Eighteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

I listen to Valerie Solanas’ SCUM Manifesto (1967), an influential relic of second-wave feminism, from a contemporary feminist perspective in order to reveal how the affective undercurrent of rage in the 1960’s instantiated a misalignment between Solanas’ rhetoric and the historical moment. In this analysis, I consider the implications of positioning Solanas and the SCUM Manifesto as representatives of feminist resistance in contemporary critical feminist discourse. I believe it is important to check in with historical figures as society learns (and unlearns). This practice is important for conscientious reproduction of rhetorical praxis and for determining how we construct a critical feminist lineage. Feminist criticism hinges on an understanding of patriarchy as a cultural hegemony responsible for the systemic perpetuation of gendered oppression, not simply an intentional and individualized domination. It is possible to listen to SCUM and assess each instance of male subjugation as a critique of patriarchal values. However, without understanding patriarchy as an institution that imposes on gendered power dynamics, one would find themselves, as Solanas has, forwarding eugenics. In other words, this analysis hinges on a difference between condemning patriarchy and condemning all male-presenting persons. I argue that by enacting compliance, manipulation, rebellion, and withdrawal, the manifesto represents a site of failed resistance by reproducing an unsustainable rhetoric that confirms the power of cultural hegemony over meaning-making. If there is any takeaway from this particular manifesto for feminism, it is to maintain integrity by avoiding assimilation to patriarchal methods of resistance.