A Decolonial Feminism

***Winner of an English PEN Award 2021***

'A vibrant and compelling framework for feminism in our times' - Judith Butler

For too long feminism has been co-opted by the forces they seek to dismantle. In this powerful manifesto, Francoise Verges argues that feminists should no longer be accomplices of capitalism, racism, colonialism and imperialism: it is time to fight the system that created the boss, built the prisons and polices women’s bodies.

A Decolonial Feminism grapples with the central issues in feminist debates today: from Eurocentrism and whiteness, to power, inclusion and exclusion. Delving into feminist and anti-racist histories, Verges also assesses contemporary activism, movements and struggles, including #MeToo and the Women's Strike.

Centring anticolonialism and anti-racism within an intersectional Marxist feminism, the book puts forward an urgent demand to free ourselves from the capitalist, imperialist forces that oppress us.

What People Are Saying

'A vibrant and compelling framework for feminism in our times' - Judith Butler

‘Powerfully outlines the reasons why mainstream feminism has been failing and excluding women of colour since its conception’ Hanna Bechiche, gal-dem

'Brilliant' - Lola Olufemi, author of 'Feminism, Interrupted' (Pluto, 2020)

'Anchored in a deep commitment to justice and liberation, Vergès’s writing encourages us to open our minds and think with our hearts about the many ways the world oppresses and destroys, and about the things that are done, everyday and everywhere, to resist this and make it otherwise' - 'Bad Form'

'A powerful tool of social transformation' - Djamila Ribeiro, Brazilian human rights activist and author of 'Nos, Madelenas: uma palavra pelo feminism' (Fonte, 2012)

‘Incisive… an invitation to reconnect with the utopian power of feminism’ - Aurelien Maignant, 'Fabula'

‘A powerful work’ - 'Les Inrocks'

'Develops a critical perspective on feminism to reconsider the conditions of possibility and purpose… resituates feminism in a truly political, emancipatory and critical dimension’ - Jean-Philippe Cazier, 'Diacritik'

'Essential for highlighting the current divisions within feminist political agendas, and for collective reflection on a profound, radical transformation of society… Necessary reading.' - 'Axelle n°219'

'A feminist narrative of how decolonization is a never-ending struggle!' - Veronica Gago, co-author of 'A Feminist Reading of Debt' (Pluto, 2021)

Table of Contents

Preface
Translator’s Introduction
Introduction: Invisible, They “Open the City”
1. Taking Sides: Decolonial Feminism
2. The Evolution towards Twenty-First Century - Civilizational Feminism
Notes
Index