Historian work has been predominantly concerned with telling complete stories, such as the French Revolution, World War II, or the ancient Egyptian civilization. However, the work becomes more complicated when the time distance of the events and processes is shorter, and the stories are unfinished. Such historical processes as technological progress, globalization, feminism, or climate change, are still ongoing, and their outcome cannot be determined. As they are all ongoing, present-day issues make historians re-consider the past in a variety of ways, such as the way in which the ancestors lived or the struggles they endured to gain freedom. Therefore, it is essential to discuss the extent to which such events are rooted in the past as well as to which extent they illustrate something new.
A prominent example is the development of global feminism, which challenged the deeply rooted principles of patriarchy that existed in society for centuries. During the nineteenth century, both the US and Western Europe saw a dramatic change in women’s attitudes toward their position in society. The event has deep origins in the more distant past because women were regularly oppressed, and their rights were disregarded. Dating back to Ancient Rome, women were banned from using expensive goods, showing their inferiority. However, while ancient and nineteenth-twentieth century women’s issues were resolved, feminism remains relevant today. For instance, questions remain as to whether all women share the same sentiments about feminism, what role does class play, how should sexual education be approached, or whether women of color got the representation needed. In this sense, feminism represents new developments in society, the impact of which has not been fully discovered.
The issue of race in modern feminism is especially relevant in the current context in the light of the Black Lives Movement. Back in 1977, the Combahee River Collective released a statement discussing their struggles with racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression due to the interlocking of the major oppression systems. In addition, the women of the Collective pointed out their solidarity with Black men in their struggle with racism in their own way. One of the critical sources of difficulty in the work of Black feminists is the need to address a broad range of oppressions, and there is no definite point in time when all of them will be covered. The inclusivity of social and political life has not been established yet, and the latest BLM protests show that there is still much to be done to ensure that the rights of both Black women and men are guaranteed, protected, and respected.
In no way could modern feminism be considered ‘a thing of the past’ even though the women of today can serve on a jury, hold property, vote, open bank accounts, divorce their husbands, hold political positions, and much more. However, issues regarding reproductive rights, economic justice, such as the gender pay gap, racial fairness, violence against women, and LGBTQ+ rights, remain unaddressed. The latest ideas and principles put forth by the feminist movement signify the start of new changes and advancements, which proves the point made earlier. When considering feminism as a historical development, the reasons for its emergence date back to Ancient Rome, and the reasons for its existence today are still relevant and are likely to remain important in the future.
Bibliography
Strayer, Robert, and Eric Nelson. Ways of the World with Sources, Volume 2. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2018.