Feminism and Black Activism in Contemporary America

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Feminism and Black Activism in Contemporary America An Ideological Assessment

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By Irvin D. Solomon

ISBN: 0-313-26204-7

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-26204-3

DOI:

200 pages, tables

Greenwood Press

Publication: 8/22/1989

List Price: $107.95 (UK Sterling Price: £59.95)

Availability:

Media Type: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Series Title: Contributions in Women's Studies

Series Number: 106

Reviews:

Solomon provides an overview of the development and ideology of black activism and feminism in the US to explore the extent of interrelationship between the two movements. His sweep is broad, beginning as he does with a description of both movements in the 19th century and moving forward to consider significant events and ideas through the 1970s. Solomon divides both movements into three broad streams: the legal approach typified by the NAACP and NOW; the cultural approach of Black Power and lesbian feminists; and the economic approach of socialism and Marxism as adapted by black/feminist thinkers. Solomon's broad historical and ideological scope is commendable for its inclusiveness. . . . The author's basic argument, that feminism is more similar to but less derivative of black activism than is usually assumed, is a provocative thesis. . . . This is a very useful historical survey for readers relatively unfamiliar with one or both movements. Undergraduates will find it a helpful introduction to issues that can then be researched in more depth in other sources.
—Choice

Description: Though the race and gender protest movements that began in the 1950s are often linked in our minds, the connections between them have not been studied systematically. In the first thorough analysis of the common ground between these movements, Solomon explores the ideological and behavioral relationships, the roots, shared goals and responses, parallel strategies, and common obstacles that link contemporary feminism and black activism. Focusing particularly on the dynamic mid-twentieth-century period of protest, he examines the various legal, cultural, and economic orientations that have characterized these movements and given them special force. Solomon first reviews the long protest history of black activism and feminism in the United States. He then discusses three different ideological stances that have characterized segments of both movements. The first, described as the legal approach, seeks a more egalitarian society, with full social integration through traditional, legal, and electoral channels. The cultural-nationalist view, which sees little possibility for meaningful reconciliation, stresses radical and unorthodox alternatives that strengthen self-definition and power apart from the dominant group. In practice, these two approaches may overlap. The third protest orientation is based on Marxist-socialist economic principles, particularly the contemporary neo-Marxist view that looks to a total social upheaval to change the cultural fiber of society as well as its economic institutions. Directed to both the academic and general reader, this book will be a useful resource for those with an interest in black studies, women's studies, and contemporary politics, as well as related areas in sociology, political science, and history.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction: Perspective and Methodology
The Long March Forward: Modern Black Activism and Contemporary Feminism Come of Age
Legal-Oriented Feminism
Cultural-Oriented Feminism
Economic-Oriented Feminism
Epilogue
Selected Bibliography
Index

LC Card Number: 89-1980

LCC Class: HN65

Dewey Class: 303.4


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