The Trouble with White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism
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- Author：Kyla Schuller
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Summary
An incisive history of self-serving white feminists and the inspiring women who’ve continually defied them
Women including Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Margaret Sanger， and Sheryl Sandberg are commonly celebrated as leaders of feminism。 Yet they have fought for the few， not the many。 As award-winning scholar Kyla Schuller argues， their white feminist politics dispossess the most marginalized to liberate themselves。
In The Trouble with White Women， Schuller brings to life the two-hundred-year counter history of Black， Indigenous， Latina， poor， queer， and trans women pushing back against white feminists and uniting to dismantle systemic injustice。 These feminist heroes such as Frances Harper， Harriet Jacobs， and Pauli Murray have created an anti-racist feminism for all。 But we don’t speak their names and we don’t know their legacies。 Unaware of these intersectional leaders， feminists have been led down the same dead-end alleys generation after generation， often working within the structures of racism， capitalism， homophobia， and transphobia rather than against them。
Building a more just feminist politics for today requires a reawakening， a return to the movement’s genuine vanguards and visionaries。 Their compelling stories， campaigns， and conflicts reveal the true potential of feminist liberation。 The Trouble with White Women gives feminists today the tools to fight for the flourishing of all。
Women including Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Margaret Sanger， and Sheryl Sandberg are commonly celebrated as leaders of feminism。 Yet they have fought for the few， not the many。 As award-winning scholar Kyla Schuller argues， their white feminist politics dispossess the most marginalized to liberate themselves。
In The Trouble with White Women， Schuller brings to life the two-hundred-year counter history of Black， Indigenous， Latina， poor， queer， and trans women pushing back against white feminists and uniting to dismantle systemic injustice。 These feminist heroes such as Frances Harper， Harriet Jacobs， and Pauli Murray have created an anti-racist feminism for all。 But we don’t speak their names and we don’t know their legacies。 Unaware of these intersectional leaders， feminists have been led down the same dead-end alleys generation after generation， often working within the structures of racism， capitalism， homophobia， and transphobia rather than against them。
Building a more just feminist politics for today requires a reawakening， a return to the movement’s genuine vanguards and visionaries。 Their compelling stories， campaigns， and conflicts reveal the true potential of feminist liberation。 The Trouble with White Women gives feminists today the tools to fight for the flourishing of all。
Reviews
Jan Peregrine
，
Reading this white woman-authored book as a white woman， one cannot say that it's just a black woman 'splaining white women。 2O21's The Trouble With White Women: The Counterhistory （herstory？） of Feminism by Kyla Schuller truly opened my eyes to behind-the-scenes drama in the over two hundred year long true story of the feminist movement。 It ain't been a simple plot， folks。The popular concept of feminism is that it's about women fighting for equal rights with men in our rigidly-designed society Reading this white woman-authored book as a white woman， one cannot say that it's just a black woman 'splaining white women。 2O21's The Trouble With White Women: The Counterhistory （herstory？） of Feminism by Kyla Schuller truly opened my eyes to behind-the-scenes drama in the over two hundred year long true story of the feminist movement。 It ain't been a simple plot， folks。The popular concept of feminism is that it's about women fighting for equal rights with men in our rigidly-designed society that oppresses women。That's how it started back in the nineteenth century with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B。 Anthony。 They welcomed all women and men interested in fighting for equal rights for women， but when the two women realized they weren't going to make their case as long as black and other minority women were with them， the strategy of feminism changed。 As Schuller indicates it has developed through the years in three stages。With feminism reimagined as a white woman's fight， its first stage was to act as though the white women needed to civilize the minority women。 Harriet Beecher Stowe， a white feminist， wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin to illustrate that slaves needed white women to take care of them and protect them。Behind the scenes an intersectional feminism was born。Free black woman Harriet Jacobs lived for seven years in a tiny attic space to escape capture even though she had always been free。 She had crossed a state boundary and a new law endangered her。 