A Conversation with Susan Faludi on Backlash, Trumpism, and #MeToo

Abstract

Originally published in 1991, Susan Faludi’s Backlash: The Undeclared War against American Women is a landmark feminist work. In this interview, Faludi reflects on the evolution of the feminist struggle for women’s equality in the years since this book was published. Identifying our present moment as another period of backlash, Faludi argues that a counterassault is again on the rise. Yet Faludi notes that unlike the subtler backlash of the 1980s, a more overt and aggressive resurgent misogyny characterizes the Trump era. Faludi also draws parallels and distinctions between the allegations during the confirmation hearings for Justice Clarence Thomas in the 1990s and Justice Brett Kavanaugh during the #MeToo moment. Expanding on her earlier account, Faludi discusses the connections between backlash, class cleavages, and racism, and explains that once again minority and working-class women are paying the steepest price as feminist gains are eroded.