Frontiers of Feminism

Book excerpt: From the mid-1960s to the mid-80s, feminist activism in North America and Europe reached its peak. But responses to the issues and ideas that animated feminism were by no means homogeneous. Frontiers of Feminism combines feminist materialism and social movement theories to explore the principal ideological concerns of Québécois and Italian feminists, including Marxism, nationalism, Third World liberation discourse, and counter-cultural narratives. Identifying the convergences in and differences between these themes, Jacinthe Michaud reveals the synergy between feminism and the left, especially the New Left, and highlights the influence of American and French women’s movements on those in Québec and Italy. By revisiting struggles such as the right to abortion, health and sexuality, wages for housework, and the quest for autonomy from masculine thought, Frontiers of Feminism brings new insights to the recent history of feminist movements and an international perspective to major themes, strategies, and modes of organizing.