Making Trouble: Life and Politics

New
Paperback
2007
$11.36

What happens when angry young rebels become wary older women, ageing in a leaner, meaner time: a time which exalts only the 'new', in a ruling orthodoxy daily disparaging all it portrays as the 'old'? Lives are assembled or fall to pieces through our passionate identifications with people, places and the multitude of other lures that inspire or betray us. But as the desires of one period mutate into the dilemmas of the next, the radical imagination struggles to sustain itself. Delving into her own life and those of others who left their mark on it, Lynne Segal tracks through time to consider her generation of female dreamers, what formed them, how they left their mark on the world, where they are now in times when pessimism seems never far from what remains of public life. Searching for answers, she studies her family history, sexual awakening, ethnic belonging, as well as the peculiarities of the time and place that shaped her own political journeys, with all their urgency, significance, pleasures and absurdities.

Synopsis

What happens when angry young rebels become wary older women, ageing in a leaner, meaner time: a time which exalts only the 'new', in a ruling orthodoxy daily disparaging all it portrays as the 'old'? Lives are assembled or fall to pieces through our passionate identifications with people, places and the multitude of other lures that inspire or betray us. But as the desires of one period mutate into the dilemmas of the next, the radical imagination struggles to sustain itself. Delving into her own life and those of others who left their mark on it, Lynne Segal tracks through time to consider her generation of female dreamers, what formed them, how they left their mark on the world, where they are now in times when pessimism seems never far from what remains of public life. Searching for answers, she studies her family history, sexual awakening, ethnic belonging, as well as the peculiarities of the time and place that shaped her own political journeys, with all their urgency, significance, pleasures and absurdities.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 256
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Published: 08 Mar 2007
ISBN 10: 1852429372
ISBN 13: 9781852429379

Media Reviews

Funny, poignant, courageous and combative, Making Trouble teems with insights on the culture and politics of the last four decades. Lynne Segal herself weaves through the account, steadfast and still searching. A book for young rebels of all ages -- Sheila Rowbotham
How can one live as a moral person in a largely immoral world? Different people will have different answers, but the example of this brilliant, adventurous, loving, woman is good enough for me. Lynne Segal is an international treasure, and her beautifully written, deeply engrossing memoir, Making Trouble, will inspire new generations to do the same -- Barbara Ehrenreich
Segal's unflinching reflections on motherhood, relationships and the shifting inflections of feminism provide us at once with a deeper and richer understanding of her theories that rocked academia in the 80s and 90s. Segal has never shied away from the link between historical contingency and personal experience and through her memoirs we learn just how vital that link is in shaping and informing feminist discourse. Passionate, lucid and shockingly candid, Making Trouble should be on the desk of every budding feminist. It should also be a clarion call to those who see feminism as a redundant cause -- Helen Walsh
This is a subtle, reflective and wry account of a familiar period... this book is a moving defense of the pleasures and pains of human solidarity... [Segal] brings to her account a refreshing honesty, rigorous political and cultural analysis and an unsentimental advocacy of the importance of involvement in the sorrows and struggles of the world -- Melissa Benn * Guardian *
A fascinating record of the changing face of socialism and feminism, observed with poignancy and acuity... a woman of worth * Independent *
Unflaggingly energetic... assisted by a lucid and dynamic style * TLS *
An engrossing tale because it is more than just one individual life story, it is also an account of the rich contribution that second-wave feminism has made to modern Britain * THES *
Racy and gripping... as every page of this dazzling, important book shows, the political commitments we make constantly put all our identities at stake * Jewish Chronicle *

Author Bio

Lynne Segal is Anniversary Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London. Migrating from Australia to Britain in 1970, just when the women's liberation movement kicked off, she made her name as a feminist activist, writer and scholar. She has published widely across the spectrum of sexual politics, gender concerns and broader issues of social justice, most recently in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives. Her books include New Sexual Agendas, Is the Future Female? and Why Feminism?: Gender, Psychology, Politics.