Re: AUT: Re: Marxist explanations of sexual violence

["cwright" <cwright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hm.  Well, I seriously doubt I can summarize that much material.

All of them pose violence in relation to oppression, so there is nothing
surprising there.  I am not sure if 'domestic' or 'relationship' abuse
stands so much by itself.  None of these authors would say so.  In one way
or another, each of them tries to engage with that kind of violence as both
intimate and carried out (maybe mediated for some) by particular men from
all social classes, but also as socially constructed violence (the violence
of oppressive and exploitative social relations, the state.)  Some of the
authors (Michelle Wallace, Selma James, and Barbara Smith) are/were
revolutionaries/activists.  Michelle Wallace in particular is critiquing
radical Black Nationalism.  Ann Oakley is a kind of dual-systems (patriarchy
and capitalism as separate systems co-existing) feminist who is very
concerned with the specificity of capitalist patriarchy and working class
women.  Lise Vogel was a Marxist and an activist, but is also a professor
and seems more in that place now.  She is somewhat traditional in her
Marxism (unlike say a Raya Dunayevskaya or Mariarosa dalla Costa or Selma
James), but she picks up the critique of Engels and post-Marx Marxism from
within Orthodox Marxism in interesting ways.  The book I listed is not so
clearly Marxist as her earlier work, though.  Some of the authors do a
better job of taking race into account as well because for them race changes
how gender (and gendered violence) get experienced.  I suppose I should have
added Aida Hurtado's The Color of Privilege as well, since she deals with
that very explicitly.

None of these books is really about physical violence or sexual harassment
alone, however (except Killing the Black Body, which is more about social
violence against Black women, but which is relevant.)  They have moments and
arguments that could be developed along those lines.  Aside from Susan
Brownmiller's (racist) book on rape, I don't know a lot of books on violence
by itself.  Well, except Andrea Dworkin and Catherine MacKinnon.  They might
be useful in some ways, although their active response has involved passing
hate-crime laws.  Not much in the way of Marxist or anarchist.

For myself, I am playing around with some ideas about race, gender and class
that are fairly non-traditional and grounded in the idea that the separation
of the producer from the means of producing is NOT equal to class, but gives
rise to class, gender, race.  I am not entirely certain that I would draw
conclusions just yet on how that relates to violence against women.  I
recognize it as necessary for the maintenance of women's oppression, and
that the integration of male workers into the role of oppressor is required
(male workers are not simply passive recipients, for example, of patriarchal
violence.)  Beyond that, I really have more questions than answers as I try
to work my view out consistently (to see if it can even be consistent.)

Some of the books (or authors) have ideas about ending women's oppression.
I don't think any of them see the ending of violence against women as
possible in any other context than the ending of sexism/patriarchy(and for
some, racism and capitalism).  Each has a different vision of whether or not
that is possible and these books are not always the best works to get that
vision from.  I just wanted to try and recommend a few interesting things
that deal with violence in one way or another.  OTJ discrimination is so
much easier to get good stuff on, so I listed less books.

Well.  That is unsatisfying, but it is all I can say at the moment.  I am a
bit preoccupied and I am afraid it may not really address what you wanted,
Nate.  Sorry, my mind is a bit elsewhere at the moment.  Course, that
doesn't mean I would have a better answer either.

Cheers,
Chris
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nate Holdren" <nateholdren@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <aut-op-sy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 1:01 PM
Subject: Re: AUT: Re: Marxist explanations of sexual violence


> chris and jim-
> both of you suggested books. if possible can you summarize some of these
> arguments? this is a very interesting and important subject, theoretically
> in that those with some type of total world view must be able ot give an
> account of these phenmonena, and more importantly practically, in that
male
> violence at least in the US is terribly prevalent and largely below the
> radar of normal conversation.
> also, do any of the book recommend engage with the question of changing
the
> situation, either ideas about or history of organizing that's been done to
> end sexual violence?
> thanks
> nate
>




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