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

Crook, Sarah

doi:https://doi.org/

Journal article 43 views

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

Sarah Crook

Gender & History

Swansea University Author: Sarah Crook

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...

Full description

Published in:	Gender & History
Published:	2026
URI:	https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71739

first_indexed	2026-04-14T11:00:40Z
last_indexed	2026-04-15T04:47:49Z
id	cronfa71739
recordtype	SURis
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spelling	2026-04-14T12:00:38.1317412 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 1 6 2026 2026-06-01 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) 2026-04-14T12:00:38.1317412 2026-04-14T11:55:14.8322740 College of Arts and Humanities 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
publishDate	2026
institution	Swansea University
college_str	College of Arts and Humanities
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hierarchy_top_title	College of Arts and Humanities
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department_str	History{{{_:::_}}}College of Arts and Humanities{{{_:::_}}}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	2026-06-01T06:01:53Z
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The political ecology of the ‘New’ feminism in late-1990s Britain

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