Feminism and antiracism: international struggles for justice

Abstract

FEMINISM AND ANTIRACISM: International Struggles for Justice France Winddance Twine and Kathleen M. Blee, eds. New York: New York University Press, 2001; 389 pp. In their book Feminism and AntiRacism: International Struggles for Justice, editors France Winddance Twine and Kathleen M. Blee set their goal as one of bridging theorizing and transnational activism by bringing together empirically grounded studies of practices intended to explicitly challenge the intersections of racial, ethnic, and gender inequalities. To embark on this ambitious project, they sought a diverse group of contributors, each writing from their own unique and distinct standpoint. The book illuminates various complexities encountered by anti-racists, as they organize in an increasingly globalized world, continually impacted by colonialism and its legacies. Through an analysis of organizing efforts in a variety of contexts, the volume not only highlights the constraints which shape and efforts but also reveals the transformative potential of such organizing practices. In addition to explicating theoretical considerations, concrete strategies for building alliances are interwoven throughout the book. Contributors from around the world struggle to complicate their interpretations of feminist or antiracist practice and what these concepts mean to diversely situated women. Each author affords us the opportunity to watch how such tensions are negotiated, in order to move towards the ultimate goal of social justice. The first section poses the question, how do we create and mark terrains / boundaries? Examining the establishment of multiethnic spaces in four different national contexts (Italy, India, the United States and Yemen), the contributors analyze initiatives which have succeeded in organizing against racism and class inequalities. The case studies presented include the founding of domestic violence courts for women in India, unionizing exotic dancers in the US, fighting for the rights of migrant women workers in Italy and the health care needs of women in Yemen. Each of these compelling offerings explores a facet of promoting social integration by forming alliances among women across racial and cultural hierarchies. The second section focusses on the difficulties inherent in generating multiethnic that promote dialogue between men and women whose social locations vary along axes of power (race, class, sexuality, immigrant status). Each chapter is grounded in a unique situation, challenging readers to consider the variety of creative modes through which the message of feminism and antiracism may be transmitted. Included in this section are examples of using theatre as a form of activism, by acknowledging art as a form of activism (Breen), as well as using the educational system to overcome racist and masculinist narratives (Nozaki). In the third section, Coalitions at Work, the authors tackle the issue of why it is critical to build multiethnic coalitions across differences in religious beliefs, sexual orientations, cultural beliefs or even commitment to principles. …