Her very well-written memoir that I've read motivated Stowe to ask for an interview for Stowe's new book that I haven't read。 Jacob's story was completely distorted。Like civil rights activist Sojourner Truth was caricatured by white women。 Truth's fiery speech that's so famous never included the question “ain't I a woman？” She also used proper English rather than a childish Southern dialect。 She was mammie-fied like poor black women usually are。So intersectional feminism stepped in to counter white feminism。 Its goal is to unite all women of color and white， of all classes， of abled or disabled bodies， and of sexual orientation or gender identity。Take note that white feminists today claim to want to be inclusive。 It's a ploy to expand the power of white feminism。 They will say that women could run the world better than men， that black women will save us and are like goddesses， that it's all about individuals against misogynistic men， and so the future is women。 All very simple。 Just be a corporate boss raking it in and all will be fine。Uh， right！The second section is about white feminism's push to cleanse their ranks， to purify feminism， rather than to civilize。 The third section explains that this century's white feminists have decided to optimize themselves。 This amounts to showing their flaws to try to connect with the female masses， which will line their pockets。 Crying about how they suffer still works really well。 This kind of white feminism began with Sheryl Sandburg， CEO of Google， then Facebook， written out in her book Lean In。 I haven't mentioned most of the feminists discussed here。 Each chapter talks about a famous white feminist and the mostly or completely overlooked intersectional feminist trying to be heard。Until Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez， that is！She is the first intersectional feminist making waves， according to Schuller。 I enjoyed learning more about AOC who I cheer on in her fight against unregulated corporate greed and patriarchy。。It's a fascinating book， as you can tell， but rather intensive。 I skipped one very intense chapter because it didn't seem to add to my understanding of white feminism。 Her conclusion expresses Schuller's hope that intersectional feminism will continue to step up in its fight to not just be included in white feminism like special guests who need to be entertained， but to dismantle white feminism as they create a feminism that will better lead us into the future。 Enjoy！ 。。。more
Alicia P
，
Engaging history of American feminism。 Some good， some bad。 I learned a lot。
Mia George
，
The sorts of ad hominem attacks this book has provoked from white feminists indicates its necessity。 It is an honest look at white feminism and the implications of its compliance with white supremacy。 It's refreshing to know that some white women are able to assess the larger context accurately。It is shocking that truth presented in an honest way is countered with infantile temper tantrums as are found in these reviews。 The primary narcissism displayed by such phrases as 'you don't get to dictat The sorts of ad hominem attacks this book has provoked from white feminists indicates its necessity。 It is an honest look at white feminism and the implications of its compliance with white supremacy。 It's refreshing to know that some white women are able to assess the larger context accurately。It is shocking that truth presented in an honest way is countered with infantile temper tantrums as are found in these reviews。 The primary narcissism displayed by such phrases as 'you don't get to dictate feminism to me' followed by one long whine-fest of faux-victimization， as well as defense reactions to the title， dovetail with Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility。It doesn't matter how many temper tantrums infantile white feminists have in their zeal to regress to primary narcissism。 Intersectional feminists will continue to move forward， even if they are clinging to our calves and whining like two year olds。 It's shameful that they cannot seem to evaluate the book objectively because they cannot seem to tolerate the reality of their unjust enrichment。 。。。more
Zhaia
，
Mind blowing and left me speechless。 This book takes what many thought was the history of feminism and turns it on its white supremacist head！
Cathi Kulik
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Wow。 I learned so much。
Ferris Mx
