Beyond the Fragments has completely sold out of its first edition. The book has become a focus for a 'feminist critique' of Leninism.
Sheila Rowbotham, Hilary Wainwright and Lynn Segal have refined some of their ideas in the debate around the book, which is to be published in a new edition by Merlin at Xmas.
Socialist Challenge put several questions to the three authors.
Is the 'socialist network' counternosed building organisation?
HW: You've coined the word 'network' which I think implies cohesion and which does not exist yet. In discussions of Beyond the Fragments we have emphasised the growth of all sorts of socialist initiatives not under the control of any one political party.
Reference is always to unity between the revolutionary groups. There is thought given to the new ways of organising which can be learnt from socialist activities outside the party tendencies. Perhaps this goes back to a common assumpuon in the eariv particularly held by the Socialist Workers Party Party, that the vacuum which opened up as the Labour leaders moved further and further to the right would be filled by the growth of a new party.
But partly because of the peculiar staying powers of the Labour Party, and partly because no revolutionary organisation near the answers on the problems we tace in modern capitalism new forms of sexual and cultural oppression, the double-edged features of the welfare state, the new forms of capitalst crisis. stabilisation and so on — as much theoretical and practical advance has independently of the revolutionary organisations as from within them.
The result is that there are many sources of socialist initiative, organisation and theory. For example, there are very and combine committees: currents within the women's movement, the gay movement, tenants groups and Labour Party wards, local socialist resource centres, forums and cultural projects.
Revolutionary groups could and should be vital catalysts to developing greater cohesion and sharper responses from this heterogeneous. movement. The obstacle, though, is that all too often it the revolutionary which do the counterposing through marching by or marching in with an assumed superiority.
It's not just a matter of them fighting for their beliefs, as we all do. It is rather that they puff themselves up pretending that they and they alone are already the socialist organisation and anyone outside is 'separatist' or 'reformist' 'inactive. That's the impression you get from the SWP.
Or alternatively they accept conditions for a mass socialist party aren't yet ripe, but then they insist that only their internal discussions are sufficiently scientific to create talk of revolutionals organisation rarely any had anywhere — on new technology, on and been made political trades democracy. newspapers important part organisations that this goal of that the capitalist state.
production. week so that more housework can be shared."
bourgeois ideology and convince peopie that there is no real socialist alternative to bourgeois Most feminists reject the idea that no real change is possible under capitalism - that we can only build an organisation to smash it. We feel that the way we choose to live now is an of the struggle to. build dictates all the structures and strategy on the way.' socialism. Many of us accept that the capitalist state will, finally, only be violently overthrown, but we reject the idea that this goal dictates all the structures and strategy on the way. 'A wages offensive is of little use to women unless it fights for more nurseries and a shorter working They presume that someone can zoom in and make a total analysis and remain apart from the reality they are analysing. can attempt to use what I have learned from my own experience and that of through history and theory — to help develop this political process.
But this doesn't mean I or anyone else can usefully pop up as an individual feminist Jack or Jill-in-the-box with total solutions. How do you define the women's liberation movement HW: There are, on the one hand, all the local groups, and conferences based on explicit support for all the demands of the women's movement and which have basic feminist principles in common. But I would not limit it to that hard core. specific projects — women's aid centres, equal pay campaigns, NAC groups, centres, and women's liberation groups.
There are all the women activists in political parties and the women in Women's Voice, who may not have been in women's groups, but who have been influenced by and contributed to feminist struggles.
What do you think a socialist feminist practice is?
SR: I think this question can only be answered when we have a history of a socialist feminist practice.
I am personally unclear socialist feminism is a kind of political practice apart from the socialist and labour movement and the women's movement, socialist feminism is a developing approach LS: Socialist subordination benefit the moment only manifested towards women shows draw people devoted much migraines?
Like anyone else, I others movement' There are the more membership is rising.
women's movement.
How do developing!
following points rape crisis develop interests.
about whether ' whether Socialist Challenge bartlace towards socialist, labour, and feminist politics. 1 incline towards this last way of seeing it.
know that the OI women has become integral part of the capitalist system. All men the oppression of women, however exploited they are themselves. And at seeing an ideological we are backlash which aims to strengthen the sexist aspects of bourgeois ideology and re-affirn women's place in the home.
A wages offensive is of little use to women unless it fights for more nurseries and a shorter working week so that more housework can be shared. Male domination over women is no super-exploitation of women at work, but by the ideology of sexism whereby women come to feel — as well as to be seen — as people who are inferior to men The daily occurrence of rape and violence us that a socialist feminist practice should not centre solely on women as workers but in the home and in the minds and actions of women and men all the Do you think the main priority for women is oroanisino in the communiy:
SR: No. A small left group may decide to make a priority of certain areas of struggle because of lack of resources, but the vital feature of the women's movement has been its capacity to over innumerable resentments and sufferings which were not even seen as ponical by sociansts For example, what socialist paper ever to the subject recent feminist pamphlet on migraines which came out of a women and health conference has stimulated a tremendous It is in the community that many women are most active today, fighting nursery school and hospital closures. I object to the argument of Lindsay German of the SWP that the women's movement relates to women where chev are weakest, in battered wives' (sic) homes or rape rather than where they strongest, in unions and tenants' associations, In fact. women are not strong in unions todav and we are not getting any stronger, even if our I believe that the only way women in unions will get stronger is if they are supported from La stole independent you see the women's movemen LS: The women I work with agree on the - that the movement will autonomous, by strengthening regional co-ordination between different feminist activities and campaiens. Bi realising the strength of the Tory attack on women and working with the rest of the left and the labour movement to defend By demanding that men change themselves and their relation to children and women now. By realising that the ways in which we as women have learned to care for and nurture others is a better way for all people to relate to each other than the competitive, aggressive, self-centred way in which men behave.
And by trying to strengthen our confidence. creativity, and co-operation as women.
welcomes contributions
----- pull-quotes -----
'It is all too often the revolutionary organisations who march by or march in with an assumed superiority'
streak of that programmatic
•...but we reject the idea smashing the state
'I do not see the possibility of building a single revolutionary party in Britain today'
'All men benefit from the oppression of women, however exploited they are themselves'
...the only way women in unions will get stronger is if they are supported from the outside by a strong and independent women's