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Feminism

Uncontrollable Women: Radicals, Reformers and Revolutionaries - book review

Uncontrollable Women brilliantly tells the history of women who fought for rights and against repression during the radical years in Britain of 1789-1832, finds Ellen Graubart
Barbara Ehrenreich: a class act - obituary

Lindsey German pays tribute to the life and contributions of socialist feminist Barbara Ehrenreich who recently passed away
The Case Against the Sexual Revolution. A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century - book review

Perry’s Case Against the Sexual Revolution raises important questions about women’s liberation, but is based on deeply flawed premises, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Sexual Revolution: Modern Fascism and the Feminist Fightback - book review

Laurie Penny’s Sexual Revolution offers an eclectic argument full of inconsistencies, while omitting any understanding of how class underpins oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Establishment ideological contradictions and the left

The left must develop class positions independent of establishment ideologies if it is to end the toxic nature of recent debates and successfully challenge oppression, argues John Rees
Working women and the feminist movement

In the first of a series on women and socialism, Terina Hine looks at the history of how women have made gains through worker militancy
The Women's Liberation Movement and the Politics of Class in Britain - book review

A study of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain of the 1970s shows how essential it is to grasp the relationship of class and oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Unearthing class and conflict in Sutton Hoo – Netflix’s The Dig reviewed

The Dig corrects the erasure of working class archaeologist Basil Brown in the excavation of Sutton Hoo, but falls short on portraying the key women involved, finds Kevin Potter
Marxism and feminism - Marxism and Women's Liberation extract

Lindsey German discusses Marxism's contribution to analysing women's oppression in this extract from Marxism and Women's Liberation
Mary Wollstonecraft statue is a poor representation of her radical ideas

The new statue commemorating Mary Wollstonecraft will disappoint socialists and feminists as it fails to represent what she stood for, argues Lindsey German
Abortion ban in Poland: the government is waging war on women

The ruling against abortions in Poland is a monstrous assault on women which should be resisted as part of the wider fight against the populist right internationally, argues Reece Goscinski
From Nixon to Trump: Lessons of the 1968 election

As Trump looks to shore up populism for his re-election during the BLM upsurge, Sean Ledwith draws upon parallels with 1968
Sylvia Pankhurst: Natural Born Rebel - book review

Rachel Holmes’ monumental biography of Sylvia Pankhurst succeeds in capturing her energy and brilliance, and the relevance of her causes for today, finds Katherine Connelly
Marge Piercy’s Woman on the Edge of Time: books that made me a socialist

A startling fusion of science fiction and feminism selected by Dave Randall
Film Review: Misbehaviour is misjudged

Women's liberation struggles deserve to be made into films, but Misbehaviour is not one of them says Penny Hicks
Little Women - film review

Little Women is a successful film adaptation but haste and gloss obscure many of the central and distinctive elements of Alcott’s original story
Rebels and Friends: a play by Jacqueline Mulhallen

Drama, art and Irish history come together at Unite the Union’s headquarters, finds Ellen Graubart
“Life-long member of the non-pretty working classes” - All Woman review

In All Woman, Kathy Burke has tackled ‘beauty’ and ‘motherhood’ and next up is that big messy hot potato of ‘relationships’, writes Sofie Mason
Keeping Faith - review

The stereotype-busting lead character of BBC One's Keeping Faith is what makes the drama so compelling, writes Sofie Mason
A Suffragette in America: Reflections on Prisoners, Pickets and Political Change - book review

Katherine Connelly’s edition of previously unpublished writing by Sylvia Pankhurst shows her deepening socialist politics, finds Lindsey German
A history of International Women's Day

In this article, originally published in 1998, Lindsey German traces the history of International Women's Day - initially a celebration of the struggle of working women fighting back over suffrage and conditions at work
Westminster's first woman, 100 years on

Constance Markievicz was the first woman MP at Westminster - Jacqueline Mulhallen marks the centenary of her election
Marxism and Feminism - Counterfire Media Podcast

Feyzi Ismail talks to Hester Eisenstein on current trends in Feminism and Marxism, #MeToo, intersectionality and reformulating issues of class as central to feminist theory and practice in this episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast
Informer review: more Islamophobia, or a complex study of the modern-day East End underworld?

