Reclaiming the Feminist Vision: Consciousness-Raising and Small Group Practice

(McFarland, 2014)

By Janet L. Freedman

It’s called consciousness-raising (CR). Asking questions about our experiences and sharing insights and analyses with others can be the basis for informed activism for positive social change. CR provided the entry point for feminists who shaped the women’s liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s, and is now being revitalized across class, race and geography in face-to-face groups and on the internet.

Reclaiming the Feminist Vision traces the origins, principles and impact of consciousness-raising; reveals how the process migrated to other settings, sometimes maintaining the original political intent and sometimes diluting it. The book calls for the renewal of the practice to help feminists regain their voices and their power in shaping social movement history.