1st Edition

Reconstructing Womanhood, Reconstructing Feminism Writings on Black Women

Edited By Delia Jarrett-Macauley Copyright 1996
    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    224 Pages
    by Routledge

    Reconstructing Womanhood, Reconstructing Feminism is the first British feminist anthology to examine concepts of womanhood and feminism within the context of `race' and ethnicity. Challenging contemporary feminist theory, the book highlights ways in which constructions of womanhood have traditionally excluded black women's experience, and proposes a reconsideration of terms such as `feminist'. The research subjects and methods of many of the contributors have been shaped by the specifics of the Black British experience and context.
    The collection brings together various ideas about `difference' and identity. It covers a wide range of social and cultural issues including the position of black women in the church, lesbian identity in film, contemporary African feminism, and British immigration law.

    Part One, Introduction, 1. From Sexual Denigration to Self-respect: Resisting Images of Black Female Sexuality - Annecka Marshall, 2. Exemplary Women - Delia Jarrett-Macauley, 3. Those whom the immigration law has kept apart - let no one join together - Deborah Cheney, 4. A Mouse in a Jungle: The Black Christian Woman's Experience in the Church and Society in Britain - Valentina Alexander, 5. Naming and Identity - Felly Nkweto Simmonds, Part Two, Introduction, 6. Creative Space? - The Experience of Black Women in British Art Schools - Juliette Jarrett, 7. White Skins, Straight Masks: Masquerading Identities - Helen Charles, 8. Literature, Feminism and the African Woman Today - Ama Ata Aidoo, 9. The Rough Side of the Mountain: Black Women and Representation in Film - Lola Young.

    Biography

    Delia Jarrett-Macauley

    ` ... a unique contribution to black feminist debate and a demonstration of the strengths of feminist theory grounded in experience.' - - Sheila Rowbotham, World Institue for Development Economics Research