Despite its virtues, the BBC's Informer still resorts to lazy Islamophobic stereotypes, argues Sofie Mason
Talk about equality is cheap, but paying women a decent wage is much too costly - weekly briefing

Less glass ceilings and more grassroots is the key to reviving the role of women’s liberation in our struggle, argues Lindsey German
Ireland's opportunity for equality

Friday's referendum is a vital step in the fight for women's equality in Ireland, argues Amy O'Donoghue
Spanish women take to the streets to demand justice for women and an end to male violence

The acquittal in Pamplona is not an isolated case. Women are taking to the streets and demanding justice, reports Steph Pike
As a trans woman, this is the unity I want to see

In the trans debate we need less heat and more light, argues Kristina Jayne Harrison
Behind every ‘successful’ woman there’s another woman doing the work - weekly briefing

Feminism is a double-edged sword for those fighting for women’s liberation, argues Lindsey German
The return of idealism: identity and the politics of oppression

The pervasion of identity politics limits our ability to truly liberate ourselves from oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Marxism, Social Reproduction and Women’s Liberation with Lindsey German and Kate Connelly - video

At an important Counterfire discussion, Lindsey German and Kate Connelly speak on women's oppression and how gender roles are played out within the structure of capitalism
The 24 hour day: women, work and class

Lindsey German argues for the development of a theory that can respond to changes in work organisation and the feminisation of the workforce
Everyday sexism and the Daily Mail

The Daily Mail's 'Legs-it' headline is anything but a bit of fun, writes Kara Bryan
Marxism and Women's Liberation

Judy Cox welcomes Marxism and Women’s Liberation as a timely and valuable discussion of the causes and consequences of women’s oppression
Theatre review: Hedda Gabler

Ibsen's play isn’t feminist, but the role is still one of the theatre’s most exciting female characters – brutal, mad and vengeful
Escaping Bleak House: sex, class and power in neoliberal Britain

In this major new analysis, Lindsey German looks at resistance to neoliberalism, oppression's relationship to class, and how new forms of organising and the united front are central to a socialist transformation of Britain
Don't thank the EU for equal pay

The principle of equal pay was won through struggle, writes Lindsey German
Farage: sex, lies and Islamophobia

Nigel Farage's latest outburst is part of a growing sexualisation of racism, argues Lindsey German
Lean Out

Foster’s Lean Out rejects the neoliberal feminism of the likes of Sheryl Sandberg and Clinton. Feminism must be about inequality, argues Lindsey German
Women's liberation: we think it's time

The anti-austerity movement is an opportunity to force women's liberation onto the political agenda says Yasmin Dahnoun
What is it with some feminist Labour MPs?

Jess Phillips and her colleagues are stooping to new lows by misusing feminism to attack Jeremy Corbyn argues Lindsey German
Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement

Charlotte Cooper’s Fat Activism explores a long-standing social movement, revealing complex relationships with feminism, class and capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Jeremy Corbyn and women: a matter of policy not posts

Media responses have pointed to the lack of women in the new shadow cabinet, but the policy response to austerity will have more impact on women's lives in the UK
Jeremy Corbyn, feminism and the Labour leadership

If the women candidates are unlikely to be successful in the Labour leadership election race it's down to politics not patriarchy argues Lindsey German
Exquisite and hard hitting: 'Working from Home' by Julie McCalden

Sue Tate reviews Working from Home by Julie McCalden at The Museum of Bath at Work
Marxism and Feminism

Marxism and Feminism explores the connections between capitalism and women’s oppression through a range of serious and perceptive arguments, finds Lindsey German
Everyday sexism and capitalism

With the feminist movement on the rise, Elaine Graham-Leigh appraises contrasting approaches to challenging sexism and the place of women in today’s system
A Feminist Manifesto for the 21st Century

