‘Waves’ Part 1
with Gillian Love
“Oh my days that is soooo second-wave feminism” means n’owt unless you know what a wave is, not to mention the second one. In this two-part podcast, the Grabbing Back team speak to Dr. Gillian Love about ‘waves of feminism.’
This month we’re thinking about waves; what are they, why are they important etc. etc. There’s so much to pack in here that to kick off the new season we’re giving you a double whammy and have split this conversation into 2 parts.
Introducing: Dr Gillian Love
Dr Gillian Love is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology. She teaches a wide variety of sociological subjects, including social theory, the sociology of health and illness, qualitative and quantitative research methods and gender studies. She has previously worked as a Research Fellow on the Universities Supporting Victims of Sexual Violence project. Gillian completed her ESRC-funded PhD at Sussex in 2017. Her thesis was entitled 'Contextualising Abortion: A Life Narrative Study of Abortion and Social Class in Neoliberal England.'
References and recommendations
This is a list of some of the sources mentioned in our “Waves” part 1 and 2, plus other recommended texts on the theme of feminist ‘waves.’ We recommend them not as a whole-hearted support of all of their contents, but as representations of particular feminist positions.
First Wave Feminism
Mary Wollestonecraft. 1792. A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Often referred to as the ‘original feminist text.’ Read more about her in our article on her work, in the ‘Read’ section on our website.
Sojourner Truth. 1851. ‘Ain’t I A Woman?’
This was a speech at the 1851 Akron Women’s Convention – she was speaking in response to white-centric views of womanhood and feminism and arguing for abolition of slavery.
Second Wave Feminism
Betty Friedan. 1963. The Feminine Mystique.
She argues that women are not simply fulfilled by the role of housewife and mother.
Shulamith Firestone. 1970. The Dialectic of Sex.
A socialist feminist take on sex, reproduction, and gender relations. Content note: its sections on race are widely critiqued and reflect arguably racist ideology.
bell hooks. 1981. Ain’t I A Woman? Black Women and Feminism.
An influential Black Feminist text.
bell hooks. 1984. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Centre
Among other things, this was a brilliant critique of how and why feminist theory at the time was so centred around white and middle class issues.
Andrea Dworkin. 1974. Woman Hating.
A radical feminist text on the representation of women, including in pornography.
Andrea Dworkin. 1984. Intercourse.
A radical feminist text on sex, heterosexual dynamics, and violence.
Kimberlé Crenshaw. 1989. Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. (Stanford Law Review, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 1241-1299)
Highly influential article credited with coining the term ‘intersectionality.’ Important within Black feminism, this concept would go on to be central to the third wave too.
Catherine McKinnon. 1989. Toward a Feminist Theory of the State An examination of the basis of gender inequality through the lens of political and legal theory.
Combahee River Collective
Combahee River Collective Statement. 1977 – A manifesto for Black Feminism, a movement running concurrently to, but somewhat separate from, Second Wave Feminism.
Third Wave Feminism
Rebecca Walker. 1996. To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism.
Walker is credited with coining the term ‘third wave’ in an article for Ms. Magazine. This book features 21 essays from feminist activists about their understanding of feminism.
Susan Faludi. 1991. Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women.
An influential third wave book arguing that there was a backlash against the gains of the second wave that must be combatted.
Naomi Wolf. 1990. The Beauty Myth
This book explores the pressures women are under to meet impossible standards of beauty and femininity.
Fourth Wave Feminism
Laura Bates. 2014. Everyday Sexism
Inspired by a digital project where women shared their experiences of harassment and sexism.
Rebecca Solnit. 2014. Men Explain Things to Me
Credited with popularising the term ‘mansplaining.’
Lola Olefumi. 2020. Feminism, Interrupted.
A contemporary feminist manifesto that is radical and intersectional.
Amia Srinivasan. 2021The Right to Sex
Cutting-edge contemporary feminist theory on sex, intimacy and power.
People writing about ‘waves of feminism’
Cathryn Bailey Unpacking the Mother/Daughter Baggage: Reassessing Second- and Third-Wave Tensions.
Published in 2002 in Women's Studies Quarterly , Vol. 30, No. 3/4. pp. 138-154.
Agnieszka Graff Lost between the Waves? The Paradoxes of Feminist Chronology and Activism in Contemporary Poland.
Published in 2003 in the Journal of International Women's Studies, 4(2), 100-116.