Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewFeminist Activist Ethnography connects long-standing concerns of feminism and activist anthropology with a focus on neoliberalism in the North American context. This volume provides substantive critiques of neoliberalism that are at once diverse, cohesive, and ethnographically grounded, offering an excellent corrective to the many unmoored or generalized discussions of neoliberalism within anthropological scholarship over the last ten years. The most useful contribution of this volume, however, is the way that it addresses the unique challenges that neoliberalism has posed for feminist activist ethnographers as they attempt to develop relationships and produce knowledge that destabilizes and challenges structures of power. . . .[T]he volume is well suited for courses on anthropological ethics, methods, and theory, as well as topical courses on feminist anthropology, activism, community organizing, nongovernmental organizations, women’s rights, urban anthropology, and North America. . . .I would also strongly recommend this book for teaching about neoliberalism in the United States because of the rich repertoire of ethnographic cases. . . .Feminist Activist Ethnography provides a crucial road map for activist anthropologists, demonstrating how historical feminist ethnography shapes where we have been, where we are now, and where we are going, whether postneoliberal or not-so-postneoliberal. * American Ethnologist *
This is an important book. Craven and Davis have assembled a wide range of papers from feminist activist scholars that document the myriad ways in which such politically engaged ethnography can illuminate the wider struggle against the neoliberal terrain. It is a cohesive and elegantly structured volume that draws readers into the debates concerning the ethics of feminist ethnography both within and outside of the academy. It's a 'must read' for anyone concerned with social justice. -- Cheryl Mwaria, Hofstra University
This text pays homage to feminist research traditions while also adding new dimensions to social science inquiries from the 21st century. Craven and Davis have successfully collaborated on a brilliant and scholarly response to the question, ‘Can there be a politically engaged feminist ethnography?’ The answer, according to this visionary text, is a resounding yes! -- Cheryl R. Rodriguez
Table of ContentsForeword: Navigating Feminist Activist Ethnography Faye Harrison Acknowledgments Introduction: Feminist Activist Ethnography Christa Craven and Dána-Ain Davis Part 1: The Intimacies of Feminist Ethnography 1. Border Crossings: Intimacy and Feminist Activist Ethnography in the Age of Neoliberalism Dána-Ain Davis 2. Learning Social Justice and Activist Ethnography from Women with Breast Cancer Mary K. Anglin 3. Feminist Ethnography with Domestic Violence Shelter Advocates: Negotiating the Neoliberal Era Jennifer R. Wies Reflection: Fearlessly Engaging Complicity Scott Lauria Morgensen Part 2: Feminist Ethnographer as Critic 4. Seeking “Marriage Material”: Rethinking the U.S. Marriage Debates Under Neoliberalism Michelle Marzullo 5. Reproductive Rights in a Consumer Rights Era: Toward the Value of “Constructive” Critique Christa Craven 6. Fracturing Feminism: Activist Research and Ethics in a Women’s Human Rights NGO Beth A. Uzwiak Reflection: Committing to Change Khiara M. Bridges Part 3: Disruptive Strategies 7. Negotiating Different Worlds: An Integral Ethnography of Reproductive Freedom and Social Justice Iris López 8. Women, Food, and Activism: Rediscovering Collectivist Action in an Individualized World Tabitha Steager 9. Moving the Field: Young Black Women, Performances of Self, and Creative Protest in Postindustrial Spaces Aimee Cox 10. The Neoliberal Institutional Review Board, or Why Just Fixing the Rules Won’t Help Feminist (Activist) Ethnographers Elizabeth Chin Reflection: The Work That Remains Gina Pérez Closing Questions Christa Craven, Dána-Ain Davis and Faye Harrison References Index About the Contributors?
