Reasons to Rebel
My Memories of the 1980s
Format:Paperback
Publisher:The Merlin Press Ltd
Published:24th Sep '24
Should be back in stock very soon
Following on from Daring to Hope, 9781839763892; Promise of a Dream 9781788734806 , "Rowbotham has wisdom - and wit." https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/nov/29/daring-to-hope-by-sheila-rowbotham-review-on-the-frontline-of-70s-feminism The 1980s were a shock. Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government battered left movements, painfully disrupted working-class peoples' livelihoods and pressed down on many groups who faced discrimination. There was no shortage of reasons to rebel. Along with thousands upon thousands of others I opposed not just the repressive laws, but the fundamental tenets of the new right. Hanging on to visions of creative utopias, we strove for new ways of organizing and relating to others and we sought to connect a liberatory sexual politics with rebellions against many kinds of inequality. We argued wrote, campaigned, demonstrated, picketed. We established alternative cooperative projects, secured reforms through local government and made direct international links. Resourceful resistance slowed down the onslaught but we were contending not simply with the doctrinal resolve of a right-wing government. We faced something larger, something that could not be voted out - a more ruthless global capitalism, geared to profits which was prepared to dump hard-won social provision and neglect to conserve even basic infrastructure.
'Deeply personal and politically astute. Sheila Rowbotham is a perceptive guide to a painful decade.' - Gary Younge
'Sheila Rowbotham is a great social historian - her socialist feminist writings have influenced generations of women like myself. Here, with her usual originality and sharp insight, she charts the alarming and steady shift to the right since Thatcher but reminds us of all the community displays of resistance. A rebel girl to her heart, she shows that this merciless trajectory is reversible. We can set ourselves on a different path, towards an equitable and just society.' -Helena Kennedy KC
'A more evocative and informed account of the activism of the 1980s would be hard to imagine. Reasons to Rebel fearlessly Interweaves the personal and the political, as Sheila Rowbotham shares the many ways she navigated that constant search in those challenging years for new ways to resist, to campaign, to organize, and to write our own history. What an essential - and amazing - record of an era! To have access to Sheila's unique memories is invaluable.' - Margaret Busby
'There are so many reasons to rebel, especially in these troubling times. Lifelong political activist Sheila Rowbotham's fascinating and beautifully written autobiography of the 80s gives us more than reasons to rebel. Bringing her extraordinary life experiences, she gives us insights, strategies for political activism, ways to cope, how to savor small victories and deal with the too many defeats when political pushback and repression is on the agenda. Her book is not only a call to rebel, but also a reason to hope.' - Barbara Winslow, author, Revolutionary Feminists: The Women's Liberation Movement in Seattle.
"Her books reflect herself: questioning, insightful and encouraging others wanting to follow in her footsteps. Sheila shows how important ideas of socialist feminism still are: particularly at a time when the word “class” is hardly used in feminist circles and it seems to me that working class people are absent from most political movements.
Sheila’s historical research is inspiring, showing the importance of researching working class history to prove that even in the worst of times people at the bottom have got together to improve their lives, their community, and the world. Her writing is also accessible, and very respectful of the individuals and groups she writes about." - https://lipsticksocialist.com
ISBN: 9780850367911
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
300 pages