Susan Hawthorne writes about In Defence of Separatism
In 1976, I was an Honours student in Philosophy. I proposed for my 10,000 -word thesis the subject of separatism. It was a year full of surprises, shake-ups and some very difficult times. Throughout it all I was writing about separatism. I was a good piece of work, but finding an examiner in the department was difficult.
In the book I examine the structures of power, oppression, domination and institutions and go on to discuss the institution of heterosexualty and the ways in which rape and romantic love play into women's oppression. I conclude by considering separatism, its critics and defenders.
As the conversations around the importance of women's spaces have heated up in 2019, I decided it was time to put my work out into the public sphere as a book. It also includes a Preface, Afterword and footnotes in italics all of which help to contextualise the discussions feminists and lesbians are having especially in the English-language world.
The book and ebook is available now.
In Defence of Separatism is in the Spinifex Shorts series and continues the variations on the beautiful artwork by Estelle Disch
Susan Hawthorne
In Defence of Separatism is a timely book. When it was first written in 1976, although it was an important subject of conversation among many feminists it was not welcomed by academics or publishers.
Through careful argument, Susan Hawthorne takes us through the ideas which are central to her argument. She analyses the nature of power, oppression, domination and institutions and applies these to heterosexuality, rape and romantic love. She concludes with a call for women, all women no matter their sexuality, to have separate spaces so they can work together to change the world and end patriarchy.
This 2019 edition includes a Preface, Afterword and additional commentary in italicised footnotes that bring the reader up to date on changes, developments and controversies in feminist theory.
2019 | ISBN 9781925950045 | Paperback | 112 pp