Che Guevara and the case for revolutionary feminism in global politics

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite his renown, feminists have had little to say about the ideals or legacy of Che Guevara. In global politics, feminism is more commonly associated with pacifist movements, and his advocacy of armed insurgency to initiate revolution is an unpopular sentiment amongst feminists. Despite this discomfort, this article will make a contemporary case for revolutionary feminism for global politics by examining synergies between Che’s philosophy of revolutionary humanism and revolutionary feminist thought. For both, revolutionary politics is fundamentally about power and ‘the determination to wrest power from the ruling group and to end their domination’ (Jeffreys, 1977). Having fallen out of fashion in theorizing global politics (Duriesmith & Meger, 2020), radical and revolutionary feminisms can offer alternative praxis for tackling the persistence of patriarchy and women’s subordination globally. This article argues that an exploration of synergies between revolutionary feminism and Guevara's revolutionary humanism may provide a roadmap towards a more integrated revolutionary model for emancipation.