Summer has come and swept us away and now we’re already half way through July. We got together a month ago to discuss Witches, a book about women, especially about the impact of when women work together. Each chapter is dedicated to a different manifestation of womanhood in different roles of society, from teenage fan girls, to the wisdom of nuns, to the elderly crones amongst us. The book spans the entire lifecycle of womanhood and the author explores its meaning, history and possible future. We did think that the title was a bit misleading, and possibly off-putting to some. Especially to people who do not identify as women. It made us wonder how we could actually make this conversation more interesting and inclusive for everyone, since the take aways were valuable on so many levels other than being able to recognise our own womanhood within it. It was a nuanced conversation on womanhood, about how we might lift each other up rather than reach up on our own.
I think there is so much magic in women, together. This is my overarching theory, this is why I’m writing this book: that there’s something powerful about women working together, not against one another but in service and celebration of each other.
On that note we’d like to recognise and thank all of the women in this community and the ones who attend our book clubs. We ourselves know well the power that women have when they come together. It is something that we have seen time and again over the past 6 years in And The Future’s existence. So without further ado, here are our main take aways.
Last book club’s take aways: Witches – The transformative power of women working together by Sam George-Allen
We’ve taken our sweet, sweet time with this one but the take aways are still gold.
Teenage girls are the biggest influencers of popular culture. No other group in Western societies is more frowned upon and belittled than teenage girls. We are taught early on that anything ‘girly’ is annoying, uncool and not to be taken seriously. The fact of the matter is though that teenage girls are taste-makers and have incredible influence on pop culture. The Beatles as well as Frank Sinatra and, as a more recent example, Harry Stiles would have never shot to fame without the unwavering support of their leagues of teenage girls.
We each carry our own inherited biases. Even though the author is a feminist writer and has engaged in feminism for a big part of her life and studies, during the book she manages to call out her own inherited patriarchal beliefs and biases, which are engrained in every single one of us too, if we have grown up and lived in a patriarchal society. One of the example she gives is when walking down the street after an interview with a sex worker and comes across a group of young women, all dressed up going on a jog. She notices herself rolling her eyes at their appearance but recognises and questions her own behaviour and where it might stem from.
Team sports are overwhelmingly a positive influence on young women and girls. According to non profit Women’s Sport Foundation, girls who play sports are more likely to do well in school, graduate and avoid unintended pregnancy than those who don’t. They also have better body image, higher levels of confidence, well-being and self-esteem, and lower levels of depression.
Gender doesn’t live in the body. Gender is a phenomenon that is being produced all the time. Nobody really is a gender from the start, but performs a gender through a series of actions, gestures and so on. Gender is formed out of cultural expectations of what a ‘man’ and a ‘woman’ look, act and dress like. It’s not really real. – p.114
And where do nuns fit into our preconceptions of what a woman ought to be? Deliberately renouncing sexuality, marriage and motherhood, she neatly removes herself from being reduced to the level of her desirability or her sexual activity; her religious status affords her protection, a sense of the formidable, and deeply culturally ingrained respect. Her habit marks her as set aside from other women […]. She gives up her possessions, leaves her family and devotes her life to her community […]. But she is also deeply devoted to herself, in ways not many other women can afford to be. – p.223
Matriarchal societies are centred around cultures of care and the gift giving economy. The existence of matriarchies remains a hot topic of debate among scientists. Mainly because it is usually described as simply a gender-swapped version of the patriarchy. But where the patriarchy is defined by dominance, individualism, oppression, championing of individual success and rigid social roles, the few matriarchies that do exist seem to focus around a culture that seeks peace and stresses the importance of nurturing the young, the old, sick and the poor. You can watch this 25 minute documentary on VICE about one of the last remaining matriarchies – the Mosuo.
Globally, farming women produce 80% of the world’s food and own less than 20% of the land. Women’s contributions and their access to agricultural autonomy have often been dismissed, avoided or intentionally silenced. The Visible Farmer Project has been telling the stories of women on the land in order to have their contributions to agriculture recognised and valued.
We’re taking a summer break!
We announced it during our last book club meet up but we wanted to make sure word got out to everyone and you’re not waiting for an update. We are taking some time to be in nature, the sun and reconnect with our purpose before we come together again in September. Hopefully refreshed and full of “Tatendrang” (I had to throw in a German word :) – it literally means ‘the urge for action’).
We hope you have a lovely summer and take plenty of time to rest and feel the sun on your skin. We’ll see you back here in September!
Up next: Turn the tide on Climate Anxiety by Megan Kennedy-Wooward & Patrick Kennedy-Williams
Join us for our 39th bookclub, where we read Turn the Tide on Climate Anxiety by Megan Kennedy-Woodward & Patrick Kennedy-Williams and discuss our chosen topic AnXiety for letter X in the Alphabet of Climate Solutions.
About the book:
It's hard to watch the news, scroll through social media, or listen to the radio without hearing or seeing something disturbing about the climate emergency. This can trigger all sorts of emotions: worry, anger, sadness, guilt, and even grief but also often over-looked positive emotions like motivation, connection, care, and abundance that support mental health and climate action for sustainable longevity.
Written by psychologists with extensive experience in treating people with eco-anxiety, this book shows you how to harness these emotions, validate them, and transform them into positive action. It enables you to assess and understand your psychological responses to the climate crisis and move away from unhealthy defence mechanisms, such as denial and avoidance.
Ultimately, it shows that the solution to both climate anxiety and the climate crisis is the same - action that is sustainable for you and for the planet - and empowers you to take steps towards this.
Join us for the event on the 12th of September – all tickets are donation based.
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Lisa & Tash ✨