Making Waves: French Feminisms and their Legacies 1975-2015 (Contemporary French and Francophone Cultures LUP)

French feminisms were central to the theory and culture of Second Wave feminism as an international movement, and 1975 was a key year for the women’s movement in France. Forty years on, this book offers a critical review of the political activism and the cultural creativity of that moment, from the perspective of both preceding and subsequent ‘waves’ of feminism. It explores the importance and the legacies of 1975, and their strengths and limitations as new questions and new conjunctures have come into play. Edited and written by an international collective of feminist scholars, the book represents both a critical re-evaluation of a vital moment in women’s cultural and political history - and a new analysis of the relationship between Second Wave agendas and contemporary feminist politics and culture. Contents List of illustrations Acknowledgements Glossary Timeline Introduction: Making Waves • Margaret Atack, Alison S. Fell, Diana Holmes, Imogen Long Part 1. Then: Second Wave Feminism in France 1 Before Les Femmes s’entêtent: The ‘Bermuda Triangle’ of French Feminism? • Siân Reynolds 2 1975: The Year of Women • Diana Holmes and Imogen Long 3 From Muse to Insoumuse: Delphine Seyrig, Vidéaste • Grace An Part 2. Then and Now: Feminism and Public Arenas 4 Work–Family Reconciliation Policy in France: Challenging or Reinforcing the Gender Division of Domestic and Care Work since the 1970s? • Jan Windebank 5 Feminist Publishing in France 1975–2000: A Quest for Legitimacy • Fanny Mazzone 6 Parole(s) de Femmes: From Le Torchon brûle to Les Nouvelles News • Maggie Allison 7 Utopian Gaiety: French Lesbian Activism and the Politics of Pleasure (1974–2016) • Tamara Chaplin 8 ‘La femme du soldat inconnu’: Feminism and French lieux de mémoire • Alison S. Fell 9 A Mediterranean Bazaar: The Bazar du Genre Exhibition at the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM) in Marseille, 2013 • Bronwyn Winter Part 3. Now: Reappraisals and New Agendas 10 Time to Laugh or to Cry? ‘Le Rire de la Méduse’ after 40 Years • Mairéad Hanrahan 11 ‘Les hommes et les femmes, c’est vraiment pas pareil’ (‘Men and women just aren’t the same’): Nancy Huston’s Passions d’Annie Leclerc • Diana Holmes 12 Across the Waves: Benoîte Groult, Catel Muller and bande dessinée • Imogen Long 13 Voix Blanche? Annie Ernaux, French Feminisms and the Challenge of Intersectionality • Lyn Thomas 14 Third Wave Collective Manifestos: What do Feminists Still Want? • Michèle A. Schaal Conclusion • Margaret Atack, Alison S. Fell, Diana Holmes, Imogen Long Bibliography Notes on Contributors Index French feminisms were central to the theory and culture of Second Wave feminism as an international movement, and 1975 was a key year for the women's movement in France. Forty years on, this book offers a critical review of the political activism and the cultural creativity of that moment, from the perspective of both preceding and subsequent `waves' of feminism. It explores the importance and the legacies of 1975, and their strengths and limitations as new questions and new conjunctures have come into play. Edited and written by an international collective of feminist scholars, the text represents both a critical re-evaluation of a vital moment in women's cultural and political history - and a new analysis of the relationship between Second Wave agendas and contemporary feminist politics and culture French feminism was central to the theory and culture of Second Wave feminism as an international movement, and 1975 was a key year for the women's movement in France. Through a critical review of the politics, activism and cultural creativity of that moment, from the perspective of both preceding and subsequent 'waves' of feminism, this book evaluates the legacies of 1975, and their strengths and limitations as new questions and new conjunctures have come into play. Edited and written by an international group of feminist scholars, it offers both a critical re-evaluation of a vital moment in women's cultural history, and a new analysis of the relationship between second wave agendas and contemporary feminist politics and culture. 1975 was a key year for the women's movement in France. Through a critical exploration of the politics, activism and cultural creativity of that moment, this book evaluates the achievements and legacies of second wave French feminism for subsequent 'waves', including the movement's contemporary resurgence.