Anarcha-feminism

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Anarcha-feminism combines anarchism with feminism. It views patriarchy as a manifestation of hierarchy and thus a fundamental problem of society. Anarcha-feminists believe that the struggle against patriarchy is an essential part of class struggle, and the anarchist struggle against the State and capitalism. In essence, the philosophy sees anarchist struggle as a necessary component of feminist struggle and vice-versa.

Anarcha-feminism was inspired by early 20th century authors and theorists such as anarchist feminists Emma Goldman and Voltairine de Cleyre. Early feminist Mary Wollstonecraft held proto-anarchist views, and William Godwin, her husband, is often considered an important precursor to anarchist feminism. In the Spanish Civil War, an anarchist and feminist group, Mujeres Libres ("Free Women"), organized to defend both anarchist and feminist ideas.

Anarcha-feminists criticize the views of many of the traditional anarchist theorists like Pierre-Joseph Proudhon or Mikhail Bakunin, as these often viewed patriarchy as a minor problem that was integral only to capitalism and would disappear along with it. Some even supported patriarchy. Proudhon, for example, viewed the family as the most basic unit of society and of his morality and thought women had the responsibility of fulfilling a traditional role within the family.

An important aspect of anarcha-feminism is its opposition to traditional conceptions of family, education and gender roles. The institution of marriage is one of the most widely attacked, not only by anarcha-feminists but also anarchist feminists in general. De Cleyre argued that marriage stifled individual growth, and Goldman argued that it condemns women "to life-long dependency, to parasitism, to complete uselessness, individual as well as social." Anarcha-feminists have also argued for non-hierarchical family and educational structures, and had a prominent role in the creation of the Modern School in New York City, based on the ideas of Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia.

Contemporary anarcha-feminist groups include Bolivia's Mujeres Creando.

[edit] Criticisms

(See below).

The term "anarcha-feminism" incorrectly uses the suffix "a" to denote femininity. The prefix anarcho- stems from the Greek "an archos" (without leaders), and is not gendered male. Some critics argue that the use of "anarcha-" rather than "anarcho-" implies that feminism is a movement for women rather than a struggle against patriarchy as an institution which negatively affects both men and women. Others point out that the substitution of "a" for "o" would suggest that all other anarchisms using the prefix "anarcho-" are masculine, and set apart from the one form of "anarcha-feminism", which is feminine.

On the other hand, feminine terminology is sometimes seen as a counter to pervasive androcentric thinking, with the use of a feminine suffix highlighting a marginalized group that would be otherwise overlooked rather than suggesting a feminine dominance. This logic is followed not only in feminism, but also in some academic departments, which prohibit the use of generalizing individuals as male, but see doing so as female to be acceptable.

[edit] See also

• Radical feminism
• Ecofeminism

[edit] External links

• Anarcha- Communist Gender news
• Anarcha-Feminism (Infoshop.org)
• Anarcha
• Modern anarchist writings by women
• Sex, Race and Class by Selma James
• Quiet Rumours: an Anarcha-Feminist Reader by Dark Star Collective
• ROAD Collective Ontario Anarchist Networking Resource.
• Libertarian Communist Library Archive
• Anarchism: A Documentary History of Libertarian Ideas - Volume One: From Anarchy to Anarchism (300CE-1939), ed. Robert Graham [1] includes material by Louise Michel, Charlotte Wilson, Voltairine de Cleyre, Emma Goldman, Lucia Sanchez Soarnil (Mujeres Libres), and Latin American (Carmen Lareva), Chinese (He Zhen) and Japanese (Ito Noe and Takamure Itsue) anarcha-feminists.da:Anarka-feminisme

de:Anarchafeminismus et:Anarhofuturism el:Αναρχοφεμινισμός es:Anarcofeminismo fr:Anarcho-féminisme id:Anarka-Feminisme he:אנרכו-פמיניזם no:Anarkafeminisme pl:Anarchofeminizm pt:Anarca-feminismo sr:Anarho-feminizam sv:Anarkafeminism tr:Anarka-feminizm zh:無政府女性主義