In Millennial Feminism at Work, volume editor Jane Juffer brings together recently graduated students from across the US to reflect on the relevance of their feminist studies programs in their chosen career paths. The result is a dynamic collection of voices, shaking up preconceived ideas and showing the positive influence of gender and sexuality studies on individuals at work.
Encompassing five areas-corporate, education, nonprofit, medical, and media careers-these engaging essays use personal experiences to analyze the pressure on young adults to define themselves through creative work, even when that job may not sustain them financially. Obstacles to feminist work conditions notwithstanding, they urge readers to never downplay their feminist credentials and prove that gender and sexuality studies degrees can serve graduates well in the current marketplace and prepare them for life outside of their alma mater.
Emphasizing the importance of individual stories situated within political and economic structures, Millennial Feminism at Work provides spirited collective advice and a unique window into the lives and careers of young feminists sharing the lessons they have learned.
Contributors: Rose Al Abosy, Rachel Cromidas, Lauren Danzig, Sadaf Ferdowsi, Reina Gattuso, Jael Goldfine, Sassafras Lowrey, Alissa Medina, Samuel Naimi, Stephanie Newman, Justine Parkin, Lily Pierce, Kate Poor, Laura Ramos-Jaimes, Savannah Taylor, Addie Tsai, Hayley Zablotsky
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Feminist Studies and the Millennial Workforce, by Jane Juffer
1. Affective Exertions at the Humanitarian Frontlines: Engendering Recognition of Gendered Labor and Mutuality through Feminist and Queer Theory, by Kate Poor
Part 1: NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
2. Subjugated Knowledge: Listening to LGBTQ Homeless Youths, by Sassafras Lowrey
3. The Patriarchal Roots of Philanthropy, by Lauren Danzig
Part 2: THE BUSINESS WORLD
4. "Woman, You Are the One Doing It Wrong": A Decolonial Conceptualization of Colombian Working-Class Femininity, by Laura Ramos-Jaimes
5. How to Market Anticapitalist Feminism: The Making of an Online Socialist Agenda, by Alissa Medina
6. The Perils of Perfection Feminism, by Stephanie Newman
7. Circuitous Paths from University to Work, and Finding Feminist Willfulness along the Way, by Jael Goldfine
Part 3: PEDAGOGY
8. Letter to a White Supremacist, by Addie Tsai
9. Praise to Our School We Love So Dear—or Maybe Not: Status Quo and Safe Spaces in High School, by Hayley Zablotsky
10. Love the Killjoy, by Justine Parkin
Part 4: HEALTH AND MEDICINE
11. Acts of Defiance: The Power of Anger and Sadness in the Workplace, by Rose Al Abosy
12. #MyBirthToo: The Patriarchy of the Modern Obstetric System, by Savannah Medley Taylor
13. Navigating Feminism and Vulnerability in the Medical Workplace, by Lily Pierce
Part 5: MEDIA
14. Where Are the Queer Politics? #MeToo, Robin Wright, and Celebrity PR Work, by Samuel Naimi
15. The Immanence of Social Media Labor? The Struggle to Find a Feminist Dwelling, by Sadaf Ferdowsi
16. Finding "the Trouble with Normal" in Journalism, by Rachel Cromidas
17. "No Place to Be, Except with Each Other": How Women's Studies Taught Me to Be Unionized, by Reina Gattuso
About the Author :
Jane Juffer is Professor at Cornell University. She is author of Don't Use Your Words!, Intimacy Across Borders, Single Mother, and At Home with Pornography.
Review :
Juffer's excellent introduction argues for undergraduate programs to more deliberately prepare students to take theory beyond the classroom, preparing them to traverse a fluctuating economy marked by gig work.
(Choice)
