“Not a Thing to Prophesy and Plead For”: From Determinism to Overdetermination in Marxism and Feminism

Abstract

Class Struggle on the Home Front pursues a dialogue between feminism and nondeterminist Marxism. I will attempt to situate the book's postmodern contribution to this conversation by interrogating the history of these mutually constitutive discourses. Since the conversation between Marxism and feminism began with Marx and Engels, I first examine their early work together. I then compare Engels's later work with that of feminist critic of political economy Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Despite their differences, Engels and Gilman share a commitment to economic determinism. In the essay's second part, I argue that the theoretical advances of New Marxian Class Analysis (NMCA), along with empirical investigations by feminist sociologists and labor historians, demonstrate the insufficiency of Engels's and Gilman's economically determinist perspective on relations between gender, class, and power. Finally, I respond to comments by Barker and Rio, and particularly their shared emphasis upon economic and cultural processes as sites of struggle.

Key Words:

• Friedrich Engels
• Feminism
• Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• New Marxian Class Analysis
• Overdetermination

Notes

1. Since the book appeared, we have lost two of the most important participants in this conversation. With the passing of Steve Resnick and Julie Graham, our intellectual and political worlds are more impoverished. But we have a living wealth in their words and ideas, including their contributions to Class Struggle on the Home Front.

2. See, for instance, the essays collected by Harding (2003) as well as the seminal work of Smith (1989, 2005).