Beyond the Feminist Critique

Abstract

As journal editors of Affilia, we often find ourselves in the position of asking the question, ‘‘is this feminist?’’ Of course, this question has various iterations and includes, ‘‘is this feminist enough?’’ ‘‘that can’t be feminist?’’ ‘‘are we behaving like feminists?’’ We also know ourselves, particularly in a moment of intense heated dialog, to comment to each other, ‘‘you don’t sound very feminist.’’ Are there such definitions? Feminist enough, more feminist, less feminist, or more properly feminist, among feminists? Asking these questions of ourselves and during our editorial board processes has become part of the way we design our work, and more importantly an attempt to fully live our lives. Critical feminism orients us toward a set of values like a compass fueled by love and oriented to true north. It compels us to listen, to understand, aim for growth, think of possibilities, and directs us toward a conviction to truth telling even in the most uncomfortable situations. It has become so much of a part of our operating values that it becomes assumed into our work, like a statement of the obvious. This integration is a process, one that we did not fully anticipate or plan for, it has taken time and commitment, and while we are not doing it perfectly, we are wholly grateful for the opportunities that it brings us. Critical feminist analysis has also created for us intellectual alliances, while other frameworks push up against our feminist edges. Anti-oppression and critical race theories (to name two) have emerged as important frameworks that address issues of structural inequity and social responsibility. With these two theories, we feminists seem comfortable using them as critiquing tools because of their congruency with our principles and values, even though they did not grow directly from feminism. One of the greatest challenges for critical feminist is to think about how we move feminism forward as fundamental to social work intervention. This seems especially true when the target of the intervention is not the individual or family. It leaves us wondering if the application of feminist theory and practice in an evidence-based environment either stumps or trumps interventions that are nonmicro focused. Can we produce critical feminist interventions in an evidence-based environment when those interventions are designed to challenge the dominant economic and political ‘‘truth’’ that challenges the sociopolitical structure?