The Marxist Feminism as a Historiographical Framework in the Second Wave of Feminism: A Critical Analysis

Di Hu

Authors

Di Hu University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom Author

Keywords:

Marxist feminism, second wave feminism, feminist historiography, intersectionality, domestic labor

Abstract

Emerging in the 1960s alongside civil rights and anti-capitalist movements, the Second Wave of Feminism marked a turning point in feminist theory and activism. This paper critically analyzes the role of Marxist feminism as a historiographical framework during the Second Wave of Feminism, particularly in modern British feminist historical writing. It explores how Marxist feminism integrated gender and class analysis to expose the structural roots of women's oppression under capitalism. Drawing on the works of Engels, Sheila Rowbotham, Juliet Mitchell, Catherine Hall, and others, the study demonstrates how Marxist feminists challenged dominant historical narratives, deconstructed the private/public divide, and reconceptualized domestic labor as economically essential yet undervalued. The paper also assesses the limitations of traditional Marxist theory and how feminist scholars expanded it through interdisciplinary approaches, incorporating psychoanalysis, postmodernism, and postcolonial theory. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of non-traditional sources in reconstructing marginalized women's histories. Ultimately, the paper argues that Marxist feminism not only reshaped feminist historiography but also laid foundational groundwork for intersectional and materialist feminist theories. Its continued relevance lies in its ability to critically address gender, race, and class within capitalist societies, making it an enduring influence in feminist thought and activism.

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