Can We All Be Feminists?: New Writing from Brit Bennett, Nicole Dennis-Benn, and 15 Others on Intersectionality, Identity, and the Way Forward for Feminism

by June Eric-Udorie (Editor)

Overview

“As timely as it is well-written, this clear-eyed collection is just what I need right now.”  —Jacqueline Woodson, author of Brown Girl Dreaming

“The intersectional feminist anthology we all need to read” (Bustle), edited by a feminist activist and writer who “calls to mind a young Audre Lorde” (Kirkus)

Why do some women struggle to identify as feminists, despite their commitment to gender equality? How do other aspects of our identities – such as race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, and more – impact how we relate to feminism? Why is intersectionality so important?

In challenging, incisive, and fearless essays – all of which appear here for the first time – seventeen writers from diverse backgrounds wrestle with these questions, and more. A groundbreaking book that elevates underrepresented voices, Can We All Be Feminists? offers the tools and perspective we need to create a 21st century feminism that is truly for all.

Including essays by: Soofiya Andry, Gabrielle Bellot, Caitlin Cruz, Nicole Dennis-Benn, Brit Bennett, Evette Dionne, Aisha Gani, Afua Hirsch, Juliet Jacques, Wei Ming Kam, Mariya Karimjee, Eishar Kaur, Emer O’Toole, Frances Ryan, Zoé Samudzi, Charlotte Shane, and Selina Thompson

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780143132370
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/25/2018
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	141,662
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

June Eric-Udorie is a twenty-year-old British writer and feminist activist. Named Elle UK’s “Female Activist of the Year” for 2017, she has been included on lists of influential and inspiring women by the BBC, the Guardian, and more. A co-founder of “Youth for Change”, an initiative that works to combat female genital mutilation and forced marriage around the world, her advocacy has taken her to classrooms, the Southbank Centre's Women of the World Festival, the United Nations, and more. In 2015, she spearheaded a successful campaign to overturn the British government’s decision to remove feminism from the nationally mandated A-level (high school) politics syllabus; more recently, she raised funds to take five hundred underprivileged girls and young women of color to see the film Hidden Figures. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Independent, New Statesman, the Telegraph, ESPN The Magazine, and Fusion, among others. She is currently an undergraduate at Duke University, where she is a recipient of the University Scholars merit scholarship, established by Melinda French Gates, and a Human Rights Scholar at the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

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No Wave Feminism
(Continues…)

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Copyright © 2018 June Eric-Udorie.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
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Table of Contents

Introduction June Eric-Udorie ix

No Wave Feminism Charlotte Shane 1

Unapologetic Nicole Dennis-Benn 17

Fat Demands Selina Thompson 31

Borderlands Gabrielle Bellot 47

Intersectionality and the Black Lives Matter Movement Evette Dionne 61

No Disabled Access Frances Ryan 77

A Hundred Small Rebellions Eishar Kaur 91

Ends, Means, and Subterfuge in Feminist Activism Emer O'Toole 105

Afro-Diasporic Feminism and a Freedom in Fluidity Zoé Samudzi 121

Representation as a Feminist Act Aisha Gani 135

In Search of Gender Troublemakers Juliet Jacques 149

Body and Blood Brit Bennett 161

Loving Two Things at Once: On Bisexuality, Feminism, and Catholicism Caitlin Cruz 173

Imperial Feminism Afua Hirsch 181

The Machinery of Disbelief Wei Ming Kam 191

Brown on the Outside Mariya Karimjee 215

Deviant Bodies Soofiya Andry 225

Acknowledgments 239

Notes 241

About the Contributors 253

Suggestions for Further Reading 257

Editorial Reviews

One of The Guardian's “Five Books on How to Achieve Gender Equality” and “The 50 Biggest Books of Autumn 2018”

“Can We All Be Feminists? reminds us just how often feminists have failed to listen. . . . [and] how feminism has not been listened to.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“A must-have for every feminist bookshelf.”
—HelloGiggles

“Thoughtful and incisive analyses written in masterfully beautiful prose . . . Can We All Be Feminists? is a superb collection, and a stirring call for an intersectional feminism at a time when it is more urgently needed than ever before.” 
—PopMatters

“Convincingly argues why intersectional feminism should replace the current feminism . . . This is what feminism should look like.” 
—Bust

“In an eloquent and searing introduction, debut editor Eric-Udorie . . . calls to mind a young Audre Lorde, and her anthology feels like a 21st-century version of This Bridge Called My Back.”
—Kirkus

“Engrossing . . . not just a key read but a mandatory one.”
—Stylist

“June Eric-Udorie is a powerhouse . . . who has assembled a stellar lineup of writers, putting a bold challenge to the idea of a unified feminism.”
—Book Riot

Praise for June Eric-Udorie

“The intersectional feminist anthology we all need to read. . . . When June Eric-Udorie speaks up — it's time to listen.” 
—Bustle

“If you aren't already familiar with the writing of June Eric-Udorie, prepare to be blown away.”  
—The Independent

“June is a passionate feminist activist [and] a powerful new voice in the blogosphere.” 
—The Guardian

“An incredible young female activist.” 
—Elle (U.K.), “Meet ELLE's Female Activist of the Year: June Eric-Udorie

From the Publisher

09/01/2018
Each of the essays in this collection, compiled by UK writer Eric-Udorie, address from different perspectives the challenges of identifying as feminist in light of intersectional struggles within a community. Eric-Udorie's introduction stresses the importance of intersectionality from a theoretical viewpoint. Interestingly, each piece to follow offers a testament to the idea that focus is appropriate, as each writer spotlights a particular issue of intersection. Writings in a variety of styles make the book useful for both scholars and general readers. Topics range from race to religion to disability and beyond. Poverty, however, is absent from the discussion. Standouts include work from Nicole Dennis-Benn, Evette Dionne, Brit Bennett, and Mariya Karimjee. The final essay discusses the plurality of feminism, citing novelist Roxane Gay to point out that not everyone's feminism is the same, which helps to acknowledge the flaw in Eric-Udorie's argument for a broad approach. VERDICT This anthology works excellently as a response to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists as it marks how feminism has historically excluded and alienated various groups while suggesting inclusive ways forward.—Abby Hargreaves, Dist. of Columbia P.L.

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