Five years ago Counterfire was launched as an organisation on International Women's Day 2010, with the publication of A Feminist Manifesto for the 21st Century. It remains a timely analysis of the challenges that face us in the struggle for women's liberation
Montreal Massacre, feminism and hate crimes against women

Those who accuse feminists of 'hijacking' the memory of the Montreal Massacre, in which 14 women were killed, couldn't be more wrong, argues Canadian writer and broadcaster Toula Drimonis
Witches and bitches: Hollywood's horrible misogyny

Completing the Horror Cuts trilogy, Jack Brindelli explores the political implications of possession and witch films, and examines just how deep Hollywood's fear of empowered women goes
A breath of fresh air

Mark Perryman reviews an exceptionally strong list of autumn political reading
Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Towards a Unitary Theory

Lindsey German welcomes a new edition of a classic of Marxist Women’s Liberation theory, which opens up rich debates over the nature and origins of women’s oppression
Yes to women's equality - Scottish Independence: A Feminist Response

Lindsey German reviews 'Scottish Independence: A Feminist Response' by Cat Boyd and Jenny Morrison
Sylvia Pankhurst: Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire

The importance and coherence of Sylvia Pankhurst’s lifelong activism is revealed by Katherine Connelly’s grasp of her political commitments, making this book an important new account her life

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Feminism

Feminism

Uncontrollable Women brilliantly tells the history of women who fought for rights and against repression during the radical years in Britain of 1789-1832, finds Ellen Graubart

Lindsey German pays tribute to the life and contributions of socialist feminist Barbara Ehrenreich who recently passed away

Perry’s Case Against the Sexual Revolution raises important questions about women’s liberation, but is based on deeply flawed premises, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Laurie Penny’s Sexual Revolution offers an eclectic argument full of inconsistencies, while omitting any understanding of how class underpins oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

The left must develop class positions independent of establishment ideologies if it is to end the toxic nature of recent debates and successfully challenge oppression, argues John Rees

In the first of a series on women and socialism, Terina Hine looks at the history of how women have made gains through worker militancy

A study of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain of the 1970s shows how essential it is to grasp the relationship of class and oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

The Dig corrects the erasure of working class archaeologist Basil Brown in the excavation of Sutton Hoo, but falls short on portraying the key women involved, finds Kevin Potter

Lindsey German discusses Marxism's contribution to analysing women's oppression in this extract from Marxism and Women's Liberation

The new statue commemorating Mary Wollstonecraft will disappoint socialists and feminists as it fails to represent what she stood for, argues Lindsey German

The ruling against abortions in Poland is a monstrous assault on women which should be resisted as part of the wider fight against the populist right internationally, argues Reece Goscinski

As Trump looks to shore up populism for his re-election during the BLM upsurge, Sean Ledwith draws upon parallels with 1968

Rachel Holmes’ monumental biography of Sylvia Pankhurst succeeds in capturing her energy and brilliance, and the relevance of her causes for today, finds Katherine Connelly

A startling fusion of science fiction and feminism selected by Dave Randall

Women's liberation struggles deserve to be made into films, but Misbehaviour is not one of them says Penny Hicks

Little Women is a successful film adaptation but haste and gloss obscure many of the central and distinctive elements of Alcott’s original story

Drama, art and Irish history come together at Unite the Union’s headquarters, finds Ellen Graubart

In All Woman, Kathy Burke has tackled ‘beauty’ and ‘motherhood’ and next up is that big messy hot potato of ‘relationships’, writes Sofie Mason

The stereotype-busting lead character of BBC One's Keeping Faith is what makes the drama so compelling, writes Sofie Mason

Katherine Connelly’s edition of previously unpublished writing by Sylvia Pankhurst shows her deepening socialist politics, finds Lindsey German

In this article, originally published in 1998, Lindsey German traces the history of International Women's Day - initially a celebration of the struggle of working women fighting back over suffrage and conditions at work

