In spite of the supposed gains of mainstream feminism, women have not achieved equal status with men. This is the case in legal, economic, social and political terms, and also in the bedroom. In the current crisis of Capitalism, women are suffering more than men. Mainstream reformers and authoritarian-left political parties achieve little for us. But Capitalism is not the only cause of our oppression. Women are kept down by religion and patriarchy too, which can operate outside of capitalism. Capitalism supports these oppressive forces. In some cases they impact on women as much as economic exploitation.
But in the anarchist movement too, we are still not equal. We are not represented in equal numbers and often are not taken seriously. Barriers to our full political participation remain intact. Whilst on paper we are equal, we sometimes face straight-forward sexism in our movement and even in our own groups and organisations. This means that our anarchist movement is not truly ’anarchist’.
These sentiments were expressed at the Saint-Imier gathering in 2012 too. An initiative towards an international anarcha-feminist conference was approved by anarcha-feminists there, but nothing has come of it as far as we know. But this does not mean that there is no need for it. The high attendance at anarcha-feminist meetings in Saint-Imier and at international bookfairs is proof of this. At the annual London Anarchist Bookfair, it is difficult to find a room big enough to hold such meetings. So the Anarchist Federation has initiated the organising of an annual Anarcha-Feminist conference in London, beginning 2014, and lots of other groups and individuals are supporting the idea so far.
It will be on the day after the London Anarchist Bookfair, which will be on October 18th. So @Fem2014 will be on October 19th 2014. The Bookfair collective is supportive and promote the event.
We want to establish continuity with this conference, so that we can build towards the transformation of women’s experience year by year. We want to break with one-off meetings which often repeat the same ideas, but do not achieve much else. We want to build towards toppling the institutions and ideas which oppress us. Towards this end, it is proposed that thematic strands be established, with actual outcomes by the end of the conference in terms of ideas and activity.
These can be established by planning meetings. The conference should also have a safer-spaces policy, which is made explicit, and which supports the full and free participation of all women, of all races and cultures, abilities, and sexual and gender orientation.
The organising started with a meeting at the Bookfair this year, when an organisers group was set up. The group will hold its first meeting in Nottingham on December 14th, although some progress has already been made. We are hopeful that the International of Anarchist Federations will agree to ’official’ (i.e. practical) support at its meeting in late November, and several federations have already expressed a willingness to be involved.
Please get in touch if you would like to join the organising group. Even if you can’t make meetings, we are looking for a reliable volunteers even at this early stage, for example to set up and maintain a closed e-list for the group, a website, booking and liaising with a venue.
There is a bottom line for involvement as follows:
’The organising meetings, like the focus of the conference, are for cis and trans women, and trans people who have been oppressed as a woman. We are working towards a conference which will have class-struggle anarchism and the fight agaist economic inequality at its heart. The agenda will be set as far as possible by cis and trans women who are LGBTQ, black and of colour, disabled, with mental health issues, and involved in the sex industry. At too many feminist events, women in these groups do not set the agenda and are effectively excluded, and we want this conference to be different’.
We are also keen that women and trans people who are in anarchist organisations play a part and build towards ’official’ and practical support in those organisations, and represent their group in the @Fem organising group.
So please get in touch soon if you would agree with the above and would like to join the organising group.
Anarchist Federation of Britain, November 2013.