Feminist SF

Feminism and SF are both broadly defined, but feminist sf is its own beast. Consider these definitions:

• Feminist SF is work that qualifies as feminist by the standards of various feminisms;

• Feminist SF is the set of historical works considered by feminists to be central to an ongoing literary conversation;

• Feminist SF was a particular feminist literary movement of the 70s and early 80s;

• Feminist SF is a school of criticism, which examines gender-relations and roles as portrayed in SF;

• Feminist SF encompassess the literary and cultural study of Women in SF, examining the relation of gender to the literary and cultural production, e.g.,
  • women's involvement in gothic romances and supernatural fiction; or the marketing and production of "hard" science fiction for male audiences versus the marketing and production of "soft" fantasy fiction for female audiences;
  • the portrayal of women in SF art and literature;
  • the role of women in SF fandom.

Feminist SF is distinctive from women writing SF, because anyone of any gender may write feminist SF, and women may write SF that is not feminist.

Quotes & Epigraphs

• Donna Haraway, who writes in her cyborg manifesto that feminists writing sf are “our storytellers exploring what it means to be embodied in high-tech worlds” (full citation & full quote needed)