| Title | : | Once and Future Feminist |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1946511196 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781946511195 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published August 14, 2018 |
In Once and Future Feminist, editor and lead essayist Merve Emre turns a critical eye on the role of technology in feminism both past and present. With her starting point the "fertility benefits" offered by Silicon Valley tech companies, Emre posits that such reproductive technologies as egg freezing and in vitro fertilization aren't inherently emancipatory; they often make women even more vulnerable to exploitation at work. Almost fifty years ago, radical feminist Shulamith Firestone viewed developments in reproductive technology with skepticism, arguing in The Dialectic of Sex that they are only "incidentally in the interests of women when at all."
Engaging other feminist writers and scholars, this collection broadens out to examine whether technology in general has made good on its promise to liberate women—sexually, biologically, economically, and politically. In this context, Once and Future Feminist considers not only whether or not a radical, emancipatory feminism is possible today but what such a feminism might look like.
Once and Future Feminist Reviews
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I devoured this. Bought on a whim at a bookstore closeout sale. Really appreciated the lucid arguments, the format of opening essay followed by critique, followed by follow up. Learned a bunch.
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This book is actually a forum-style collaboration in which a main essay — “On Reproduction” by Merve Emre — is presented first, then many writers provide written responses in kind. Emre’s piece is centered on a history of attempts to develop an artificial womb, discourses around natural v. tech-enabled reproduction, and stories of women and potential birthing parents attempting to access IVF or IUI to have children (painted as both non-traditional and a coming new norm). Subsequent responses either critique Emre for overlooking the specific struggles that marginalized people (Black women, LGBTQ people, and poor folks in particular) face when trying to reproduce, or attempt to further unfold the discussion surrounding the role of technology in liberating women and humans from the labor of reproduction.
After Emre is given another attempt to respond to the responses, there are several other pieces — including my favorite, an interview with Silvia Federici focused on her work with the Wages for Housework collective and radical responses to liberationist efforts surrounding childcare and community care. There’s also a piece about how tech bros replicate the environment of their mother’s basements at their work places (and in the gig economy), a piece about the need to consider care for the elderly in modern feminist efforts, a satirical piece by math nerd Cathy O’Neill fictionalizing a potential future in which personal sex robots magically lead to gender equality in the 2070s (yes, its as random as it sounds), and then a closing piece about the Boston Gay Men’s Liberation group aiming to demand the ability for gays and lesbians to communally parent emancipated children who belong to no one.
