Dangerous Liaisons

An accessible introduction to the relationship between the workers movement and the womens movement. The first part is historical, the second theoretical. Historical examples range from the mid-19th century to the 1970s and include events, debates and key personalities from China, Russia, the USA, France, Italy, Spain and Britain. It shows time and again, the controversial, often difficult relationship between feminism and Marxism. The theoretical questions discussed include the origins of womens oppression, domestic labour, dual systems theory, performativity and differentialism. Womens oppression is a structural element of the division of labour and one of the direct factors through which capitalism not only reinforces its ideological domination but also organises the exploitation and reproduction of labour. The integration of patriarchal relations and capitalism has led to their radical transformation - in the family, in terms of womens place in production, in sexual relations and with respect to sexual identity.