Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'
The Trouble with White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism by Kyla Schuller
2 reviews
jaiari12's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Trafficking, Transphobia, Pregnancy, Abortion, Classism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Rape, and Slavery
rorikae's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
'The Trouble with White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism' by Kyla Schuller deconstructs a history of feminism that has been centered on white women by comparing the fights of famous 'feminists' with their contemporaries that were working on intersectional liberation. By deconstructing the work of famous white feminists, Schuller demonstrates how their work props up white women at the expense of everyone else and in the process supports dominant structures of power.
I am conflicted about this book because I think there are some real strengths but it also doesn't do all that I wanted from it. I appreciate how Schuller highlights underappreciated intersectional feminists to demonstrate how far back this work has been going. I do think the book falls flat in some of the comparisons that she includes to famous white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Margaret Sanger. In deconstructing these women's work and their approaches to feminism, it felt like Schuller spent more time on them than on the intersectional feminists she is trying to center. In some places, I also think that the points get a bit repetitive and fail to go far enough in their exploration of the work and counterhistory. I also think it is important to know that Kyla Schuller is a white woman and to frame her work through that knowledge.
I do think that this could be an accessible first introduction to intersectional feminism for someone who is just starting to learn about it. By going through different points in history, deconstructing the often fabricated history of white feminism, and introducing a counterhistory, Schuller does set up the reader for a longer journey and exploration of intersectionality. In many points of the book, I felt called to explore further ideas and scholars that Schuller introduces. As an introduction this can work, but I think anyone who picks up this book needs to go further and read books by the intersectional feminists that Schuller quotes.
I think the strongest part of this book is the conclusion, where Schuller pulls together all of the pieces she has introduced throughout the book and sets out some groundwork on what needs to be done to be an intersectional feminist. This was the one part where I felt Schuller went as far as I was hoping in her other sections. Here she delves into more aspects of what intersectional feminism looks like and how the reader can embrace it in their own life.
Though I ultimately wished for more for this book, I think that this can provide a starting point for someone just starting to learn about intersectional feminism as long as they use it as a springboard and delve into further work after they finish this book.
I am conflicted about this book because I think there are some real strengths but it also doesn't do all that I wanted from it. I appreciate how Schuller highlights underappreciated intersectional feminists to demonstrate how far back this work has been going. I do think the book falls flat in some of the comparisons that she includes to famous white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Margaret Sanger. In deconstructing these women's work and their approaches to feminism, it felt like Schuller spent more time on them than on the intersectional feminists she is trying to center. In some places, I also think that the points get a bit repetitive and fail to go far enough in their exploration of the work and counterhistory. I also think it is important to know that Kyla Schuller is a white woman and to frame her work through that knowledge.
I do think that this could be an accessible first introduction to intersectional feminism for someone who is just starting to learn about it. By going through different points in history, deconstructing the often fabricated history of white feminism, and introducing a counterhistory, Schuller does set up the reader for a longer journey and exploration of intersectionality. In many points of the book, I felt called to explore further ideas and scholars that Schuller introduces. As an introduction this can work, but I think anyone who picks up this book needs to go further and read books by the intersectional feminists that Schuller quotes.
I think the strongest part of this book is the conclusion, where Schuller pulls together all of the pieces she has introduced throughout the book and sets out some groundwork on what needs to be done to be an intersectional feminist. This was the one part where I felt Schuller went as far as I was hoping in her other sections. Here she delves into more aspects of what intersectional feminism looks like and how the reader can embrace it in their own life.
Though I ultimately wished for more for this book, I think that this can provide a starting point for someone just starting to learn about intersectional feminism as long as they use it as a springboard and delve into further work after they finish this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Colonisation, Genocide, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, and Transphobia
More...