Separate Roads to Feminism: Black, Chicana, and White Feminist Movements in Americas Second Wave Benita Roth Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press, 2004. 50.00, 271 ages, !"B# 0$521$%22&0$2 'hardba()*. 1%.++, 271 ages, 0$521$52+72$7 ' a erba()*. ,-i..a-me /ar(he Universit de Paris ! Benita Roth0s boo) aims at do(-menting 1eminist organi2ing by 3hite, b.a(), and Chi(ana 3omen in the United "tates in the 1+&0s and 1+70s, and at (ha..enging re(eived ideas abo-t 3omen o1 (o.or0s re.ationshi 3ith se(ond$3ave 1eminism4name.y that 3omen o1 (o.or in the U.".5. origina..y 1ai.ed to ta)e an interest in 1eminism, and that their o3n 1eminist organi2ing 3as on.y s-bse6-ent, hen(e se(ondary, to 3hite 3omen0s se(ond$3ave 1eminism. 7he a-thor is intent on deve.o ing an interse(tiona. a roa(h to 1eminism in order to high.ight the 1a(t that b.a() and Chi(ana 3omen0s 1eminisms in the se(ond 3ave deve.o ed a-tonomo-s.y 1rom 3hite 3omen0s, in res onse to the interse(tion o1 o ressions that 3ere s e(i1i( to their o3n (omm-nities. Roth indeed bases her ana.ysis on the 1a(t that 3hite, b.a(), and Chi(ana 3omen0s 1eminisms a.i)e originated in rior movements4the #e3 8e1t and 1reedom movements, the Civi. Rights and b.a() .iberation movements, and the Chi(ano movement res e(tive.y. 9er theoreti(a. ambition is 1-rthermore to rove that -re.y str-(t-ra. e: .anations o1 so(ia. movement emergen(e 1ai. to a((o-nt 1or the a(t-a. deve.o ment o1 se(ond$3ave 1eminisms. ;or instan(e, re.ative de rivation theory4a((ording to 3hi(h 3hite 3omen mobi.i2ed as 1eminists as a res-.t o1 a str-(t-ra. ro.e strain bet3een their high degree o1 e: e(tations as midd.e$(.ass 3omen and their .o3 degree o1 re3ards in so(iety at .arge4 rovides a biased vie3 o1 b.a() 3omen0s er(e tion o1 1eminism by .eading to the (on(.-sion that they did not <oin '3hite* se(ond$3ave 1eminism be(a-se they en<oyed re.ative e6-a.ity 3ith the men in their (omm-nities. 7his vie3 not on.y osits b.a() 3omen0s o.iti(a. identity as se(ondary to 3hite 3omen0s, b-t misses the (r-(ia. 1a(t that midd.e$(.ass stat-s does not mean the same 1or 3hite and b.a() 3omen, so that 6-a.itative and 6-antitative so(io$e(onomi( ine6-a.ities 3ith 3hites4in(.-ding 3hite 3omen 4be(ame the re1eren(e oint 1or b.a() 3omen a(tivists. ;-rthermore, Roth arg-es, re.ative de rivation is o-t o1 )ee ing 3ith the 1a(t that even #.=.>., .ibera. and midd.e$(.ass as it 3as, emerged 1rom an a.ready estab.ished a(tivist net3or), rather than as an aggregation o1 aggrieved individ-a.s, and that its (reation res-.ted 1rom a (ontradi(tion in their o.iti(a. ro.es, rather than in their rivate interests. "-(h a str-(t-ra. e: .anation th-s 1ai.s to ro er.y a((o-nt 1or the a(t-a. (ir(-mstan(es o1 the emergen(e o1 se(ond$3ave 1eminism, 3hi(h Roth (are1-..y do(-ments. "he there1ore ro oses to ta)e a gro-nd0s eye vie3 o1 so(ia. movement mobi.i2ation and identity 1ormation, in order to ta)e into a((o-nt not mere.y str-(t-re and str-(t-re (hanges, b-t a.so 3hat these meant 1or 3hite 3omen, b.a() 3omen, and Chi(anas43hi(h re6-ires not .a(ing ?too m-(h em hasis on the abi.ity o1 str-(t-re to dire(t.y (om e. a(tivism@ ' . 