French Neofeminism

January 6, 2018 9:05 AM

Neofeminism, specifically in France? Looking to understand it mostly in the context of how well I might mesh with self-identified neofeminists (in France, with English as our working language). Googling isn't getting me far: wikipedia entry feels oversimplified & ideas elsewhere feel contradictory (it's variously labeled as progressive, third-wave, sex-positive, essentialist, "lipstick feminism," and focused on 'femininity') and most importantly I feel the U.S. understanding may be different than the French one. Directly asking the folks in question is my best bet – I'm seeking insight/context and vocabulary to inform that asking.
posted by kalapierson to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

Response by poster: (For context, my feminism is egalitarian and intersectional, sex-positive and kink-positive, trans-positive and definitely not essentialist, and definitely not lipstick feminist at least as that's generally understood in the U.S.)
posted by kalapierson at 9:05 AM on January 6, 2018

Can you name any feminist thinkers you’d regard as 'Neo-feminist' ?

Intersecting the English and French Wikipedia entries suggests the term is either associated with the post-suffragist "New Feminists" , who were decidedly essentialist IIRC or in the more modern world the "New Feminism" inspired by Pope John Paul II, which again doesn’t really sound like it matches up.
posted by pharm at 4:18 AM on January 8, 2018

If you read French, you may look at this debate between several French contemporary feminist activists and scholars. Generally speaking, the French aren't too fond of US-style identity politics so while some people may identify as "neofeminists" this does not seem to be a thing, which certainly explains why your googling returns results that are all over the place. For example, Caroline de Haas, one of the most notable feminist activist in France of the new generation, through her movement Osez le féminisme, does reject the "neofeminist" label and favours continuity with the earlier "waves".
posted by elgilito at 4:55 AM on January 8, 2018