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"Always ally yourself with those on the bottom， on the margins， and at the periphery of the centers of power。 And in doing so， you will land yourself at the very center of some of the most important struggles of our society and our history。" - Barbara RansbyIn a way， in a good way， this is the primary point of the book。 It clarifies and explains intersectional feminism， and shows through the primary characters' main words how historical feminism has really been white， white supremacist feminism， "Always ally yourself with those on the bottom， on the margins， and at the periphery of the centers of power。 And in doing so， you will land yourself at the very center of some of the most important struggles of our society and our history。" - Barbara RansbyIn a way， in a good way， this is the primary point of the book。 It clarifies and explains intersectional feminism， and shows through the primary characters' main words how historical feminism has really been white， white supremacist feminism， and contemporary Black， POC and trans voices have been silenced as distractions from the goal of redistributing power to white women。 Each chapter compares and contrasts a well-known white cis feminist with a contemporary feminist who is not white cis， and also not well-known， because white feminism hallows white voices。But towards the end the book lost me somewhat。 I happen to know that Google is not "trawling the 。。。 personal correspondence and business communications of its two billion users to assemble psychological profiles it can sell to advertisers。" There are lots of valid criticisms of Google， but this is just simply not true。 And later， the book develops an attack on capitalism， but the replacement system is not fully fleshed out。 "mutual aid" doesn't seem like a safe outcome for anyone。 。。。more
Melanie
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One of the most important， critical， and necessary books i have ever read。
Alysha DeShaé
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Every single bit of this was educational， informative， and necessary！I picked this book on a whim because， as a white woman， I'm well aware of just how problematic white women can be。 I knew in abstract that the feminist movement was problematic regarding racism due to random tidbits I've read。 I knew that the person who founded Planned Parenthood， while arguably a great organization in this day and age， wanted to sterilize large groups of people that she didn't think should be allowed to reprod Every single bit of this was educational， informative， and necessary！I picked this book on a whim because， as a white woman， I'm well aware of just how problematic white women can be。 I knew in abstract that the feminist movement was problematic regarding racism due to random tidbits I've read。 I knew that the person who founded Planned Parenthood， while arguably a great organization in this day and age， wanted to sterilize large groups of people that she didn't think should be allowed to reproduce。I'm glad to have found this book。 。。。more
Vanessa Fernandez
，
This is a well-written， well-researched book that presents effectively the history of counterfeminism in the US。 I would have loved even more examples， but an interested reader definitely has enough info to continue researching the topic in their own。 As a scholar who focuses on women in literature and culture， I appreciated gaining a deeper understanding of alternative models of intersectional/ inclusive feminism that serve as a counterpoint to white feminism。
Caitlyn
，
This book does a good job of sharing the counterhistory of feminism by juxtaposing the famous white women we've come to know as the trailbazers for women's rights with the women of color who were simultaneously fighting for true equality for marginalized groups （aka intersectional feminists）。 I was aware of some of the racist and homophobic/transphobic stances that a lot of the white feminists pushed， but this book truly highlighted the shortcomings of every major feminist wave that's been docum This book does a good job of sharing the counterhistory of feminism by juxtaposing the famous white women we've come to know as the trailbazers for women's rights with the women of color who were simultaneously fighting for true equality for marginalized groups （aka intersectional feminists）。 I was aware of some of the racist and homophobic/transphobic stances that a lot of the white feminists pushed， but this book truly highlighted the shortcomings of every major feminist wave that's been documented in the U。S。 and how the women who didn't get the appropriate airtime or credit fought against that。 （I also learned that Sojourner Truth didn't say "Ain't I a woman，" as has been famously stated in her 1851 speech。 It was inaccurately transcribed 12 years later by a white woman who wanted to make her sound more Southern and palatable to white women。 Ahhhjhdkhgsh）I guess my one critique is the title。 This is one of many nonfiction books about feminism I've read that has a provocative title， and while it's accurate， I think it can turn off potential readers （like white women） who need to learn the real history。 Or if you are a white woman reading it， it's difficult not to come off as you trying to be really woke。 But attention-grabbing titles generate book sales， so you do you fam。 。。。more
Shawna
，