4&*. 7he se(ond (ha ter o1 "i##erent Roads to Feminism dea.s 3ith the emergen(e o1 a 1eminist movement among 3hite radi(a. a(tivists in the #e3 8e1t, e:amining the dynami(s o1 1a(i.itation4main.y in terms o1 a((ess to movement reso-r(es4and (onstraint4having to 1ashion a ne3 a(tivist identity4this entai.s. Roth arg-es that the grievan(es notab.y e: ressed in the 3a)e o1 Casey 9ayden and /ary Aing0s 1+&4 anonymo-s ".#.C.C. a er 3ere initia..y meant to s -r a(tivist men into re(onsidering gender ro.es in the movement. 7he se aration o1 1eminism on.y o((-rred as movement men denigrated the 1eminist agenda, instead o1 (o$o ting or integrating it: on.y 3hen they th-s roved to be ?<-st men@4no better than the ?straight@ 3or.d o-tside the movement4did 3hite 1eminists rede1ine the bo-ndary bet3een a..ies and o onents to (onstr-e their movement (onstit-en(y 'or a-dien(e* to be on.y 3omen, b-t a.. 3omen in 5meri(a. 7his shi1t ho3ever ha ened ear.y eno-gh 'by 1+71* so that 3hite 1eminists a(t-a..y ta ed very .itt.e into #e3 8e1t movement reso-r(es, 3hi(h 1-rther high.ights the 1a(t that e: .aining so(ia. movements main.y4.et a.one e:(.-sive.y4in terms o1 reso-r(e mobi.i2ation (an on.y be a .imiting a roa(h. 7he third (ha ter, dea.ing 3ith b.a() 3omen0s 1eminism, o ens 3ith a (riti6-e o1 s(ho.arshi 3hi(h e:(.-sive.y 1o(-ses either on b.a() 3omen0s .a() o1 arti(i ation in the '3hite* 3omen0s .iberation movement, or on b.a() 3omen0s a(tivism that is not se.1$identi1ied as 1eminist: 1eminist se.1$identi1i(ation, Roth (.aims, did e:ist among some b.a() 3omen even as they 3ere not a11i.iated 3ith 3hite 1eminist organi2ations. B.a() 3omen0s 1eminism m-st be -nderstood in the (onte:t o1 histori(a. shi1ts 3ithin the Civi. Rights movement, sin(e -nti. the mid$1+&0s b.a() 3omen in a redominant.y so-thern, (omm-nity$based movement s-11ered .ess .eadershi denia. than 3hite 3omen in #e3 8e1t movement, 1or e:am .e. 5s the Civi. Rights movement0s base got yo-nger and more northern in the mid$1+&0s, they got to .ay a .ess re(ogni2ab.y (r-(ia. ro.e. !n addition the 1+&5 /oynihan Re ort4.aying the b.ame 1or the oor so(ia. (ondition o1 b.a() (omm-nities in the United "tates on the a..eged.y matriar(ha. str-(t-re o1 the b.a() 1ami.y4triggered a mas(-.inist res onse among b.a() men, 3hi(h es e(ia..y res-.ted in b.a() nationa.ism0s in(reased adheren(e to traditiona. gender ro.es in the 1ami.y and the movement as a 3ay o1 regenerating the b.a()

