London Review Bookshop Podcast Sophie Lewis & Lola Olufemi: Enemy Feminisms
Oct 8, 2025
Sophie Lewis, a prominent feminist writer and scholar known for her works like *Enemy Feminisms*, joins activist and author Lola Olufemi for an engaging discussion. They tackle the complex landscapes of feminisms, exploring how some can be more adversaries than allies. Lewis argues for a necessary reckoning with feminism’s past, highlighting its impure inheritance and the troubling shift of suffragettes toward fascism. The conversation also delves into the need for feminism to embrace utopian visions while resisting reactionary trends.
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Feminism As A Contradictory Historical Force
- Feminism's contradictory conceptions produced literal opposite projects within the movement across history.
- Treating feminism as a historic force explains why some feminisms are entwined with capital, empire and eugenics.
Draw And Hold Anti‑Fascist Lines
- Draw political lines and hold them firmly rather than tolerating anti‑liberatory views within feminist circles.
- Distinguish comradely disagreement from anti‑fascist line‑holding and act accordingly.
Wollstonecraft's Debatable Metaphors
- Sophie uses Mary Wollstonecraft to show how feminist metaphors could disavow real solidarity with anti-slavery struggles.
- Wollstonecraft compared married middle-class womanhood to enslaved Africans, a metaphor that later insulated narrow white feminist claims.
