Landsberg - Writing the revolution

Writing the Revolution

MICHELE LANDSBERG

Copyright 2011

Michele Landsberg

Print ISBN 978-1-897187-99-9 / e-ISBN 978-1-926920-39-9

Edited by Sarah Schwartz

Designed by Zab Design & Typography Inc.with Melissa Kaita, Second Story Press

Feminist History Society is a project of theWomens Education and Research Foundation of Ontario Inc.

La Socit dhistoire fministe est un projetde la Womens Education and Research Foundation of Ontario Inc.

Second Story Pressgratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council and theCanada Council for the Arts for our publishing program.We acknowledge thefinancial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada BookFund.

Published by
SECOND STORY PRESS
20Maud Street, Suite 401
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5V 2M5
www.secondstorypress.ca

For my grandsons, Zev Nachum, Yoav Sholem, and ZimriAlan

FEMINIST HISTORY SOCIETY

The Feminist History Society is committed to creating alasting record of the womens movement in Canada and Qubec for the periodbetween 1960 and the year of the Societys founding, 2010. Our objective is tocelebrate fifty years of activity and accomplishment by creating a writtenlegacy, for ourselves, our families and friends, our communities, students, andscholars. The beautiful books we publish, with membership support, will be asspirited and diverse as the movement itself, meant to stand together, and toencourage and challenge those who follow.

Invoking the image of a wave on water of a visible, moving,growing rise of energy many have described the feminist campaigns for suffrageand temperance during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the firstwave of feminism. Thus the upsurge of feminist activism that began in the 1960shas often been characterized as the second wave. The concept of waves withrespect to the history of the womens movement is debated. Feminism has ahistory that predates the 1960s and will continue long after 2010. The energythat women brought to their quest for equality in these decades, however, isbeyond dispute, and it is that energy that we seek to capture in thisseries.

In 1960, the Voice of Women was founded. The decade of the 1960salso saw the founding of the Fdration des femmes du Qubec, the appointment ofthe Royal Commission on the Status of Women, and the creation of womensliberation groups across the country. By 2010, as some of the founding mothersof our generation of feminism have begun to die, it serves as a wake-up callregarding the pressing need to chronicle our history. Our movement is not at anend. But new waves are upon us, and now is the time to take stock of what we didand how we did it.

Over the next decade, our goal is to publish two or three books ayear chronicling different aspects of the movement from sea to sea to sea.Members of the non-profit Feminist History Society receive an annual book at noextra charge, and may also purchase other books published by the Society. Thetopics will be as diverse as our wide-ranging campaigns for equality throughtransformative social, economic, civil, political, and cultural change. We willmake every effort to be inclusive of gender, race, class, geography, culture,dis/ability, language, sexual identity, and age.

We maintain an open call for submissions. There will be manydifferent authors, as individuals and organizations who participated in themovement are encouraged to contribute. There will be a variety of formats,including autobiographies, biographies, single- and multi-themed volumes, editedcollections, pictorial histories, plays, and novels.

Beth Atcheson, Constance Backhouse, Lorraine Greaves, DianaMajury, and Beth Symes form the working collective for the Society. ShariGraydon has shared her expertise and time to help move the Society forward. MaryBreen, Miranda Edwards, and Jane Will have helped with the Societysadministration. Martin Dufresne is providing expert translation services. DawnBuie has created the Societys web site, making it simple to join and contactus. Zab of Zab Design & Typography has created the distinctive visualidentity for the Society, as well as the book design for the series. We offerour heartfelt thanks to all of the talented and committed feminists who areproviding encouragement, advice, and support.

We urge you to join, and to participate as an author, in theFeminist History Society.

www.FeministHistories.ca
info@feministhistories.ca

LA SOCIT D ' HISTOIREFMINISTE

La Socit dhistoire fministe sest donn pour mandatde crer un portrait durable du mouvement des femmes au Canada et au Qubecentre les annes 1960 et 2010, lanne de fondation de la Socit. Nous voulonsainsi clbrer cinquante ans dactivit et de russites en crant un legsimprim pour nous-mmes, nos familles et nos proches, nos communauts et noslves, ainsi que pour faciliter la recherche. Les superbes livres que nouspublions, grce au soutien de nos membres, seront aussi vivants et diversifisque le mouvement lui-mme, et nous esprons que leur combinaison encouragera etprovoquera celles qui nous suivront dans cette voie.

Invoquant limage dune vague avanant sur leau symbole dunemonte graduelle dnergie visible et mobile beaucoup ont dcrit les campagnesfministes organises pour revendiquer le droit de vote et la temprance, audix-neuvime et du dbut du vingtime sicle, comme la premire vague dufminisme . Ainsi, la pousse dactivisme fministe qui a dbut dans lesannes 1960 a souvent t caractrise comme une deuxime vague .Toutefois, cette notion de vagues ne fait pas consensus commemodle de lhistoire du mouvement des femmes. Il est certain que le fminismedate davant les annes 1960 et se poursuivra bien au-del de 2010. Mais on nepeut mettre en doute lincroyable dynamisme des femmes dans leur qute dgalitau cours des cinq dernires dcennies; cest cette nergie que nous voulonsillustrer avec notre collection.

Lanne 1960 a t celle de la fondation du groupe La Voix desfemmes. Cette dcennie a aussi vu la fondation de la Fdration des femmes duQubec, la mise sur pied de la Commission royale denqute sur la condition dela femme au Canada et lapparition de groupes de libration desfemmes partout au pays. Cinquante ans plus tard, le dcs dequelques-unes des pionnires de ce mouvement sonne le rappel dun besoinpressant, celui de rdiger la chronique de notre histoire. Ce nest aucunementla fin du mouvement. Mais de nouvelles mouvances nous sollicitent, et il esttemps de faire le point sur ce que nous avons accompli et comment nous y sommesarrives.

Au cours des prochains dix ans, notre objectif est de publier deuxou trois livres par an, qui relateront diffrents aspects du mouvement fministedans toutes les rgions du pays. Les membres de notre socit sans but lucratifreoivent gratuitement un livre par an et peuvent aussi acheter les autreslivres publis par la Socit. Nos thmes seront aussi diversifis que nosgrandes campagnes pour lgalit et leurs rformes sociales, conomiques,civiles, politiques et culturelles. Nous nous efforcerons dtre inclusives tous les titres : genre, origine ethnique, classe, gographie, culture,(in)capacit, langue, identit sexuelle et ge.

Nous maintenons une invitation gnrale nous soumettre desmanuscrits, en y encourageant toutes les personnes et organisations ayantparticip au mouvement. Cette diversit de plumes pourra exploiter une foule degenres, quil sagisse de biographies, dauto-biographies, douvrages un ouplusieurs thmes, danthologies, de rcits en images, de pices ou deromans.

Beth Atcheson, Constance Backhouse, Lorraine Greaves, Diana Majuryet Beth Symes forment la collective de travail de la Socit. Shari Graydoncontribue notre avancement en nous faisant bnficier de son expertise et deson temps. Mary Breen, Miranda Edwards et Jane Will nous ont aides mettre enplace la procdure administrative. Martin Dufresne sacquitte de servicesexperts en traduction. Dawn Buie a mis en ligne le site Web de la Socit, quifacilite les adhsions et nos contacts avec le public. Zab, de Zab Design &Typography, a cr notre identit visuelle distinctive et une maquette de livrespour notre collection. Et nous adressons nos remerciements les plus sincres auxfministes talentueuses et engages qui nous assurent sans relcheencouragements, conseils et soutien.