Incredibly frustrating that GR lets racists bombard books with one star because they don't like the title of a book。If you actually read the words in the book， you will see that this is purely a balanced look at white feminists who put race over intersectionality when they were pushed。 If you didn't know already that Margaret Sanger was a eugenicist who focused on the BIPOC community， or that Elizabeth Cady Stanton started working with Fredrik Douglass but then brushed him aside when she realize Incredibly frustrating that GR lets racists bombard books with one star because they don't like the title of a book。If you actually read the words in the book， you will see that this is purely a balanced look at white feminists who put race over intersectionality when they were pushed。 If you didn't know already that Margaret Sanger was a eugenicist who focused on the BIPOC community， or that Elizabeth Cady Stanton started working with Fredrik Douglass but then brushed him aside when she realized it would be more beneficial and easier to get just white women the vote then all people， the book gives not only a more rounded history of the people who we idealize， but also discusses their peers who were working for more inclusion。 Schuller does a fantastic job in giving credit where it is due， while pointing out the flaws that history loves to brush aside。 She does not paint these white women as evil， or wholly malicious， but instead looks a the totality of their work and actions and it's effects while at times introducing us to lesser known BIPOC historical figures （who she does not paint as infallible either） I am grateful for this book and it's introduction to historical figures who are incredibly remarkable， but who I had never heard of before because they were overshadowed by their white compatriots。 。。。more
Emilia Gaposchy
，
Brown women don't get to dictate my feminism to me。 As someone who's been assaulted by brown women for daring to have white skin in Southern California， and as someone who's faced misogyny and anti-feminism primary from brown people， I will not have my feminism delegitimized or dismissed by brown women， or anyone。 Period。Books like this only deepen the racial divide and fuel brown America's problem with anti-feminism and misogyny。 You're not benefiting anyone， you're just increasing anti-white r Brown women don't get to dictate my feminism to me。 As someone who's been assaulted by brown women for daring to have white skin in Southern California， and as someone who's faced misogyny and anti-feminism primary from brown people， I will not have my feminism delegitimized or dismissed by brown women， or anyone。 Period。Books like this only deepen the racial divide and fuel brown America's problem with anti-feminism and misogyny。 You're not benefiting anyone， you're just increasing anti-white racism and hatred in America。You don't get to degrade me as a white woman， or demonize my feminism。 I stand in defiance。 。。。more
Fawn Renolds
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Shout out to goodreads deleting negative reviews lol
Diana （Reading While Mommying） Dean
，
Schuller's essential audiobook--wonderfully narrated by Christine Lakin and Mela Lee--expertly defines both white and intersectional feminism and compares and contrasts the work of some of the movements' female standard bearers。 This compare/contrast literary format is both an ingenious way to illustrate white feminism's faults and harms， but to also keep this academic discussion easily digestible and accessible to all readers。 Her thesis is forthright and bold: White feminism （through 1940s suf Schuller's essential audiobook--wonderfully narrated by Christine Lakin and Mela Lee--expertly defines both white and intersectional feminism and compares and contrasts the work of some of the movements' female standard bearers。 This compare/contrast literary format is both an ingenious way to illustrate white feminism's faults and harms， but to also keep this academic discussion easily digestible and accessible to all readers。 Her thesis is forthright and bold: White feminism （through 1940s suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Facebook leader Sheryl Sandberg of Lean In fame） has failed to work towards intersectional feminism that promotes a true gender equality that dovetails with the fights for racial， economic， sexual， and disability justice。 In short， white feminism promotes equality for white， middle-class women and forgets to include ALL women， including trans women， Black women， poor women， and disabled women。Schuller isn't shy in her condemnations of the work of well-know white feminists。 The writings and work of Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Harriet Beecher Stowe， Alice Fletcher， Margaret Sanger， Pauli Murray， Janice Raymond， and Sheryl Sandberg are dissected to show their flaws and how they held back opportunities for all women by centering white women in the narrative for equality。 On the flip side， the work and achievements of often-overlooked （at least in school and history books） Black， trans， and indigenous women are touted。 I had no clue a trans woman activist named Sandy Stone worked tirelessly to promote trans rights in the 1970s and 1980s。 Yet， I HAD heard about Anita Bryant， an anti-trans writer and singer from the same time period。 I highly recommend this book， particularly for white women。 It's an essential examination of white feminism's past and present insistence on centering white， middle-class women as the only ones who deserve true equality。 Instead， as Schuller advocates for here， intersectional feminism is the true goal。 It centers all women， no matter economic circumstance or racial， ethnic， or gender identity。 For all women to be treated equal in the world's power structures， all women need to be fought for。。。not just white， middle-class women。Much thanks to @NetGalley and @HachetteAudio for the free copies of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jessica
