Introduction to Feminist Thought and Action is an accessible foundation that whets appetite for further study. It provides a non-US-centric introduction to gender studies, covering topics like 19th century African, Chinese, and Arab movements, and foregrounds Black and Indigenous feminisms. Several case studiesthe Aztecs and the Spanish, Agriculture and Gender, Beauty and Authority, Racial Stereotypes, and US Voting Rightsreveal how the interconnected architecture of privilege and oppression affects issues like globalization, media, and the environment. Feminist theories about race, sexuality, class, disabilities, and more, culminate in step-by-step instructions for applying intersectionality and practicing activism. Rich with 19 diverse first-person voices, it brings feminism to life and lives to feminism.
Introductory Material; Preface: Whats This Book?; Part One: Stakes and
Stories;
Chapter 1: Stakes;
Chapter 2: Stories; Part Two: Ways of Thinking;
Chapter 3: Cultural Differences;
Chapter 4: Indigenous Feminisms ; Part
Three: Times and Places;
Chapter 5: Power and Authority;
Chapter 6: Justice
Movements; Part 4: Theory Today;
Chapter 7: Feminist Theories;
Chapter 8:
Feminisms and Theorists; Part 5: Activism Today;
Chapter 9: The Power of
Activism;
Chapter 10: #WTF I Can Do; Conclusion: Feminism Is; Contributor
Biographies; Index
Menoukha Robin Case holds a masters degree in English with a concentration in creative writing; a masters degree in Womens and Gender Studies; and a PhD in English with a focus on women in Yoruba culture, traditionally and in diaspora. Her postdoctoral work has been in Indigenous Studies, with an eye toward Indigenous feminisms. She has taught relevant topics at several colleges (University at Albany, Simons Rock of Bard College, and Skidmore College), such as Race, Class, and Gender; Introduction to Womens and Gender Studies; Native American Womens Studies; Black Feminist Thought; and Feminist History and Theory. In addition, she brings feminist analysis into a wide variety of classes, from Mythology and Modern Life to Water: Local and Global Issues to Roots & Routes of African Diaspora Resistance. She is currently an Associate Professor at SUNY Empire State College, where, along with teaching and mentoring, she develops online courses, including Introduction to Womens and Gender Studies.
Allison V. Craig holds a masters degree in English with a focus on feminist theory from Virginia Tech and a PhD in English with a focus on gender and crisis from the University at Albany (UA), State University of New York (SUNY). Her dissertation, Only a Girl Like This Can Know Whats Happened to You: Traumatic Subjects in Contemporary American Narratives, examines the difficulty of representing traumatic experience and the problem of seeing violence and exploitation as natural and inevitable functions of social life. Dr. Craig currently teaches in the Writing and Critical Inquiry Program at UA, using her expertise on trauma and empathy as tools to foster critical awareness through writing. She also teaches at SUNY Empire State College, focusing especially on issues of social injustice and genocide.
