Left Feminisms

Jo Littler is Professor of Cultural, Media and Social Analysis at Goldsmiths, University of London. She has written on a wide range of subjects connected with culture, society and power, especially meritocracy, consumption, celebrity, and heritage, as well as gender, ‘race’, politics and environmentalism. Her books include Left Feminisms: Conversations on the Personal and the Political (2023); with The Care Collective, The Care Manifesto (2020); Against Meritocracy: Culture, Power and Myths of Mobility (2018); Radical Consumption? Shopping For Change in Contemporary Culture (2008); and The Politics of Heritage: The legacies of ‘race’, with Roshi Naidoo (2005).

'Left Feminisms shows us the importance of archiving feminist debate. The interviewees do not all agree with each other, far from it. But the book shows the vital role of engaged debate to the ongoing process of feminist scholarship and activism. It is a book that can be returned to again and again to try to make sense of the conjuncture, how we got here and how we can move past it', Laura Clancy, British Journal of Sociology; ‘Littler’s engaging introductory chapter outlines the book’s overarching themes, weaving snippets from her interviews with astute observations on topics that crop up throughout. The book’s aim is not to rouse readers to a particular political cause, but to equip them with an array of different ideas and perspectives. […] Left Feminisms is an ideal starting point for any reader looking to explore different strands of socialist-feminist theory and practice, past and present’, Rachel Collet, Women's History Review

• Introduction: Speaking of feminismThe fortunes of socialist feminismNancy FraserWe do not have to be vicious, competitive, or managerialAkwugo EmejuluEvery generation has to make its own women’s movementSheila RowbothamWe want ourselves alive and debt free!Verónica GagoWhere the fires areWendy BrownDemocracy in the makingLynne SegalMunicipalism and feminism then and nowHilary WainwrightGender, race, class, ecology and peaceVron WareWe haven’t got here just on our own. It’s a conversationCarol TullochBeyond anti-welfarism and feminist social media mud-slingingAngela McRobbieIt’s not about academic life. That’s what I have to tell youGargi BhattacharyyaFeminism is a project, not an identitySylvia WalbyWe need to look at how we can build bridges and build solidarityFinn MackayThis is a collective history that belongs to all of usSophia SiddiquiAcknowledgements