，
While I knew that feminism history had it's issues with being inclusive of various groups， it was very enlightening to read some specific fuller stories of well-known white feminists side-by-side with the women of color who were their contemporaries。 And while being a very well-researched book， it also read like a story a lot of the times where I was invested in the narrative and not just the facts。 It made me want to see a Middle Grade version and YA version of the books！ My two favorite quotes While I knew that feminism history had it's issues with being inclusive of various groups， it was very enlightening to read some specific fuller stories of well-known white feminists side-by-side with the women of color who were their contemporaries。 And while being a very well-researched book， it also read like a story a lot of the times where I was invested in the narrative and not just the facts。 It made me want to see a Middle Grade version and YA version of the books！ My two favorite quotes:- "I do not believe that white women are dew-drops just exhaled from the skies。 I think that like men， they may be divided into three classes: the good， the bad， and the indifferent。 The good will vote according to their conviction and principles; the bad， as dictated by prejudice or malice" - "work is rebranded as pleasure so that we will accept more of it" 。。。more
Lois
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I quite liked this。I'd give this 4 starsI rounded it up to 5 to counteract the white supremacist reviews this seems to be causing。This gives a nice history of the problems with white feminism historically and today。Also gives you historical white feminist figures in all their problematic glory and introduces their less well known POC Feminist。I liked the format and it works。 I quite liked this。I'd give this 4 starsI rounded it up to 5 to counteract the white supremacist reviews this seems to be causing。This gives a nice history of the problems with white feminism historically and today。Also gives you historical white feminist figures in all their problematic glory and introduces their less well known POC Feminist。I liked the format and it works。 。。。more
Jon
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The thesis is strong and I believe grounded correctly in the historical narrative， in Schuller's attempt to further illustrate it she often contorts the analysis of the story to better fit her end goal。 The thesis is strong and I believe grounded correctly in the historical narrative， in Schuller's attempt to further illustrate it she often contorts the analysis of the story to better fit her end goal。 。。。more
Hannah
，
The irony of this harsh rhetoric is that it just radicalizes people in the opposite direction。 If you insult people for no reason， they're not going to give your agenda the time of day。 Which is fine if your goal is to just hurt people。 But if you're actually trying to persuade them， this is not a good tactic。 If a stranger approaches you in public， and just starts randomly insulting you， degrading your values， and slandering people who you admire for accomplishing great things in service to hum The irony of this harsh rhetoric is that it just radicalizes people in the opposite direction。 If you insult people for no reason， they're not going to give your agenda the time of day。 Which is fine if your goal is to just hurt people。 But if you're actually trying to persuade them， this is not a good tactic。 If a stranger approaches you in public， and just starts randomly insulting you， degrading your values， and slandering people who you admire for accomplishing great things in service to human rights， are you going to buy what they're selling？ 。。。more
Ashlen
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Racist， counterproductive， and degrading。 Hard pass。
Lauren
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Thoughtful and informative。
Ben
，
Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Type Books for an ARC of this title。The core concept of this book， bringing to light intersectional and undersung examples of feminist thinkers who pushed things forward in a time when the more well-known figures they worked in the same time were actually holding things back， is great， and this is very clearly deeply researched。 It's a little drier than I wanted something about this topic to be， which made for some slow going at points， but its message is great， and Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Type Books for an ARC of this title。The core concept of this book， bringing to light intersectional and undersung examples of feminist thinkers who pushed things forward in a time when the more well-known figures they worked in the same time were actually holding things back， is great， and this is very clearly deeply researched。 It's a little drier than I wanted something about this topic to be， which made for some slow going at points， but its message is great， and it highlighted a bunch of historical figures we should be screaming from the rooftops about over their contemporaries who _did_ get rights for women， but often only white women， at the expense of others。 。。。more
Courtney
，
I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 This is a great book highlighting the history of feminism and its limitations in the core movement’s historical lack of intersectionality。 From the suffragettes onward， white feminists seem to stand for things that have created progress for white， relatively financially successful cishet women， but left BIPOC women， trans women， and women from other underrepresented groups behind。 I appreciate this I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review。 All opinions are my own。 This is a great book highlighting the history of feminism and its limitations in the core movement’s historical lack of intersectionality。 From the suffragettes onward， white feminists seem to stand for things that have created progress for white， relatively financially successful cishet women， but left BIPOC women， trans women， and women from other underrepresented groups behind。 I appreciate this fairly comprehensive， yet concise history detailing the work of a white woman leader we know from each era， along with the work of a woman from an underrepresented group who is given much less credit， or in some cases gets flack， for the work she’s done。 。。。more
Megan
，
Thanks to Bold Type Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 The Trouble with White Women by Kyla Schuller focuses on the history and dangers of white feminism。 Schuller breaks down how white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Harriet Beecher Stowe， Margaret Sanger， and Sheryl Sandberg were working toward their own gains， and not for collective good， unlike Frances E。 W。 Harper， Harriet Jacobs， Dr。 Dorothy Ferebee， and AOC。 By shining a light on the underappre Thanks to Bold Type Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 The Trouble with White Women by Kyla Schuller focuses on the history and dangers of white feminism。 Schuller breaks down how white feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Harriet Beecher Stowe， Margaret Sanger， and Sheryl Sandberg were working toward their own gains， and not for collective good， unlike Frances E。 W。 Harper， Harriet Jacobs， Dr。 Dorothy Ferebee， and AOC。 By shining a light on the underappreciated intersectional feminists/activists that worked at the same time as the respective white feminists， Schuller draws a direct line from the harmful effects white feminism has had on our society and how it's affected the most vulnerable， including women of color and trans women。 Schuller's conclusion， that white feminism must be let go in order for a more inclusive movement to rise， is one that holds true and that I'll be doing my part in making happen。There's one argument toward the end that put a bad taste in my mouth， but otherwise， this is a very solid book。I think this book works really well in step with some other books on similar topics， including White Tears/Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad。 。。。more
Sara
，
A very important and noteworthy book that addresses white historical figures in the feminist movement that we've all learned to admire。 But。。。 at what cost were their gains？ If you've never considered the potential toxicity of white feminism， you should pick up this book and learn just exactly what some of the costs were。 It should not be a surprise to us; after all though they be feminists， they were also products of their times。 Schuller presents her case by introducing a white feminist from h A very important and noteworthy book that addresses white historical figures in the feminist movement that we've all learned to admire。 But。。。 at what cost were their gains？ If you've never considered the potential toxicity of white feminism， you should pick up this book and learn just exactly what some of the costs were。 It should not be a surprise to us; after all though they be feminists， they were also products of their times。 Schuller presents her case by introducing a white feminist from history and describing her journey while contrasting her with a notable woman of color who left a legacy much less well known。 It's a clever and interesting format and allows the reader to absorb this counter-history in manageable chunks。 It lends itself to classroom discussion and would be appropriate in both a high school and college setting。 I hope this book becomes a classic in its genre。 Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book。 。。。more
Daniel
，
