Feminism, by definition, is a movement that ensures equal rights and opportunities to women. The different waves of feminism brought about a set of significant changes around the world. For example, the movement ensured voting rights, property rights, made education accessible to women, and much more. But have you ever wondered if there’s more to the concept? What defines the movement? How it started? Who are some women that inspired it?
Feminist literature has been in the works since the 1800s, and is ever evolving. Here are five books, fiction and non-fiction, to help you wake the feminist in you.
1. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
Have you ever felt like a hypocrite for succumbing to society’s standards of beauty and toxic femininity while advocating body positivity and accepting oneself? Do you consider yourself a bad feminist because you are only human to want conventional things that are generally stereotyped by society? Released in 2014, Gay’s book of essays will make you feel at ease about it as they all stem from personal experiences. The collection of essays lets you be comfortable in your sense of feminism and does not necessarily call for an internal revolution. This book is a great example of acceptance while reiterating your right to make your individual choices. The best part? It’s backed by womanhood and the feminist movement.
2. Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us by Kate Bornstein
Written by a transgender woman, this book is a personal memoir. This ground breaking work that is partly a coming-of-age story, and partly about sexuality and gender, is a must-read to help you understand the intersectionality of feminism when it comes to sex and gender. It makes you question the very fabric of existence like, ‘Why is a gender assigned at birth?’, ‘What roles does it play in shaping you as a person?’, ‘Can gender be as fluid as sexuality?’ Published in 1994, this book also serves as a milestone in the queer literature community, making it enough of a reason to be on your bookshelf.
3. The Dalit Feminist Theory by Sunaina Arya
Hitting close to home, Arya’s book is a cultural shift in the Indian feminist movement. By bringing in the caste divide, and the added oppression Dalit women have been subjected to for centuries, the book has helped change the conversation. Drawing on a variety of subjects, the book discusses key themes such as Indian feminism versus Dalit feminism, the emerging concept of Dalit patriarchy, the predecessors of Dalit feminism, such as Savitribai Phule and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.
4. We should all be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The shortest yet the most interesting read on the list is this title by Adichie. This book not only speaks about how toxic masculinity and patriarchy stands to hurt women, but men as well. The internalised misogyny has harmed women for centuries and only recently have people started to notice how it affects men. You can also check out her TED Talk on YouTube if you don’t really want to pick it up.
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Adding a work of fiction to this list, Hosseini story follows two girls from 1960s to late 1990s in a war affected Afghanistan. This is a story of cultural and political changes and how it affected Afghan women at large. The story follows two women, Mariam and Laila, the teenage wives of the much older Rashid. Typical to a misogynistic male from the Middle East, Rashid expects complete obedience from his wives, and resorts to physical violence to make them compliant. What follows is the abuse and humiliation these two women suffer at the hands of their husband. This shared trauma brings them closer, leading one to make an incredible sacrifice that will ultimately liberate them for their tormentor.