Women in Black

Against Violence, For Peace With Justice

by Cynthia Cockburn and Sue Finch  

Women in Black works with other feminist movements, builds on shared strengths and develops joint actions.

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  • November 2023
  • ISBN: 9781773636412
  • 240 pages
  • $28.00
  • For sale in Canada
  • For sale in United States
  • Not for sale in Eurozone
  • Not for sale in United Kingdom
  • Co-published with Merlin Press
  • EPUB November 2023
  • ISBN: 9781773636542
  • $27.99
  • For sale in Canada
  • For sale in United States
  • Not for sale in Rest of world
  • Co-published with Merlin Press
  • PDF November 2023
  • ISBN: 9781773636535
  • $27.99
  • For sale in Canada
  • For sale in United States
  • Not for sale in Rest of world
  • Co-published with Merlin Press

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About the book

“Rape, femicide and the social exploitation of women are endemic. Feminist activism to end gendered oppression and violence is urgent and will be strengthened by fostering a greater understanding of the masculinist and patriarchal nature of militarism and war and making the scope and extent of current movements for change better known.” — Cynthia Cockburn

Women in Black is a worldwide network of women “committed to peace with justice and actively opposed to injustice, war, militarism and other forms of violence.” The late feminist solidarity activist Cynthia Cockburn tells the story of this indispensable global anti-violence movement known around the world for staging dramatic actions that seek to expose and denounce war, rape, militarism and apartheid. As well as an inspiring account of a networked feminist struggle, this book also presents a template for analysis and action in our era of multiplying wars, surging military spending and rampant gendered violence. As neoliberal states starve the commons to feed the war machine and nationalist movements gain traction around the world, there is much to learn from the transversal actions and coalition building that Women in Black has engaged in for decades.

Cynthia Cockburn knew she was going to die before she was able to complete this book, so she asked her companions from the global Women in Black network to carry on with this vital project of chronicling a movement that has spanned decades and continents. The result is a testament to the beauty and intellectual power of a truly collective effort. This dramatic and inspiring story of a history-making movement could not be more vital and life affirming.

Activism & Social Movements Feminism, Gender & Sexuality Sociology

What people are saying

Sheila Rowbotham, English socialist feminist theorist and historian

Women in Black reminds us of the need to connect moral outrage against wrong, empathy with individuals and engagement with the intricacies of the political dilemmas facing us on the world stage. Knowing how others have done this is a source of ineradicable strength.”

Beatrix Campbell, writer, journalist and influential feminist

Women in Black is both a tribute to the feminist activist and scholar Cynthia Cockburn, and resistance to gendered violence, from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, war in the former Yugoslavia, oppression and displacement in Africa, Asia and the Americas. This book is a sober and erudite rebuke to those who minimise — or erase — feminist insights into violence, and an inspiring narrative of international peace movements made by women.”

Authors

Cynthia Cockburn

Cynthia Cockburn was a researcher in the fields of gender, war and peace-making, labour processes and trade unionism, and refugees. She was active in the international women’s peace movement.

Cockburn was a visiting professor in the Department of Sociology at City University London and honorary professor in the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender at the University of Warwick.

Sue Finch

Sue Finch is a feminist peace activist who is part of Women in Black, a world-wide network of women committed to peace with justice, and actively opposed to injustice, war, militarism and other forms of violence

Contents

  • Chapter 1 Springing to Life: Women in Black in Israel Palestine
  • Chapter 2 Stepping Out: Women in Black Travels to the USA, Italy and Yugoslavia
  • Chapter 3 Women in Black UK
  • Chapter 4 Getting Connected: From Spain to Leuven
  • Chapter 5 Justice for Women from India to South Africa
  • Chapter 6 Women in Black in South and Central America
  • Chapter 7 Women in Black Armenia: Hope for the Future?
  • Afterword

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