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The Risky Business of French Feminism
Publishing, Politics, and Artistry
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2014
Summary
The Risky Business of French Feminism: Publishing, Politics, and Artistry examines the institutional history of the publishing house Editions des Femmes as well as its relationship to the French Women’s Liberation Movement (MLF) from 1972 to the present. The founding and subsequent success of Editions des Femmes in the publishing milieu intensified the ideological divisions within the MLF and highlighted the extent to which that movement failed to adequately reflect on the power inherent in its recourse to print culture as an agent of change. In particular, Editions des Femmes produced several periodical publications and pioneered a woman-centered subculture that attached militant political meanings to the practice of buying and publishing books. While the MLF succeeded in changing legislation detrimental to women, it was not able to create unified cultural politics or construct a long-term media strategy that could preserve the movement’s original ideals and unity. Jennifer L. Sweatman explores the long-term dissipation of the MLF as a unified force not only as an outcome of ideological disagreement, but also due to conflicting views on culture, women’s creativity as a strategy for empowerment, and the utility of media for creating change.
As the MLF fragmented, unable to fully come to terms with its various consumer identities, its need for capital to support creative projects, and its difficult experience with collective decision-making, the Editions des Femmes’ project was seen as incredibly controversial. However, Editions des Femmes embodied a broader strategy for cultural transformation that privileged women’s creative works rather than feminism, situating it as a successful forerunner of the revitalization of the publishing industry from below as small, independent houses challenged the large, media conglomerate control of the industry.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2014
ISBN-Print
978-0-7391-7965-9
ISBN-Online
978-0-7391-7966-6
Publisher
Lexington, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
217
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Contents No access
Acknowledgements No access
1 Introduction No access Pages 1 - 28
2 Freeing Words and Seizing Speech: The Emergence of Editions des Femmes No access Pages 29 - 60
3 Public Visibility: The Success of Editions des Femmes’ Editorial Policy No access Pages 61 - 104
4 Contested Collectives in Print: Editions des Femmes and Its Critics No access Pages 105 - 138
5 “The Desire to Perpetuate a Heritage”: From Militancy to Commemoration in Editions des Femmes’ Editorial Policy No access Pages 139 - 180
