Who's Afraid of Third Wave Feminism?

The Politics of Third Wave Feminisms

“…First, I was interested in exploring the concept of the 'long' wave narrative, a wave that ebbs and flows over a decade or two and contains within it various competing ideological strands (just as with the first and second waves); such a conceptualisation goes some way to allaying the fears of those who critique the wave narrative for its failure to address those who fall between waves (Reger, 2012: 11). Second, I wanted to build upon previous work to consider the extent to which the ideas and campaigns of the early US third wave feminists resonate with contemporary US and British activists (Dean, 2009). Third, I have paid attention to the interaction between the wave narrative and various ideological strands within third wave feminism, which has not been a prominent feature of much writing on third wave feminism.…”

“…The third wave has been conceptualised by scholars in multiple ways, including as a rejoinder to the second wave failure to address diversity (Archer Mann and Huffman, 2005); as a rejection of Academy-led theorising (Orr, 1997); as an empty signifier, undermined by an emphasis on generational framing (Dean, 2009); and as a movement lacking in an overarching philosophy (Renegar and Sowards, 2003). Indeed, anyone surveying the literature on third wave feminism in the US and Britain will be struck by the divergent ways in which the term has been used, both as an ideological framework and in terms of its precise chronology.…”

“…The 1990s' resurgence of feminist activism in the US is referred to as the third wave (Henry, 2004) and although scholars have sought to explore the third wave in a British context, it has not had the same popular purchase as in the US Dean, 2009). Given that the 'third wave' label has not travelled particularly well from the US to Britain, added to the fact that some are keen to push for a fourth wave of British feminism (Cochrane, 2013), one might reasonably question the motivation for writing a book comparing third wave feminism in the US and Britain.…”

What does the ‘Fourth Wave’ Mean for Teaching Feminism in Twenty-First Century Social Work?

“…The second way is to lead students on a journey of understanding of theoretical analysis that is not named as 'feminist analysis' but is understood to have been influenced by feminist thinking. This approach removes the confrontational component of being a 'certain type of feminist' and forcing de-identification (Dean, 2009). It allows students to adopt positions that can be applied in practice that will challenge both women's inequality and gender based injustice.…”

Editorial introduction: The fourth generation of deliberative democracy

“…1 By identifying 'discrete generational cohorts' in deliberative democracy, we aim to highlight their 'distinctive constituent elements', while avoiding the establishment of 'artificial and divisive cleavages' (Dean 2009). There are indeed considerable overlaps between the different generations, and as new generations emerge, this does not mean that previous generations become redundant.…”