Constance Markievicz was the first woman MP at Westminster - Jacqueline Mulhallen marks the centenary of her election

Feyzi Ismail talks to Hester Eisenstein on current trends in Feminism and Marxism, #MeToo, intersectionality and reformulating issues of class as central to feminist theory and practice in this episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast

Despite its virtues, the BBC's Informer still resorts to lazy Islamophobic stereotypes, argues Sofie Mason

Less glass ceilings and more grassroots is the key to reviving the role of women’s liberation in our struggle, argues Lindsey German

Friday's referendum is a vital step in the fight for women's equality in Ireland, argues Amy O'Donoghue

The acquittal in Pamplona is not an isolated case. Women are taking to the streets and demanding justice, reports Steph Pike

In the trans debate we need less heat and more light, argues Kristina Jayne Harrison

Feminism is a double-edged sword for those fighting for women’s liberation, argues Lindsey German

The pervasion of identity politics limits our ability to truly liberate ourselves from oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

At an important Counterfire discussion, Lindsey German and Kate Connelly speak on women's oppression and how gender roles are played out within the structure of capitalism

Lindsey German argues for the development of a theory that can respond to changes in work organisation and the feminisation of the workforce

The Daily Mail's 'Legs-it' headline is anything but a bit of fun, writes Kara Bryan

Judy Cox welcomes Marxism and Women’s Liberation as a timely and valuable discussion of the causes and consequences of women’s oppression

Ibsen's play isn’t feminist, but the role is still one of the theatre’s most exciting female characters – brutal, mad and vengeful

In this major new analysis, Lindsey German looks at resistance to neoliberalism, oppression's relationship to class, and how new forms of organising and the united front are central to a socialist transformation of Britain

The principle of equal pay was won through struggle, writes Lindsey German

Nigel Farage's latest outburst is part of a growing sexualisation of racism, argues Lindsey German

Foster’s Lean Out rejects the neoliberal feminism of the likes of Sheryl Sandberg and Clinton. Feminism must be about inequality, argues Lindsey German

The anti-austerity movement is an opportunity to force women's liberation onto the political agenda says Yasmin Dahnoun

Jess Phillips and her colleagues are stooping to new lows by misusing feminism to attack Jeremy Corbyn argues Lindsey German

Charlotte Cooper’s Fat Activism explores a long-standing social movement, revealing complex relationships with feminism, class and capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Media responses have pointed to the lack of women in the new shadow cabinet, but the policy response to austerity will have more impact on women's lives in the UK

If the women candidates are unlikely to be successful in the Labour leadership election race it's down to politics not patriarchy argues Lindsey German

Sue Tate reviews Working from Home by Julie McCalden at The Museum of Bath at Work

Marxism and Feminism explores the connections between capitalism and women’s oppression through a range of serious and perceptive arguments, finds Lindsey German

With the feminist movement on the rise, Elaine Graham-Leigh appraises contrasting approaches to challenging sexism and the place of women in today’s system

Five years ago Counterfire was launched as an organisation on International Women's Day 2010, with the publication of A Feminist Manifesto for the 21st Century. It remains a timely analysis of the challenges that face us in the struggle for women's liberation

Those who accuse feminists of 'hijacking' the memory of the Montreal Massacre, in which 14 women were killed, couldn't be more wrong, argues Canadian writer and broadcaster Toula Drimonis

Completing the Horror Cuts trilogy, Jack Brindelli explores the political implications of possession and witch films, and examines just how deep Hollywood's fear of empowered women goes

Mark Perryman reviews an exceptionally strong list of autumn political reading

Lindsey German welcomes a new edition of a classic of Marxist Women’s Liberation theory, which opens up rich debates over the nature and origins of women’s oppression

Lindsey German reviews 'Scottish Independence: A Feminist Response' by Cat Boyd and Jenny Morrison

The importance and coherence of Sylvia Pankhurst’s lifelong activism is revealed by Katherine Connelly’s grasp of her political commitments, making this book an important new account her life