Optional Post on Giddings and Guy-Sheftall

The part of Paula Giddings and Beverley Guy-Sheftall’s presentation that I found the most intriguing was when a member of the audience asked what they considered to be the definition of feminism. I really liked and agreed with Giddings response which was along the lines of it being the struggle to eliminate all of the –isms (sexism, racism, etc.) that oppress people. The broadness of the definition, and the fact that it takes a multi-faceted approach to oppression are two aspects that I think make it both practical and effective. Including all –isms, and making the clear statement that it is not just sexism that the feminist movement is trying to eradicate is a huge step in de-mystifying the Feminist Movement in today’s society. There are so many stereotypes and narrow perceptions of what the Feminist Movement means today and who it represents and I see Giddings’s articulation of what feminism is as putting these misconceptions to rest. I also thought this definition was interesting because we studied Feminist Criminology in my Criminology class last week. Both Feminist Criminology and bell hooks look at the interlocking systems of oppression that include race, gender, and socioeconomic status. While these are only three of the “identities” (or things off of which –isms can be created) that Giddings’s sees feminism as working to eradicate, I feel that both bell hooks and Feminist Criminology are taking the right steps in looking at feminism as being about more than just sexism.