(omm-nity. Roth do(-ments the many initiatives in the mid$1+&0s4 i$e$ no .ater than the emergen(e o1 3hite 1eminism in the #e3 8e1t4to (ha..enge this ideo.ogi(a. shi1t 1rom 3ithin the b.a() .iberation movement, arti(-.ar.y by (.aiming that mas(-.inism .ayed the game o1 3hite (a ita.ism, and 3as in 1a(t (o-nter rod-(tive 1or b.a() eo .e in 5meri(a. 7he 7hird >or.d >omen0s 5..ian(e, a 1eminist gro- 3hi(h emerged 3ithin ".#.C.C., 1or instan(e, estab.ished an ear.y b.a() 1eminist (ons(io-sness in the intersti(e bet3een o osition to b.a() mas(-.inism and 3ariness o1 3hite 1eminism: ear.y b.a() 1eminists (ame to (on(eive o1 themse.ves as ?a Bvang-ard (enter0 3hose .iberation 3o-.d mean the .iberation o1 a..@ C . +1D. !t 3as the b.a() .iberation movement0s re.-(tan(e to in(or orate a 1eminist agenda41eminism 3as a(t-a..y stigmati2ed as anti$revo.-tionary43hi(h .ed b.a() 1eminists to organi2e a-tonomo-s.yE they did not ho3ever <oin in 3ith 3hite 1eminists, arti(-.ar.y as they diverged in their a roa(hes to the 1ami.y, 3hite 1eminists tending to (ha..enge the 1ami.y a.together, 3hereas b.a() 1eminists -r orted to (riti(i2e it so as to re1orm it. B-t the main obsta(.e to b.a() 1eminists0 identi1ying 3ith 3hite 1eminists 3as b.a() 3omen0s re.-(tan(e to a.ign themse.ves, give art o1 their agenda, and 3or) e:(.-sive.y on gender o ression. Roth then do(-ments the emergen(e, demise and .ega(y o1 s-(h diverse organi2ations as the '.ibera.* #ationa. B.a() ;eminist =rgani2ation and the 'radi(a.* Combahee River Co..e(tive. 7he .atter in arti(-.ar rovided an a.ternative to monist versions o1 o.iti(a. identity, as either b.a(), or 1eminist, and 1or instan(e a..o3ed 1or the arti(-.ation o1 a strong b.a() .esbian (o..e(tive identity in the intersti(e bet3een b.a() .iberationist mas(-.inism and .esbian 1eminist se aratism, neither o1 3hi(h (o-.d be an o tion 1or b.a() .esbians. 7he s-bse6-ent im a(t o1 s-(h arti(-.ations o1 (o..e(tive identity roves that, 1ar 1rom being a .ater variant o1 '3hite* 1eminism, b.a() 1eminism in e11e(t had a de(isive im a(t on the s-bse6-ent deve.o ment o1 the vario-s 1orms o1 se(ond$3ave 1eminism. !n the 1o-rth (ha ter, Roth dissents 1rom a-thors 3ho vie3 Chi(ana 1eminism as indigeno-s to the Chi(ano movement and sides 3ith those 3ho (on(eive o1 it as emerging 1rom 3ithin the Chi(ano movement, b-t in (on1.i(t 3ith it. "he neverthe.ess (on(edes that Chi(ana 1eminism in the 1+&0s and 1+70s did maintain (.oser ties 3ith its movement o1 origin than either 3hite, or even b.a() 1eminism did. Un.i)e b.a() .iberationist mas(-.inism, 3hi(h emerged art.y in res onse to the e:ogeno-s atta() o1 the /oynihan re ort, (arna.ismo 4i$e. Chi(ano mas(-.inism43as arti(-.ated in endogeno-s terms o1 tradition: Chi(anas th-s had a 1ree hand to st-dy and o.iti(i2e Chi(ano history in order to (ha..enge it, 3itho-t r-nning the ris) o1 1-rther endangering their (omm-nity as b.a() 3omen did. "-(h gro- s as 8as 9i<as de C-a-htFmo(, 1ar 1rom advo(ating se aratism 1rom the Chi(ano movement, a roa(hed the ro.e o1 3omen in the Chi(ano (omm-nity as the res-.t o1 a o.iti(a. ro(ess, hen(e something that (o-.d be a.tered o.iti(a..y, instead o1 an e.ement o1 an imm-tab.e tradition that 3as (oe:tensive 3ith Chi(ano (o..e(tive identity. "ome Chi(ana 1eminist (riti6-es o1 (arna.ismo th-s (onstr-ed it as a (o.onia. im osition, hen(e an obsta(.e to a-thenti( Chi(ano (-.t-ra. assertion. 