How has feminism developed? What have feminists achieved? What can we learn from the global
history of feminism? Feminism is the ongoing story of a profound historical transformation.
Despite being repeatedly written off as a political movement that has achieved its aim of
female liberation it has been continually redefined as new generations of women campaign
against the gender inequity of their age. In this absorbing book historian Lucy Delap
challenges the simplistic narrative of 'feminist waves' - a sequence of ever more progressive
updates - showing instead that feminists have been motivated by the specific concerns of their
historical moment. Drawing on an extraordinary range of examples from Japan to Russia Egypt to
Germany Delap explores different feminist projects to show that those who are part of this
movement have not always agreed on a single programme. This diverse history of feminism she
argues can help us better navigate current debates and controversies. A tour de force from an
award-winning expert Feminisms shows that a rich relationship to the past can infuse today's
activism with a sense possibility and inspiration.
