📚 Books

This classic work by the American Black feminist theorist re-examines feminism from an intersectional perspective, emphasizing the multiple oppressions of race, class, and gender, laying the theoretical foundation for inclusive feminism.

A foundational work of intersectional feminist theory. Through fifteen essays and speeches, Lorde explores the intersectional oppression of race, gender, class, and sexuality, creating a revolutionary theoretical framework for understanding multiple identities.

A collection of essays, speeches, and reviews spanning 20 years by Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker, focusing on the intersection of personal and political, from civil rights movement to anti-nuclear sentiment, from literary criticism to personal reflections of Black women, mothers, and feminists. Called 'womanist prose' by the author, it provides profound perspectives for understanding late 20th-century feminism.

This groundbreaking book introduces the concept of 'emotional labor' through an examination of how service workers, particularly flight attendants, are required to manage their emotions as part of their job. Hochschild explores how capitalism commercializes human feelings and the gendered implications of emotional work in the modern economy.

A classic work of radical feminist philosophy. Through nine profound essays, Frye systematically analyzes the structural nature of oppression from a philosophical epistemological perspective, exploring core concepts and fundamental issues in feminist theory.

This groundbreaking work challenges male-centric theories of moral development, proposing an alternative model of moral reasoning based on care, relationships, and responsibility. By listening to women's voices, Gilligan discovered the 'ethics of care' as a different moral voice, fundamentally transforming psychology's, ethics', and feminist theory's understanding of moral development.

This groundbreaking work examines the experiences of Black women from slavery to the present, analyzing how the intersection of sexism and racism creates unique forms of oppression. hooks critiques both the racism of white feminism and the sexism of Black liberation movements, arguing that anti-racist and anti-sexist struggles are inseparable, laying the foundation for later intersectionality theory.

A groundbreaking collection of writings by radical women of color that brought together diverse racial voices, critiqued the limitations of white feminism, and advanced intersectional feminist development.

Analyzes the history of the American women's movement from a historical materialist perspective, revealing the interconnections of racial, class, and gender oppression.

A groundbreaking work of ecofeminist scholarship that examines how the Scientific Revolution transformed Western culture's understanding of nature from a living, nurturing organism to a dead, mechanical object to be exploited. Merchant reveals the intimate connection between the domination of women and the domination of nature.

A groundbreaking work of feminist fairy tale reconstruction that subverts classic fairy tales to create new female narratives, exploring the complex relationships between gender power, desire, and female subjectivity.

A groundbreaking novel by Egyptian feminist pioneer Saadawi that exposes the violence and oppression faced by women in Arab society through the story of a woman sentenced to death.

When discussing feminist poetry, it's impossible not to mention Adrienne Rich, one of the most widely read poets of the 20th century and a renowned intersectional feminist activist. Our recommended best introductory poetry collection: 'Diving into the Wreck,' a particularly lyrical and emotionally charged collection of poems—including 'Rape,' a narrative poem often considered one of Rich's most important works.

A groundbreaking work of second-wave feminism, Greer analyzes women's castrated state in patriarchal society with radical and incisive prose, challenging traditional female roles and gender norms to become an important theoretical foundation for the women's liberation movement.

A radical feminist masterwork proposing that technological revolution in reproductive control is key to women's liberation, offering a feminist transformation of Marxism.