One of a number of books that have been written lately which address the issues of "white feminism"。 Contrary to those other titles， however， "The Trouble with White Women" has a creative touch that sets it apart from the others in that the author takes the time to accomplish two tasks through their writing: First， the author discusses the history of "white feminism" illustrates how white feminism has influenced the world we live in today。 Second， she compares historical white feminists to their One of a number of books that have been written lately which address the issues of "white feminism"。 Contrary to those other titles， however， "The Trouble with White Women" has a creative touch that sets it apart from the others in that the author takes the time to accomplish two tasks through their writing: First， the author discusses the history of "white feminism" illustrates how white feminism has influenced the world we live in today。 Second， she compares historical white feminists to their intersectional counterparts， many of whom have not had a strong voice in feminist literature。 Overall this is a fresh take on a quickly saturating topic。 。。。more
Alok Vaid-Menon
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“White feminism” is a term to describe a political position， not an identity。 White feminists maintain that equality for women comes from accessing racist-patriarchal institutions， not dismantling them。 It’s not simply that white feminism has failed to include BIPOC women， it’s that “white feminism wins more opportunities for white women through further dispossessing the most marginalized” （9）。 In this way “the trouble with white feminist politics is not what it fails to address and whom it leav “White feminism” is a term to describe a political position， not an identity。 White feminists maintain that equality for women comes from accessing racist-patriarchal institutions， not dismantling them。 It’s not simply that white feminism has failed to include BIPOC women， it’s that “white feminism wins more opportunities for white women through further dispossessing the most marginalized” （9）。 In this way “the trouble with white feminist politics is not what it fails to address and whom it leaves out。 The trouble with white feminism is what it does and whom it suppresses” （4）。Accrording to historian Dr。 Kyla Schuller， US white feminism began in the mid-1800s with famed suffragist Cady Stanton。 Stanton’s family held three enslaved Black people captive until 1827 （who she called ‘servants’ in her autobiography） （28）。 She formally launched US white feminism in Seneca Falls （1848） defining women’s rights as access to the privileges of elite white men。 Central to her argument was that white civilization could only prosper through making room for white women’s leadership （19）。 Indeed， this idea that white women could join white men in the pursuit of white supremacy proved to be the rallying point for many white suffragists。 Susan B。 Anthony once remarked: “With the education and elevation of the woman we have a power to galvanize the Saxon race into higher and nobler life。”Despite the fact that Black leaders like Frederick Douglass continually “staked Black voting rights and women’s voting rights as necessary partners，” early white suffragists like Cady Stanton objected to enfranchising Black men because they felt like that universal male suffrage was as menace to “white women’s dignity and purity” （19）。 Instead of pursuing solidarity， Candy Stanton advanced a false choice between voting rights for Black men or for （white） women。 In 1869 she declared， “I do not believe in allowing ignorant Negroes and ignorant and debased Chinamen to make laws for me to obey” （20）。 Cady Stanton and Susan B。 Ahtony routinely teamed up with outright white supremacists like George Francis Train in the efforts。 Train paid all of the travel costs as they traveled with him on Kansas on a joint lecture tour。 He supported women’s suffrage because he believed that “elevating the social position of white women would strengthen white supremacy” （38）。 His motto was: “Woman first and negro last” （39）。 Black women were continually disappeared by this rhetoric that imagined all women as white and all Black people as male。 From the beginning Black feminists articulated a counterfeminism to white feminism that was far more liberatory。 For example: Frances Ellen Watkins Harper， one of the most read Black poets of the 19th century and a celebrated antislavery lecturer。 Harper critiqued the Stanton and Anthony for ignoring race: “the white women all go for sex， letting race occupy a minor position” “Will ‘working women’ be broad enough to take colored women？” （20）。 In 1866 at the National Woman’s Rights Convention she delivered her famous speech “We Are All Bound Up Together” urging for the recognition of Black women’s issues in the women’s movement。The next day the Convention had a meeting to work for suffrage for both Black people and white women。 However， the organization split over the decision to support the 15th Amendment granting Black men the right to vote。 