Nancy Holmstrom

The Socialist Feminist Project

Some would say socialist feminism is an artifact of the 1970s. It flowered with the womens liberation movement, as a theoretical response to what many in the movement saw as the inadequacies of Marxism, liberalism, and radical feminism, but since then it has been defunct, both theoretically and politically. I think this view is mistaken. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

A Marxist Theory of Women's Nature

Debates about womens nature are very old but far from over. In fact they have acquired a new urgency with the rise of the womens movement and with the dramatic increase in the number of women in the work force. Conservatives claim that there is a distinct womens nature that puts limits on the extent to which the traditional sexual/social roles can and should be altered. Feminists usually reject the idea, correctly pointing out that it has been used to justify womens oppression for thousands of years.

Marx and Cohen on Exploitation and the labor theory of value

Gerald A. Cohen, in ‘The Labor Theory of Value and the Concept of Exploitation’, argues that, contrary to the traditional assumption, Marxs charge of exploitation against capitalism does not require the labor theory of value. However, there is a related but simpler basis for the charge. Hence Marxs criticism can stand even if the labor theory of value falls. Furthermore, he argues that the labor theory of value is false. It is argued here that Cohen is mistaken; the charge Marx makes against capitalism does require the labor theory of value. Cohens conception of exploitation is weaker than Marxs both theoretically and morally. It is also argued that Cohens criticisms of the labor theory of value rest on misunderstandings of the theory and Marxs methodology.

Women's Self Organization: Theory and Strategy; Lise Vogel Responds

Socialist feminists confront the key strategic issue of the relationship between the womens liberation struggle and the struggle for socialist transformation in the course of facing practical questions, such as whether to build womens organizations separate from socialist organizations, whether to work in multi-class feminist organizations, and so forth.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.