Feminism And Marxism

Global events, from economic crisis to social unrest and militarization, disproportionately affect women. Yet around the world it is also women who are leading the struggle against oppression and exploitation. In light of renewed interest in Marxist theory among many women activists and academics, Marxism and Feminism presents a contemporary and accessible Marxist–feminist analysis on a host of issues. It reassesses previous debates and seeks to answer pressing questions of how we should understand the relationship between patriarchy and capitalism, and how we can envision a feminist project which emancipates both women and society. With contributions from both renowned scholars and new voices, Marxism and Feminism is set to become the foundational text for modern Marxist-feminist thought.

Nearly thirty years after its initial publication, Marxism and the Oppression of Women remains an essential contribution to the development of an integrative theory of gender oppression under capitalism. Lise Vogel revisits classical Marxian texts, tracking analyses of “the woman question” in socialist theory and drawing on central theoretical categories of Marx's Capital to open up an original theorisation of gender and the social production and reproduction of material life. Included in this edition are Vogel's article, “Domestic Labor Revisited” (originally published in Science & Society in 2000) which extends and clarifies her main theoretical innovations, and a new Introduction by Susan Ferguson and David McNally situating Vogel's work in the trajectory of Marxist-feminist thought over the past forty years.

This new dictionary provides clear and accessible definitions of a range of terms from within the fast-developing field of gender studies. It covers terms which have emerged out of gender studies, such as cyber feminism, double burden, and male gaze, and gender-focused definitions of more general terms, such as housework, intersectionality, and trolling, It also covers major historical figures including Hélène Cixous, bell hooks, Mary Wollstonecraft, as well as groups and movements from votes for women to Reclaim the Night. It is an invaluable reference resource for students taking gender studies courses, at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and for those applying a gender perspective within other subject areas.

In Marx, Women and Capitalist Social Reproduction, Martha E. Gimenez advances a theory of social reproduction which, dialectically, views it as determined by production and as a space for the emergence of political struggles and - potentially - critical forms of consciousness.

"Women and Revolution, edited by Lydia Sargent is the second volume in the South End Press Political Controversies Series on contemporary political theory and practice. The lead article THE UNHAPPY MARRIAGE OF MARXISM AND FEMINISM by Heidi Hartmann argues that "the marriage of marxism and feminism has been like that between husband and wife depicted in English common law; marxism and feminism are one, and that one is marxism... To continue the metaphor further, either we need a healthier marriage or we need a divorce." The twelve contributors to this discussion are: Iris Young, Christine Riddiough, Gloria Joseph, Sandra Harding, Azizah al-Hibri, Carol Ehrlich, Lise, Vogel, Emily Hicks, Carol Brown, Katie Stewart, Ann Ferguson & Nancy Folbre, Zillah Eisenstein." --

Marxism and Feminism is a critical examination of feminist thought since the eighteenth century from a Marxist perspective. The book makes the case that the oppression of women is a consequence of capitalism, and that fighting against women's oppression is part of the class struggle. The liberation of women depends on socialism, and the further development of socialism depends in part on the further liberation of women.

Thinking Through brings together new and recent writing by Himani Bannerji. Through anti-racist, Marxist feminism, Bannerji questions the notion of distinct/separate oppressions which understands gender, race and class as separate issues. Incisive and important, Thinking Through offers a new strategy to theorizing gender, race, class and socialist revolution.

An accessible introduction to the relationship between the workers' movement and the women's movement, this book investigates the questions "Why does gender inequality exist?" and "How does it relate to capitalism? "Historical examples range from the mid-19th century to the 1970s and include events, debates, and key personalities from China, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Spain, and Britain. It shows time and again the controversial, often difficult relationship between feminism and Marxism. The theoretical questions discussed include the origins of women's oppression, domestic labor, dual systems theory, performativity, and differentialism. Women's oppression is a structural element of the division of labor and one of the direct factors through which capitalism not only reinforces its ideological domination but also organizes the exploitation and reproduction of labor. The integration of patriarchal relations and capitalism has led to their radical transformation--in the family, in terms of women's place in production, in sexual relations, and with respect to sexual identity. Marxism needs to probe complex processes: ongoing transformations and crises, a global context creating an increasingly feminized workforce, and changing relations between men and women. The book maintains that it is a mistake to submerge gender into class or to believe that freedom from exploitation automatically brings about women's liberation and the ending of sexual roles; it is equally wrong is to think the class question can be removed and gender made the main enemy.