Description
Book SynopsisGovernments' decisions usually impact most on the lives of women and people of marginalised genders--yet their stories often go unheard. Wander Women unites tales of different journeys around the world and shines light on the boundaries and constraints--both physical and invisible, political and social--that mould the lives of cis women, trans people and gender-nonconforming individuals. In this moving and reflective book, two journalists draw links between the gendering of migration and the policing of gender; between cities and borders that restrict mobility. Those sharing their stories tell us what it is like to move through the world with a 'threatening' gender identity, the 'wrong' nationality, 'transgressive' politics, or a 'disability'. From the streets of London to the ruins of Syria, from Calais to Russia to Western Sahara, this book gathers voices of all ages--of pioneering activists and artists, matriarchs and mothers, politicians and humanitarians. They paint a picture of structural inequality, in which gender, movement and freedom have long been intertwined. A current of warmth and resilience runs through and connects these extraordinary voices. They offer tales of resistance and determination, in a world that tries to deny many the right to make their own choices.
Trade Review‘Blanchard and Howlett “weaponi[ze] storytelling as a means of resistance” as they interrogate the dehumanizing labels the media uses to frighten native British citizens about the threats coming across the English Channel from France.’ -- CHOICE
'A searing examination of human mobility at the margins, in this age of criminalisation and violence against those who move in search of safety and opportunity.' -- Nanjala Nyabola, author of Travelling While Black and Strange and Difficult Times
'Urgent and affecting, Wander Women brings forth extraordinary stories of courage and resistance.' -- Aanchal Malhotra, author of Remnants of Partition: 21 Objects from a Continent Divided
'Everyone should read this. Wander Women shows viscerally that we are all united by the pain caused by the patriarchy and our longing to be free. It takes a village to change the world--and I am more confident than ever that we can do it.' -- Charlotte Proudman, award-winning barrister, and author of Female Genital Mutilation: When Culture and Law Clash
'Wander Women explores the physical and social experiences of some remarkable individuals, navigating a bordered world and overcoming a complex intersection of vulnerabilities arising from war, migration, disability, sexual orientation, gender queerness and more.' -- Lipika Pelham, author of Passing: An Alternative History of Identity
'Intimate and powerful storytelling through the voices of women on the move whose experiences and struggles are too often marginalised or ignored.' -- Leonie Ansems de Vries, Director of the King's Sanctuary Programme and Chair of the Migration Research Group, King's College London
