Rory Dicker - Catching a Wave: Reclaiming Feminism for the 21st Century

Catching a Wave

reclaiming feminism for the 21st century

EDITED BY RORY DICKER & ALISON PIEPMEIER

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY PRESS BOSTON

Published by University Press of New England
Hanover and London

Northeastern University Press

Published by University Press of New England,
One Court Street, Lebanon, NH 03766
www.upne.com

2003 by Rory Dicker and Alison Piepmeier

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Members of educational institutions and organizations wishing to photocopy any of the work for classroom use, or authors and publishers who would like to obtain permission for any of the material in the work, should contact Permissions, University Press of New England, One Court Street, Lebanon, NH 03766.

ISBN13: 9781555535704

ISBN10: 1555535704

ebook ISBN: 978-1-55553-856-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Catching a wave : reclaiming feminism for the 21st century / edited by Rory Dicker and Alison Piepmeier.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-55553-570-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)ISBN 1-55553-571-2 (cloth : alk. paper)

1. FeminismUnited States. 2. Young womenUnited StatesAttitudes. 3. WomenUnited StatesSocial conditions21st century. 4. Feminist theoryUnited States. 5. Social changeUnited States. I. Title: Reclaiming feminism for the 21st century. II. Dicker, Rory Cooke, [date]. III. Piepmeier, Alison.

HQ1426 .C284 2003

305.42'0973dc21 2002153489

Acknowledgments

Any book is a collaborative effort, and this has certainly been the case with Catching a Wave. We have had much help in developing this book from its origins in a conversation we had after Rebecca Walker gave a talk at Vanderbilt. Along the way, we have attended regional and national conferences and symposia, conventions and panel discussions; in so doing, we have become part of a community of scholars and activists working on and in the third wave.

One of the wonderful fringe benefits of editing such a collection is the opportunity to get to know feminists in various fields from around the United States and Canada. Our contributors have been ideal, steadfastly revising based on our comments and undaunted by last-minute e-mail requests. They have taught us much about the third wave, and we feel lucky to have been able to work with them. Wed especially like to thank Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards, who have shared their advice and experience and have consistently offered us generous assistance whenever we asked for it. Their willingness to advise us at the beginning of this projectwhen they didnt even know usdemonstrated for us their commitment to creating feminist community. Thanks to Jennifer Baumgardner for connecting us to a larger feminist community through her work with Katha Pollitt on the books afterword. We appreciate the time and care Jennifer and Katha took in crafting such an insightful coda to Catching a Wave.

Many people have helped us improve the text. Wed like to thank our two outside readers for Northeastern University Press for their helpful and thoughtful feedback. We also appreciate the suggestions of Walter Biffle, Alyssa Harad, Astrid Henry, Amanda Kinard, Deandra Little, Eliza McGraw, and Tracy Moore, all of whom offered thoughts and advice that helped shape the introduction. (It goes without saying, of course, that all flaws are ours alone.) Also, many thanks to Michael Ames for helping us when we first began the process of navigating the publishing world.

We have had a great deal of hands-on assistance throughout this process. We are grateful to Stacie Furia, Liz Royal, Jen Howard, Whitney Bullock, and Nikki Williams for their attention and care to the manuscript. We couldnt have done it without you. Thanks to Gayle Parrott for her enthusiasm, encouragement, and love. Thanks, too, to Ronnie Steinberg and Beth Conklin for their support, both personally and financially. A summer research award from Westminster College also helped to defray expenses.

We have been pleased to work with Elizabeth Swayze at Northeastern University Press; her enthusiasm for this project from our initial meeting has encouraged us as the project has progressed. She is a wonderful hands-on editor who has been available and supportive throughout this process. We would also like to thank Ann Twombly, the production director at Northeastern, for her careful and meticulous work during the production of the book. Her attention to detail has strengthened the book.

I (Rory) would like to acknowledge the many friends whose provocative conversation and (sometimes) outrageous behavior have challenged my feminism over the years: thanks go to Cathy Wasserman, Amanda Kinard, Laura Kinard, Lady Smith, Carol Manthey, Antonia Moser, Lucy Appert, and Rebecca Shapiro. I thank the many feminist mentors Ive been lucky to encounter and learn from, including the late Nancy A. Walker, Cecelia Tichi, Ronnie Steinberg, and, most recently, Carolyn Perry. My family has never stopped being a nurturing support system for me; I wouldnt be the person I am without the love of Ellen Dicker, Saul Dicker, Moira Mosco, John Dicker, Ella Mosco, and Alice Cooke. I also wouldnt be as sane, healthy, and happy without the love of Paul DeHart, a true friend. Finally, though, it is my great pleasure to thank Alison, whose humor, insight, and inspirations have reminded me what I love about scholarship and what scholarship should be about.

I (Alison) would like to thank the many wonderful feminists who have formed a community of love and political solidarity for me: thanks to Catherine Bush, Jay Crockett, Deandra Little, and Eliza McGraw. I have been fortunate to have teachers and mentorsincluding Cecelia Tichi, Ronnie Steinberg, Connie Hood, and Margery Hargrovewho have provided me with models of female empowerment. My students have been an inspirationI cant imagine a better job than getting to talk to them about feminism every day. Thanks to my family for everything they give me: to mom, who gets more radical as she gets older; to dad, who always points out sexist commercials; and to Trey and Aaron, whom I would like to publicly out as feminists. Thanks to Walter, who is working with me every day to forge a new kind of marriage, one that is as feminist as both of us. Finally, I am very grateful that my partner in this project has been Rory, who balances me out, attends to details I miss, laughs with me, and helps me to work through my personal and political life. Who knew when we started this project what good friends wed end up being?

RORY DICKER & ALISON PIEPMEIER

Introduction

As far as I can tell, the third wave is just the second wave with more lip gloss.

Young woman at the National Womens Studies Association conference, June 2001

We are tired of waiting. Sick and tired.

At Vanderbilt Universitys graduation ceremony in 2002, the top students in each of nine schools received awards. These were exceptional students whose accomplishments in scholarship, service, and leadership distinguished them from thousands of their peers who were also graduating on this day. Of these nine honorees, six were women. Presenting the awards were the deans of the students schools. Of these nine deans, two were womenunsurprisingly, they were deans of the education and nursing schools. The remaining seven deans were men.