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The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain

Sarah Crook Orcid Logo

Gender & History

Swansea University Author: Sarah Crook Orcid Logo

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Abstract

The 1990s were a vexed time for feminists in Britain. Cultural commentators declared that feminism’s key battles had been won, and that given women’s ascendency across various political and cultural barometers of success, the country was entering a newly ‘postfeminist’ era. At the same time, feminis...

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Published in: Gender & History
ISSN: 0953-5233 1468-0424
Published: Wiley
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71739
first_indexed 2026-04-14T11:00:40Z
last_indexed 2026-04-28T04:31:49Z
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spelling 2026-04-27T14:21:19.6914752 v2 71739 2026-04-14 The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain b35484cf604604b6d6bc6873677417d1 0000-0002-1288-1488 Sarah Crook Sarah Crook true false 2026-04-14 CACS The 1990s were a vexed time for feminists in Britain. Cultural commentators declared that feminism’s key battles had been won, and that given women’s ascendency across various political and cultural barometers of success, the country was entering a newly ‘postfeminist’ era. At the same time, feminist groups identified sites of resurgence and growth in the wake of the fragmentation of the movement’s ‘second wave’. Towards the end of the decade momentum gathered for a brief moment around the concept of a ‘New Feminism’ – one that was popular, mainstream, focused on the material rather than the personal, and that was unshackled from feminism’s recent past. This feminism, advanced by prominent advocates like 30-year-old Natasha Walter, was closely aligned to the rhetorical and policy posture of the New Labour government. Like New Labour, the ‘new feminism’ sought to chart a centrist route through the political waters and disavowed its radical history in service of what it hailed as a defiantly pragmatic future. This article interrogates the trajectory of the ‘new feminism’ in nineties Britain, examining its place within wider feminist conversations, political discourses, and positioning it in relation to growing anxieties about masculinity, men, and boys. Journal Article Gender & History Wiley 0953-5233 1468-0424 0 0 0 0001-01-01 In press COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) 2026-04-27T14:21:19.6914752 2026-04-14T11:55:14.8322740 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - History Sarah Crook 0000-0002-1288-1488 1
title The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain
spellingShingle The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain
Sarah Crook
title_short The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain
title_full The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain
title_fullStr The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain
title_full_unstemmed The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain
title_sort The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain
author_id_str_mv b35484cf604604b6d6bc6873677417d1
author_id_fullname_str_mv b35484cf604604b6d6bc6873677417d1_***_Sarah Crook
author Sarah Crook
author2 Sarah Crook
format Journal article
container_title Gender & History
institution Swansea University
issn 0953-5233
1468-0424
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - History{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - History
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description The 1990s were a vexed time for feminists in Britain. Cultural commentators declared that feminism’s key battles had been won, and that given women’s ascendency across various political and cultural barometers of success, the country was entering a newly ‘postfeminist’ era. At the same time, feminist groups identified sites of resurgence and growth in the wake of the fragmentation of the movement’s ‘second wave’. Towards the end of the decade momentum gathered for a brief moment around the concept of a ‘New Feminism’ – one that was popular, mainstream, focused on the material rather than the personal, and that was unshackled from feminism’s recent past. This feminism, advanced by prominent advocates like 30-year-old Natasha Walter, was closely aligned to the rhetorical and policy posture of the New Labour government. Like New Labour, the ‘new feminism’ sought to chart a centrist route through the political waters and disavowed its radical history in service of what it hailed as a defiantly pragmatic future. This article interrogates the trajectory of the ‘new feminism’ in nineties Britain, examining its place within wider feminist conversations, political discourses, and positioning it in relation to growing anxieties about masculinity, men, and boys.
published_date 0001-01-01T06:29:57Z
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