Becoming Feminist: Narratives and Memories (Citizenship, Gender and Diversity)

This book offers a novel, detailed and sensitive exploration of women's engagement with feminism. Centred on the themes of generations, hope, emotions and belonging, each chapter attends to the specific and particular practices of 'becoming feminist' via a series of accessible case studies. Adopting a theoretical and methodological focus on narrative and memory, this original and absorbing work analyses the various and complex ways in which feminism and its histories are received and processed by some feminist women today. Its focus on the specificity of experience disrupts overarching narratives of feminism and its histories, whilst acknowledging that such narratives are often used to sustain, defend and maintain a secure feminist identity. In doing so, it develops a growing body of work concerned with the relationships women forge to feminism’s pasts, presents and futures, with a distinct focus on the stories feminist women tell about their lives. It will appeal to students and scholars of sociology, psychosocial studies, gender studies, women's studies and cultural studies. "Acknowledgements"--"Contents"--"List of Figures " -- "1: Introduction" -- " Participants" -- " Conclusions" -- "2: Narratives and Memories of Feminism" -- " Feminist Waves" -- " Feminist Generations" -- " Telling Stories Differently" -- " Conversations in Narratives and Memories" -- " Questioning the Death of Feminism" -- "3: Rebecca: Class, Politics and Family" -- " Introduction" -- " â#x80;#x98;Itâ#x80;#x99;s My Feminism and No One Elseâ#x80;#x99;sâ#x80;#x99;" -- " Remembering Family, Class and Politics" -- " Remembering Women Against Pit Closure" -- "â#x80;#x98;And the One Doesnâ#x80;#x99;t Stir without the Otherâ#x80;#x99;" -- " â#x80;#x98;And then the Last One Is my Mumâ#x80;Œâ#x80;#x99;" -- " Conclusions" -- "4: Aaliyah and Jenny: Feminist Hope" -- " Aaliyahâ#x80;#x99;s Story" -- " Music" -- " Leaving Home" -- " Jennyâ#x80;#x99;s Story" -- " Domestic and Emotional Labours" -- " Failed Transformations" -- " Possibilities of Return" -- " Conclusion" -- "5: Richa, Ruby and Beth: Feeling Feminism" -- " Introduction" -- " Angry Feminists" -- " Richaâ#x80;#x99;s Story" -- " Rubyâ#x80;#x99;s Story" -- " Visualising Feminist Feeling" -- " Conclusions: Emotional Subjects" -- "6: The Memory-Work Group: Feminist Belonging" -- " Feminist Belonging" -- " Memories of (un)belonging" -- " The Proper Feminist" -- " Insiders and Outsiders: Becoming Feminist Through Arguing" -- " Shifting Boundaries of Belonging" -- " Conclusions" -- "7: Becoming Feminist" -- "Appendix A: Interviewee Summaries" -- " Appendix B: Memory-Work Participant Summaries" -- " Appendix C: Guidelines for Writing Memories (Haug et al. 1987)" -- " Appendix D: Memory-Work Analysis Guidelines (Haug et al. 1987)" -- "References" Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-10 Narratives and Memories of Feminism....Pages 11-48 Rebecca: Class, Politics and Family....Pages 49-83 Aaliyah and Jenny: Feminist Hope....Pages 85-123 Richa, Ruby and Beth: Feeling Feminism....Pages 125-161 The Memory-Work Group: Feminist Belonging....Pages 163-198 Becoming Feminist....Pages 199-208 Back Matter....Pages 209-240 Carly Guest. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 217-234) And Index.