Seeing Like a Feminist
Nivedita Menon refuses to paint feminism as a neat victory waiting at the finish line. Instead, she argues it's a slow, messy rewiring of society, one that scrambles our certainties and leaves nothing quite as it was before. She weaves together a bewildering range of examples, from high-profile sexual misconduct cases to the thorny problems caste raises within feminist movements. Surrogacy's commercial dimensions, the Shah Bano controversy, queer activism, domestic workers fighting for recognition, the Pink Chaddi campaign, France's veil restrictions, and attempts to dictate what female athletes wear on court all become evidence of something larger: feminism doesn't simplify things. It tangles them. It disrupts. This collection demonstrates that real feminist thought thrives in contradiction, refusing easy answers and comfortable positions. Menon's unflinching examination shows how the movement must grapple with its own contradictions whilst confronting patriarchal structures that adapt faster than we'd like. Her argument is bracing and necessary, challenging readers to think beyond slogans and recognise feminism as a constant, complicated reckoning with power itself.
- Author: Nivedita Menon
- Publisher: Penguin India
- Genre: Anthologies
- ISBN: 978-0143067429
- Pages: 264 pages