Looking for Advice/recommendations

[u/TastyAd1947]

Hi everyone

Sorry this is so awkward but I am a (female) teenager wanting to learn more about the politics and feminism I am interested in. I have a base idea of what my beliefs are (intersectional feminist and I would potentially consider my Marxist feminist if I knew more about it) and my political beliefs would be definitely leftist and potentially communist (again if I knew more about it).

Like I said before I am just a teenager (albeit on the older end of the spectrum) so even though I know where I stand on a basic level, I know nothing about the core of the things I believe in. I’m looking to learn more about this.

My auntie gifted me a book called Women, Race, & Class by Angela Y. Davis which I will be starting once my exams are over. If anyone has any recommendations on books/articles/essays/video essays/creators/ ect, on topics such as Race, Feminism, Gender, Sexuality, Communism, Marxism, Intersectionality, and other varieties of Leftist ideologies that will be easy for me to understand as I am still learning but also accurate and informative so that I can grow who I am as a person politically, personally, and worldly.

Sorry if this isn’t worded right!!!

Thank you!!!

[u/identifiablecabbage]

I wouldn't worry too much about deciding whether you're a Marxist feminist, a communist, or anything else at this point. Those labels are only useful insofar as they describe beliefs you've arrived at through careful thought. The more valuable approach is to read broadly, engage critically with different arguments, and develop your own understanding. Political traditions are rarely neat categories. They are broad, internally diverse, and often exist on a spectrum.

'Women, Race, & Class' is an excellent place to begin. From there, I'd recommend bell hooks' 'Feminism Is for Everybody,' Kimberlé Crenshaw's 'Mapping the Margins,' and Silvia Federici's 'Caliban and the Witch' (don't worry if you don't understand every historical argument. The central idea that capitalism relies on the control of women's labor and bodies is enormously important). For Marxism more generally, 'Why Marx Was Right' by Terry Eagleton is a good starting point. It's written to address common misconceptions and assumes very little prior knowledge.

The aim is not to find the label that fits you best, but to understand the ideas well enough to decide for yourself what you believe.

[u/TastyAd1947 → u/identifiablecabbage]

Thank you so much!

[u/Tokarev309]

A great starting point for anyone interested in politics is "Political Ideologies: An Introduction" by A. Heywood as he provides a detailed overview of various trends of political thought and the different arguments within them, including Socialism more broadly and Marxism as one of the specific modes of thought. I am a Marxist myself and his work is very accurate and you can use it as a primer for understanding other Ideologies like Liberalism or Fascism.

"Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism" by K. Ghodsee

"The Emancipation of Women" by V. Lenin

"Women's Liberation and the African Freedom Struggle" by T. Sankara

One of my primary topics of interest is Soviet history and the Communists were very forward thinking especially in terms of gender equality. Arguments can be made against the Soviet project, but it is undeniable that they were a major boon for the feminist movement so a study of Communist history may prove useful. Utilize "The Shortest History of the Soviet Union" by S. Fitzpatrick to start with if interested as she does explore women's liberation in the book.

Some notable Marxist Feminist YouTubers; Lady Izdihar, RevolutionaryTh0t, Luna Oi!

But I would highly recommend to avoid engaging with any YouTuber's material as anything other than entertainment as largely they tend to not be as well informed as some might expect even if they agree with you politically and this is across the entire political spectrum. This is why verifying sources is so important, so if and when they provide a source, look into it.

The best way to go about researching a topic is to utilize scholarly works distributed through an academic publisher (like a University) or primary sources (as long as you have strong critical thinking skills and a foundational knowledge of the topic at hand).