rad•i•cal [rad-i-kuh l] –adjective
1. of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radical difference.
fem•i•nism[fem-uh-niz-uh m]–noun
1. the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.
2.( sometimes initial capital letter ) an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women.
Radical Feminism seeks through theory and action to find the root of the problem of sexual inequality. Radical feminists believe the root of all inequity and oppression is the patriarchal system. The word radical much like the word feminism or sustainability is often overused and misunderstood. It has been pointed out that radical feminism's"original political meaning has been obscured by the female counterculturalism” (Echols vii). To be perfectly clear, when used to describe a type of feminist philosophy, radical does not refer to a personality trait or a lifestyle.
Radical Feminists do not favor reform within the existing political, legal and social structure because they do not believe true equality can exist in a fundamentally flawed system structured on inequality. Although some radical feminists are extreme in there views, for example Valarie Solanas's promotion of gendercide, Radical Feminist philosophy is not based on a hatred of men but a belief that there can be a radical shift in society so that it can be structured based on equality.
In Daring to be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975, Alice Echols summarizes a period of American Feminism based on radical theory and action. The battle over abortion rights illustrates the philosophy of radicalism and its insistence on female self-determination over reform. Radical feminists insisted on a woman’s right to control her own destiny and therefore her moral right to control her fertility including abortion. Radical feminists left no gray area for reformers to “allow” abortions “in limited circumstances—rape substantial threat to health, the likelihood of fetal deformity, and so on” (Echols viii).
Gayle Graham Yates says in What Women Want: The Ideas of the Movement that “the Redstockings Manifesto is one of the purest expressions of the radical feminist point of view" (8). You can read the Redstockings Manifesto here.
To understand what is meant by Radical Feminism here are a few brief summaries of additional Schools or Periods of Feminist Thought:
Liberal Feminism—Contrasts sharply with radical feminism in advocating for reform within the current system rather than a radical shift and change in society. Liberal feminists seek to change laws that affect women’s lives and opportunities creating more equality between the sexes. Largely considered the mainstream of feminism, liberal feminism sees progress in women entering the workforce in equal numbers and especially celebrates women in powerful positions, once only held by men.
Socialist Feminism—Integrates the struggle against women’s oppression with other injustices based on race, class or economic status. Socialist feminists seek to correct the inequities between men and women but similar to radical feminists do not believe true equality is possible in a fundamentally flawed society, built on inequality. Unlike radical feminists, social feminists do not see the oppression of women as the root of all oppression but one element in the entire picture of social injustice.
Ecofeminism—Draws links between the women’s movement and the environmental movement, recognizing the oppression of nature and women as interconnected. Contemporary ecofeminist theorists also work against the interconnected oppressions of race and class, in addition to gender and nature.
Vegan Feminism—Draws links between women's movement and veganism, relating the oppression of animals to the oppression of women. This year WKU's Women's Studies brought Carol Adams as a guest speaker. Her book, the Sexual Politics of Meat is considered by many to be the bible of this school of feminism. An interesting note in realtionship to our classmates Livejournal project, the radical feminist Mary Daily was an influential teacher who encouraged Carol Adams to explore her ideas which eventually led to The Sexual Politics of Meat.
Cultural Feminism—Advocates for sisterhood and solidarity between all women based on shared identity and the essential differences between men and women, especially based on biology. Cultural feminists celebrate qualities associated with women and reject the idea that men and women are intrinsically the same.
Separatist—Solutions for sexual inequalities must be made by focusing on women and girls. Cell 16, one of the first heterosexual separatist groups advocated periods of celibacy. Heterosexual separatism laid the groundwork for lesbian separatism, a form of feminism that promotes separating from all professional, personal or casual relationships with men. In addition to promoting woman-based solutions many separatist groups educated women about physical fitness, specifically through karate.
Black Feminism—Centered on an awareness of the interrelation of oppressions, black feminists are committed to fighting against race and gender inequality across lines of class, age, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Black feminists use collective actions for social change and work towards black female empowerment while struggling to end all variants of oppression.
Second Wave Feminism—A period of American feminism that focused on activism in fighting women’s oppression. Second wave feminists made substantial achievements in sex discrimination law, abortion rights and equal pay. Reaching its height in the 1970’s, the second wave of feminism includes many Radical Feminists and Radical Feminist Groups.
Third Wave Feminism—Focuses on personal empowerment as a starting place for social justice and attempts to accommodate diversity and change.. Third wave feminists celebrate multiple and sometimes contradictory identities, emphasizing popular culture in the contemporary world. Through philanthropy third wave feminists support oppressed people to be "their best [selves] and to bring all of what they have to humanity, to try and make [the world] a better place" (Rebecca Walker) One of the organized accomplishments of the The Third Wave Foundation is EXHALE, a national talkline
Spark notes offers a few additional descriptions of types and stereotypes (see feminazi) of feminism here. (content questionable)
Information found at various sites linked within the text in addition to:
Echols, Alice. Daring to be Bad: Radical Feminism in America 1967-1975. Minnesota: The University of Minnesota Press, 1989. Print.
