Pamela Norton wrote:
>>> Pat,
>> I'm sorry, but could you enlighten this ignorant scientist as to the
> just what constitutes the second wave of feminism? Is the first wave
> the early part of the 20th century, the campaign for universal
> suffrage, and the second wave the 60s? Is there a third wave? Is the
> fact that I even have to ask these questions clear evidence that I'm a
> sterotypical scientist, out of touch with the real world? :-) Oh and
> BTY, can you tell us a bit more about what you have been reading?
>
Yes, the second wave is the sixties feminist movement, the one
whose demise people have been writing about since the late eighties.
I've been reading some memoirs of it, and by far the most
interesting is Susan Brownmiller's "In Our Time" -- I couldn't
put it down until I'd finished it. A more irritating memoir,
probably of most interest to women in Hollywood, is Brenda
Feigen's "Not One of the Boys". Sheila Tobias also has a memoir
out, but I can't find it on my bookshelf.
The third wave seems to be composed of Generation X women
who grew up with an assumption of their own worth and
(therefore?) have
not been willing to uncritically accept those parts of
second-wave feminism which don't reflect their experiences.
Naomi Wolf's "Fire
With Fire" is usually cited as an ovarian ;) work in this
tradition, as are the anthologies "to be real" (edited by
Rebecca Walker) and "Listen Up!" But by all means check the
web site Linnea suggested, especially the section on 'second
& third waves'. I'm wondering if it's a coincidence that
some of this website's founders are scientists? Here's that url
again:
http://www.io.com/~wwwave/
I find the third wave very exciting. It has been awesome to read
articles by people who claim the right to define the name
'feminist' for themselves, rather than using it as shorthand for
their agreement with an established political agenda. Linnea, would
you like to tell us more -- since you actually know
some of the third wave writers, and I've just been reading them?
Pat
