex-positive; 3rd-wave; queer; riot grrrl; revolutionary; lesbian; pro-/male feminism; 2nd-wave; spiritual/religious; trans-; womanist; black; separatist; and other.) Similarly, "the environment" is listed as an area of concern (with a paltry .6% identifying it as one of their "top three" issues), though animal welfare and/or rights are not (though I suppose these could be included under "intersectionality/intersecting oppressions," which garnered 2.8% of the vote).

Baby steps or low expectations (or both)? You tell me.

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* An interesting aside: Mozilla's dictionary does not recognize "foremothers" as a valid word choice. The dictionary does, however, understand its male counterpart, "forefathers." IBTP. IBTK.

** The whole of animal agriculture, for example, is based on the objectification of nonhuman animals and the attendant exploitation of their reproductive systems; at least half of these animals are female, and females suffer some of the most prolonged and egregious abuses. Women's and animals' bodies as public property, anyone?

*** Happily, The F Word has featured vegan and vegetarian bloggers, both as guest posters and regular contributors. While I'm not a regular reader - mainly owing to the fact that I don't have nearly enough leisure time to read everything I'd like - I feel as though I'd be remiss in not mentioning this.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2010/06/22/reclaiming-the-f-word-the-new-feminist-move... ( )