Conscious Acts and the Politics of Social Change (Feminist Approaches to Social Movements, Community, and Power)

Conscious Acts and the Politics of Social Change counters the notion, widely propagated by antifeminist forces, that feminists represent a group of socially deviant outsiders. In fifteen essays that explore feminist projects to advance human freedom, the contributors find feminists to be typical members of society who promote social movements for nonviolent change in law-abiding ways. Foiling the picture of aberrance, they portray feminists as grandmothers demonstrating quietly in city squares, mothers distributing "subversive" literature from their babies' strollers, and pious women taking issue with politicians who use religion to justify repressive legislation. They contend that feminism has been a strong force for building civil society and fighting oppression in political and social systems worldwide.

The essays offer a range of reports on feminist theory and activism. The case studies investigate the characteristics and strategies that have effected positive social change -- and those that have not -- with an eye toward understanding how persons who want to initiate constructive social change might do so.