Feminism and Black Activism in Contemporary America: An Ideological Assessment

by Irvin D. Solomon

Overview

Feminism and Black Activism in Contemporary America, by Irving D. Solomon, is an interesting attempt to analyze two of the most important sustained social movements of the mid-twentieth century. Solomon's politics are feminist, and he is sympathetic to both movements. . . . Solomon isolates three schools, legal, cultural, and economic, in both movements. After an introduction explaining his methodology, he gives a history of both black activism and contemporary feminism and then considers each school, finishing with an epilogue. Solomon is best in the extended discussions of his schools of feminism. Solomon's explication of the rich independent history of the legal branch has not been done before in such a lucid and condensed way. . . . [T]his is the only book currently available that looks at the black activist and feminist movements together. Solomon makes a defensible case for his analysis, and he sustains his argument with a great deal of useful information, analyzing ‘classic' women's liberation texts, searching out archival material, and conducting some very interesting interviews. Jourbanal of American History

Though the race and gender protest movements that began in the 1950s are often linked in our minds, the connections between them have not been studied systematically. In the first thorough analysis of the common ground between these movements, Solomon explores the ideological and behavioral relationships, the roots, shared goals and responses, parallel strategies, and common obstacles that link contemporary feminism and black activism. Focusing particularly on the dynamic mid-twentieth-century period of protest, he examines the various legal, cultural, and economic orientations that have characterized these movements and given them special force.

Solomon first reviews the long protest history of black activism and feminism in the United States. He then discusses three different ideological stances that have characterized segments of both movements. The first, described as the legal approach, seeks a more egalitarian society, with full social integration through traditional, legal, and electoral channels. The cultural-nationalist view, which sees little possibility for meaningful reconciliation, stresses radical and unorthodox alternatives that strengthen self-definition and power apart from the dominant group. In practice, these two approaches may overlap. The third protest orientation is based on Marxist-socialist economic principles, particularly the contemporary neo-Marxist view that looks to a total social upheaval to change the cultural fiber of society as well as its economic institutions. Directed to both the academic and general reader, this book will be a useful resource for those with an interest in black studies, women's studies, and contemporary politics, as well as related areas in sociology, political science, and history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313262043
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	08/22/1989
Series:	Contributions in Women's Studies , #10
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Irvin D. Solomon teaches honors history and Third World studies courses at Edison Community College in Fort Myers, Florida. He has taught extensively at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, holds a PhD with concentrations in Afro-American history and the history of women in America.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: Perspective and Methodology
The Long March Forward: Modern Black Activism and Contemporary Feminism Come of Age
Legal-Oriented Feminism
Cultural-Oriented Feminism
Economic-Oriented Feminism
Epilogue
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Solomon provides an overview of the development and ideology of black activism and feminism in the US to explore the extent of interrelationship between the two movements. His sweep is broad, beginning as he does with a description of both movements in the 19th century and moving forward to consider significant events and ideas through the 1970s. Solomon divides both movements into three broad streams: the legal approach typified by the NAACP and NOW; the cultural approach of Black Power and lesbian feminists; and the economic approach of socialism and Marxism as adapted by black/feminist thinkers. Solomon's broad historical and ideological scope is commendable for its inclusiveness. . . . The author's basic argument, that feminism is more similar to but less derivative of black activism than is usually assumed, is a provocative thesis. . . . This is a very useful historical survey for readers relatively unfamiliar with one or both movements. Undergraduates will find it a helpful introduction to issues that can then be researched in more depth in other sources.” —Choice

From the Publisher