7ho-gh they 3ere met 3ith a severe ba().ash4harsh (riti(ism, a((-sations o1 vendidismo 'being se..$o-ts*, in some (ases even hysi(a. mo.estation4Chi(ana 1eminists insisted they 3ere not se aratists and in e11e(t 1ramed 1eminist iss-es as Chi(ano iss-es, by (.aiming that ma(hismo4not 1eminism43as the tr-e hindran(e to Chi(ano .iberation. "ome a(tivists th-s too) ains to identi1y Chi(ana 1eminist 1ig-res in the ast in order to rove that 1eminism 3as indeed more intrinsi( to Chi(ano (-.t-re than s-bmissive 1ema.e ro.es: ?5sserting indigeno-sness 1or Chi(ana 1eminism itse.1 3as a (o-nter(.aim to (harges o1 1eminist vendidismo, and th-s 3as -se1-. regard.ess o1 3hether or not it 3as tr-e in a.. arts@ C . 1&GD. Chi(ana 1eminists 1-rther ado ted an assertive stan(e on the Chi(ano 1ami.y: 3hereas 3hite 1eminists tended to t-rn their ba()s on the 1ami.y they 3ere intent on ma)ing it ega.itarian, and insisted on Chi(ano 1ami.y va.-es o1 so.idarity 3hi.e stigmati2ing the ?5ng.o@ 1ami.y0s materia.ism. 5 art 1rom Chi(ano history, another theme 3hi(h Chi(ana 1eminists strategi(a..y distorted 3as indeed their re.ationshi 3ith ?5ng.o@ 1eminism: a.tho-gh, 1or Roth, there is no denying that it ? rovided the (on(e t-a. too.s 1or Chi(anas batt.ing se:ist ra(ti(es in nationa.ist organi2ations,@ C . 1&+D Chi(ana 1eminists o ted 1or a o.i(y o1 disso(iating themse.ves 1rom 3hite 1eminism so as to sa1eg-ard their (a a(ity 1or (riti6-ing the Chi(ano movement 3hi.e (oo erating 3ith it. 5s a res-.t, by the mid$1+70s, Chi(anas had b-i.t - an a-tonomo-s 1eminist movement: ?Heve.o ing a sometimes sym atheti(, sometimes (on1.i(t-a. b-t -.timate.y distant, re.ationshi 3ith the 3hite 3omen0s movement, Chi(ana 1eminists -.timate.y (hose to organi2e in 3ays that bro-ght them (.oser to the Chi(ano movement,@ Roth (on(.-des C . 17&D. 51ter devoting three se arate (ha ters to intramovement dynami(s, Roth then 1-rther deve.o s her theoreti(a. e: .oration by 1o(-sing on intermovement dynami(s in the so(ia. movement se(tor o1 the 1+&0s and 1+70s to a((o-nt more re(ise.y 1or the emergen(e o1 se arate 1eminist movements among 3hite, b.a(), and Chi(ana 3omen. !n 3hat may stri)e one as Benita Roth0s most debatab.e remise, the ro.i1eration o1 o.iti(a. identities in the so(ia. movement se(tor is here -ne6-ivo(a..y resented as a ris) o1 1ragmentation: that it 3as th-s er(eived, this revie3er 3o-.d (.aim, does not im .y it 3as ne(essari.y so. 7his, Roth neverthe.ess (onvin(ing.y arg-es, e: .ains 3hy 1eminism a eared as s-(h a threat to e:isting movements, sin(e it (o-.d not on.y drain va.-ab.e reso-r(es4a serio-s ra(ti(a. rob.em as 3omen (-stomari.y did the movements0 ?shit3or)@4b-t a.so divert movements0 arti(i ants a3ay 1rom their origina.

