Anarcha-feminism
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Anarcha-feminism combines anarchism with feminism. While anarchist feminists have existed since the late 19th century, the term "anarcha-feminism" was not coined until second-wave feminism in the 1960s.
Anarcha-feminists view patriarchy as a manifestation of hierarchy and thus as a fundamental problem of society. Anarcha-feminists believe that the struggle against patriarchy is an integral part of class struggle and the anarchist struggle against the State and capitalism. In essence, then, the philosophy sees anarchism as a necessary component of feminism and vice-versa.
Anarcha-feminism was inspired by early 20th-century authors and theorists such as Emma Goldman and Voltairine de Cleyre. First-wave feminist Mary Wollstonecraft held proto-anarchist views, and William Godwin is often considered an important precursor to anarchist feminism. In the Spanish Civil War, an anarchist and feminist group, Mujeres Libres ("Free Women"), organized to defend both anarchist and feminist ideas.
Anarcha-feminists criticize the views of many of the traditional anarchist theorists like Pierre-Joseph Proudhon or Mikhail Bakunin. These often viewed patriarchy as a minor problem that was integral only to capitalism and would disappear along with capitalism. Some even supported patriarchy. Proudhon, for example, viewed the family as the most basic unit of society and of his morality and thought women had the responsibility of fulfilling a traditional role within the family.
An important aspect of anarcha-feminism is its opposition to traditional conceptions of family, education, and gender roles. The institution of marriage is one of the most widely attacked. De Cleyre argued that it stifled individual growth, and Goldman argued that it condemns women "to life-long dependency, to parasitism, to complete uselessness, individual as well as social." Anarcha-feminists have also argued for non-hierarchical family and educational structures, and had a prominent role in the creation of the Modern School in New York City, based on the ideas of Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia.
Criticisms
The term "anarcha-feminism" incorrectly uses the suffix "a" to denote femininity. The prefix Anarcho- stems from the Greek, and is not gendered male. Some critics argue that the use of "anarcha-" rather than "anarcho-" implies that feminism is a movement for women rather than a struggle against patriarchy, an institution which negatively affects both men and women. Others point out that the substitution of "a" for "o" would suggest that all other anarchisms using the prefix "anarcho-" are masculine, and set apart from the one form of "anarcha-feminism", which is feminine.As a defense, however, feminine terminology is sometimes seen as a counter to pervasive androcentric thinking, with the use of a feminine suffix highlighting a marginalized group that would be otherwise overlooked rather than suggesting a feminine dominance. This logic is followed not only in feminism, but also in some academic departments, which prohibit the use of generalizing individuals as male, but see doing so as female as acceptable.
See also
External links
- [Anarcha- Communist Gender news]
- [Anarcha-Feminism] (Infoshop.org)
- [Anarcha]
- [Modern anarchist writings by women]
- [Sex, Race and Class] by Selma James
- [Quiet Rumours: an Anarcha-Feminist Reader] by Dark Star Collective
- [ROAD Collective] Ontario Anarchist Networking Resource.
- [Libertarian Communist Library Archive]
- Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas - Volume One: From Anarchy to Anarchism (300CE-1939), ed. Robert Graham [link] includes material by Louise Michel, Charlotte Wilson, Voltairine de Cleyre, Emma Goldman, Lucia Sanchez Soarnil (Mujeres Libres), and Latin American (Carmen Lareva), Chinese (He Zhen) and Japanese (Ito Noe and Takamure Itsue) anarcha-feminists.
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