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 Contains Its Own Enemies
- Feminism contains antagonistic, even fascistic, strands that demand honest reckoning rather than being written off as 'not feminism'.
- Recognizing internal enemies lets feminists draw political lines and clarify who they actually fight for.
Reject The 'Not Feminism' Purge
- A purely purgative strategy that declares extremist views 'not feminism' fails historically and empties the canon.
- Recognizing problematic feminisms as genuine reveals how gender politics have contained opposite, even violent, projects.
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.