revo.-tionary aims4an ideo.ogi(a. threat. B-t Roth a.so resorts to intermovement dynami(s to (ha..enge in arti(-.ar "teven B-e(h.er0s (.aim that 3omen o1 (o.or sho3ed no interest in '3hite* 3omen0s .iberation d-e to 3hite 1eminists0 (.ass and (o.or ?-n(ons(io-sness.@ =n the (ontrary, she arg-es, 3hite 1eminists 3ere high.y (.ass$ and ra(e$(ons(io-s, i1 anything, d-e to their movement0s origins in the Civi. Rights and #e3 8e1t movements, and made a (ons(io-s de(ision to set gender ahead o1 ra(e in their agenda, 1or 1ear o1 being 1a(ed 3ith the same ideo.ogi(a. and ra(ti(a. di.-tion to 3hi(h they had e: osed their o3n movements o1 origin. 7he a-thor neverthe.ess re1rains 1rom .a(ing any )ind o1 <-dgment on these strategies, and instead sets them in a (onte:t 3here ?organi2ing one0s o3n@ had grad-a..y be(ome the -n(ha..enged ethos o1 so(ia. movement in the U.".5.. Roth tra(es the origins o1 this ethos ba() to ".H.".0s 1+&2 Port 9-ron "tatement, 3hi(h (oined the o.iti(a. identity ?st-dent,@ and identi1ies ".#.C.C.0s .ater e: -.sion o1 its 3hite vo.-nteers as ?an a11irmation o1 a gro3ing (onsens-s abo-t ho3 a-thenti( radi(a.ism 3as a(hieved, rather than its 1irst moment@ C . 20GD. 7he hegemony o1 this ethos in the so(ia. movement se(tor in t-rn he. s -nderstand 3hy not even a <oint movement o1 1eminists o1 (o.or 3as ever serio-s.y envisioned. !n 1a(t, s-(h b.a() 1eminists as Ioan Bro3n and 9e.en ;annings grant that 3hite 3omen are 6-ite as entit.ed to organi2e their o3n as 3omen in other (omm-nities. Benita Roth0s boo) is a ma<or (ontrib-tion to the st-dy o1 se(ond$3ave 1eminism in the United "tates 1irst.y be(a-se she brings to .ight the sim-.taneo-s emergen(e o1 three distin(t 1eminist movements among 3hite, b.a() and Chi(ana 3omen, and se(ond.y be(a-se she (ha..enges re(eived notions abo-t b.a() and Chi(ana 1eminists0 re.ationshi 3ith 3hite 1eminism. 7his she does by ma)ing so(io.ogi(a. sense o1 the -niversa.isti( stan(e o1 the '3hite* 3omen0s .iberation movement in .ight o1 its emergen(e 3ithin the #e3 8e1t movement. "he th-s (.ari1ies the interse(tion o1 ra(e, or ethni(, and gender iss-es by s-bt.y 3eaving her (ase st-dy 3ith a (r-(ia. theoreti(a. dis(-ssion. 7he 3eight o1 the arg-ment in e11e(t a.so o3es m-(h to the rhetori(a. and sty.isti( (.arity o1 the 3riting. Benita Roth nonethe.ess tends to resort on o((asion to debatab.e remises, as to the dangero-sness o1 identity ro.i1eration, 3hi(h arado:i(a..y sma() o1 a some3hat 1-n(tiona.ist a roa(h to the st-dy o1 so(ia. movements. B-t her boo) rovides a very -se1-. and stim-.ating insight into ho3 to re(on(i.e the str-(t-ra. strain 3hi(h revai.s in 5meri(an so(ia. movement theory, 3ith a mi(ro$so(ia. a roa(h (on(erned 3ith so(ia. a(tors0 a(t-a. e: erien(e and s-b<e(tivity.