Everywhere and Nowhere: The State of Contemporary Feminism in the United States

Challenging the idea that feminism in the United States is dead or in decline, Everywhere and Nowhere examines the contours of contemporary feminism. Through a nuanced investigation of three feminist communities, Jo Reger shows how contemporary feminists react to the local environment currently shaping their identities, tactics, discourse, and relations with other feminist generations. By moving the analysis to the community level, Reger illustrates how feminism is simultaneously absent from the national, popular culture--"nowhere"--and diffused into the foundations of American culture--"everywhere." Reger addresses some of the most debated topics concerning feminists in the twenty-first century. How do contemporary feminists think of the second-wave generation? Has contemporary feminism succeeded in addressing racism and classism, and created a more inclusive movement? How are contemporary feminists dealing with their legacy of gender, sex, and sexuality in a world of fluid identity and queer politics? The answers, she finds, vary by community. Everywhere and Nowhere offers a clear, empirical analysis of the state of contemporary feminism while also revealing the fascinating and increasingly complex development of community-level feminist groups in the United States.

Table of Contents:
Introduction - The Everywhere and Nowhere of U.S. Feminism in the 21st Century Part 1: The Continuity of Contemporary Feminism Chapter 1 - Life in Three Feminist Communities Chapter 2 - Surfacing in Particular Waters Chapter 3 - Dissension in the House of Feminism Part 2: Doing and Talking Contemporary Feminism Chapter 4 - Doing Contemporary Feminism Chapter 5 - Grappling with Oppression and Privilege Chapter 6 - It's a Brave, New Gendered and Sexed World Conclusion Appendix A: Interviewee Demographics Appendix B: Case Study Comparisons Bibliography

About the Author :
Jo Reger is an associate professor of sociology and the director of the Women and Gender studies program at Oakland University in Michigan. She is the editor of Different Wavelengths: Studies of the Contemporary Women's Movement and a co-editor of Identity Work in Social Movements.

Review :
"The idea of feminism being everywhere and nowhere is a perfect description of the contemporary movement. Jo Reger provides badly needed new data on a movement that is still very much alive. By looking at three contemporary communities of feminists, Reger shows how feminism is practiced and shaped within different political and cultural contexts. This book is an extremely welcome addition to the literature on contemporary feminism."--Suzanne Staggenborg, Professor of Sociology, University of Pittsburgh "Contesting multiple myths circulating in popular culture, Everywhere and Nowhere documents the nuances and diverse contexts of feminism in the contemporary era. Exploring the factors that contribute to its flourishing and the manifold forms feminism takes, Jo Reger paints a rich portrait of vibrant modes of activism that transform identities, communities, and cultural values."--Mary Hawkesworth, Professor, Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Rutgers University