Abolition. Feminism. Now.
by Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica R. Meiners, & Beth E. Richie
This book traces the genealogy of both abolitionist and feminist projects to demonstrate that the two are indivisible; abolition must be guided by feminism while feminism must be guided by abolition.
“Capitulating to a carceral feminism that calls upon the state to ‘protect’ women from gender violence would replicate the very conditions that needed to be challenged.”
MY TAKEAWAYS
“Abolition is stronger and more effective precisely because of its feminism. On the other hand, gender justice will not be realized without the incorporation of abolition praxis.”
Mainstream (carceral) feminism and anti-violence activism are often white-washed and centered around punitive solutions, which not only erases the historical lineage of feminism and contributions made by BIPOC, but actively works against the fundamental goals of “truly” feminist projects.
Carceral systems and spaces are built on and strengthened by heteropatriarchy and violence - attempting to weaponize these systems against individuals who carry out gender/sexual violence in the name of “justice” fails to address the root causes of the harm committed (misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc.) and actually further validates those causes in a never-ending loop.
“As attention is most often focused on individual perpetrators, as if they themselves are the beginning and end of these violences, the structural and institutional underpinnings of sexual assault and other forms of gender violence are neglected.”
The state violence (including sexual assault via strip searches, cavity searches, etc.) and control practiced every day in carceral institutions closely mirrors the nature of intimate partner violence—often in even more invasive ways—thus eliminating any chance that the criminal legal system can provide real justice in cases of interpersonal violence.
In reality, police, jails, prison sentences, and registries do nothing to “solve”, deter, or prevent sexual violence, nor do they address the root causes of any type of harm. Attempting to use these weapons of the state to address sexual violence only results in an opposite (and even more harmful) outcome.