The Big Push

This is a manual for taking us to the finishing line of gender equality. Without understanding the incredible tentacles of patriarchy and its reinventions, we are destined to fight old battles as well as new ones. A jolt of new energy for longstanding feminists and a 'must read' for our new generations.' - Helena Kennedy, QC Decades of feminist campaigning have resulted in real advances, and yet patriarchy relentlessly continues to thrive. Cynthia Enloe pulls back the curtain on patriarchy to reveal not only the blatant sexism we can all identify, but also the insidious persistence of particular forms of masculinity and authoritarianism in daily life. These diverse and illuminating essays - which take as their starting point experiences from her own life and those of women from around the world - explore the resilience of patriarchal beliefs and values, and identify the unwitting nature of our complicity. She shows how, simply by noticing, questioning and crafting fresh feminist concepts, we can update our resistance and challenge patriarchy's self-perpetuating core.

Cynthia Enloe is a feminist writer and teacher who brings together activism and research cross-nationally. She has investigated women in the global garment, trainer, banking and banana industries, domestic work, diplomacy and militarism. She is the author of 14 books, including most recently, Globalization and Militarism (2016), Bananas, Beaches and Bases (2014) and Seriously! Investigating Crashes and Crises as if Women Mattered (2013). Her work has been translated into French, German, Icelandic, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. She regularly publishes in Ms. Magazine and The Village Voice, and appears on National Public Radio, Al Jazeera, C-Span and the BBC. A Research Professor at Clark University in Massachusetts, she has held taught at universities in Guyana, Malaysia, Wales, Tokyo, and Toronto. She has been awarded honorary doctorates by SOAS and the University of Lund, as well as the Howard Zinn Award for Lifetime Achievement.