Susan B Anthony was against it， arguing: “I’d sooner cut off my right hand than ask for the ballot for the Black man” （19）。 Harper supported it and helped form the American Woman Suffrage Association。 Harper also rejected the white feminist idea that “women， by virtuous nature， would exert a moral force on society，” and instead remarked， “I am not sure that women are naturally so much better than men that they will clear the stream by the virtue of their womanhood; it is not through sex but through character that the best influence of women upon the life on the nation must be exerted” （42）。The reason that most don’t know about Black feminists like Harper is because they have been written out of history。 When Stanton and Anthony published their six-volume History of Women’s Suffrage （1881-1922）， they deliberately left out Harper’s speeches。 What we can learn from this history is that there have always been several feminisms， not one。 White feminism seeks to disappear the traces of counterfeminisms like Harper， but we won’t forget。 。。。more
Jasmine
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An important read for anyone interested in the history of feminism。 Kyla Schuller traces the beginnings of white feminism along with its counterhistory of intersectional feminism， something which has been around for as long as white feminism。 Each chapter examines a white feminist， as well as an intersectional feminist。 Schuller begins with the original white feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and goes all the way to Sheryl Sandberg。 Some intersectional feminists discussed are Frances Ellen Watkins An important read for anyone interested in the history of feminism。 Kyla Schuller traces the beginnings of white feminism along with its counterhistory of intersectional feminism， something which has been around for as long as white feminism。 Each chapter examines a white feminist， as well as an intersectional feminist。 Schuller begins with the original white feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton and goes all the way to Sheryl Sandberg。 Some intersectional feminists discussed are Frances Ellen Watkins Harper， a leading abolitionist-feminist， and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez， politician and activist。 Schuller explains how white feminism tends to prioritize white women’s needs and concerns， while neglecting the struggles that women of colour face。 While white feminism is self-serving， intersectional feminism supports racial， economic， disability， and sexual justice， in addition to gender justice。White feminism is not something that needs to be made more inclusive， but rather it needs to be trashed and begun anew。I am a huge fan of AOC， but before reading this， I did not consider how much pressure she is under to represent her constituents around the clock， to fight for equality， and to look good while doing it all。 It’s a lot for just one person。 Thank you to Bold Type Books/ Perseus Books for providing me with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。Review on: https://booksandwheels。com 。。。more
Taylor Houser
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Reviewed/Posted: July 16， 2021Pub Date: Oct 5， 2021I recieved a digital Advanced Readers Copy of 'The Trouble With White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism' by Kyla Schuller from Netgalley and Bold Type Books。'The Trouble with White Women' is a concise history of feminism in the United States。 Schuller portrays white feminists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Margaret Sanger， whose brand of feminism seeks to place white women， particularly middle and upper class white women， in positions trad Reviewed/Posted: July 16， 2021Pub Date: Oct 5， 2021I recieved a digital Advanced Readers Copy of 'The Trouble With White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism' by Kyla Schuller from Netgalley and Bold Type Books。'The Trouble with White Women' is a concise history of feminism in the United States。 Schuller portrays white feminists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Margaret Sanger， whose brand of feminism seeks to place white women， particularly middle and upper class white women， in positions traditionally belonging to white men within the structures of inequality that our society upholds。 However， she contrasts these white feminists with a counterhistory of feminism， using the histories of Zitkala-Sa， Pauli Murray， and Sandy Stone to give the reader a history of what many now recognize as intersectional feminism。Without resorting to a simple narrative of white guilt， Schuller uses well researched history to show that a patriarchal society can only be dismantled in favor of equality for all women if other systems， such as white supremacy， colonialism， and capitalism， are dismantled alongside it。Schuller expertly utilizes history to show us our options for the feminist movement going forward， and how we can make society a more equitable one for everyone。 。。。more
Critter
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