Rev Left Radio The Worldwide Family of Militant Women
May 13, 2026
Arlene Eisen, author and longtime anti-imperialist activist, reflects on a life in radical organizing. She recalls learning from Black liberation and international solidarity. Conversations cover militant women’s networks, solidarity travel and its limits, debates between collective anti-imperialist feminism and liberal approaches, and why building long-term, cross-border movements still matters.
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Peru Fieldwork Turned Into Radicalization
- Arlene Eisen's political awakening began during fieldwork in the Peruvian highlands where she met a union leader planning a guerrilla struggle.
- She became his urban liaison, married him, was later incarcerated and given shock treatment, which propelled her into activism.
Academia Often Serves Careers Not Revolution
- Arlene argues academia often prioritizes careerist novelty over movement change, making universities poor sites for radical organizing in the Global North.
- She notes exceptions exist in Global South universities and nonacademic intellectuals accountable to movements.
Black Liberation Shaped Her Activism In The Bay Area
- Arlene describes coming of age amid the Black Freedom Movement, SNCC and the Black Panther Party in the Bay Area, which made Black leadership unavoidable.
- SNCC told white activists to organize white people, and Movement newspaper linked Black liberation to the New Left.
