A Black Feminist Reading

Feminism emerged as a result of the reactions that arose against women s being compelled to live in a world dominated by men in matters of class, religion, social life, politics, sexuality and race. Many laws made in the 19th century following the spread of feminism initiated women to live under relatively just conditions regarding marriage, divorce and property rights. From the 1960s onwards, a second phase started, during which the difference of women was emphasised, and new approaches such as Marxist, Lesbian, Liberal and Black Feminisms have been brought forward. In this book, plays of black British women playwrights who are of Asian or Caribbean origin have been studied from the viewpoint of Black Feminism and it has been argued that black women playwrights mostly handle issues peculiar to women of color, while also dealing with colourless women issues. In support of this assertion, Song for a Sanctuary by Rukhsana Ahmad, My Sister-Wife by Meera Syal, A Hero s Welcome by Winsome Pinnock, and Running Dream by Trish Cooke have respectively been analyzed in detail. These analyses should be helpful to anyone interested in women s issues, black feminism, and black playwrights.