CONTACT: finn.mackay.09@bristol.ac.uk
FACEBOOK: Be my friend on Facebook! – http://www.facebook.com/FinnMackay
FACEBOOK PAGES:
Reclaim the Night London UK has a new ‘page’ on Facebook
London Feminist Network is also on Facebook
NEWS:
On Thursday 17th May, Julie Bindel, Elly Levenson, Carrie Pemberton Ford and myself won the debate at the Oxford Union arguing that prostitution should not be viewed as a legitimate business. We won against Dennis Hof, owner of a legal brothel in Nevada and the rest of his proposition team, which included the ECP/Wages for Housework.
I’ve just had a book review of a recent book on ‘Third Wave Feminism and the Politics of Gender in Late Modernity’ published online in ‘Women’s Studies International Forum’. Unfortunately, like many academic journals, it will only be accessible to those with access through their University or workplace.
I am very pleased to have an article published in ‘Interface’, an International academic journal on social movements, addressing the role of young women in Feminist activism. Unlike most academic journals the journal is open and you can read the article and view the whole special issue here.
Upcoming Events:
14th July – I am very pleased to be joining Comrades to speak at the Tolpuddle festival on a panel on women’s rights.
2012 EVENTS:
15th May 2012 – I spoke on the panel at the ‘Future of Feminism’ debate at the Watershed in Bristol as part of the Festival of Ideas; to launch new book ‘The Lightbulb Moment’ edited by Sian Norris.
On the 12th January I was very pleased to be invited back to join the crew at Bristol LGBT radio ‘Shout Out’ to discuss Feminism, activism and camping…. For the interests of Bristolians Shout Out takes over community radio every Thursday evening and you can listen online, join in debates and get involved with the show.
7th February 2012 I took part in a GLAD Conversation and workshop on Feminist activism at Durham University.
29th February 2012 I delivered a workshop for the staff of West Mercia Women’s Aid on the Feminist resurgence, Feminist activism, the history of Feminist theory on male violence against women and why it is all as relevant as it ever was!
8th March – International Women’s Day 2012 – I delivered a keynote speech at the Equality South West regional event in Cornwall.
12th March – Cardiff Feminist Network day conference on ending violence against women. I delivered a keynote speech and took part in a panel debate.
23rd March – paper on young feminist activism at Birkbeck conference on Thinking Through Time & History in Feminism
16-17 April – presented a paper on young feminist activism at the PIDOP conference at the University of Surrey
2011 EVENTS:
I was very honoured to have been ‘woman of the week’ recently for the fabulous Platform 51, for reviving the Reclaim the Night marches, the article is online here. (Though they get my age wrong; I’m 35!)
October
27th October, Nottingham, I was part of the launch for a new programme promoting women’s leadership called ‘Women Leading for a Change‘.
28th October, I delivered a workshop at the Worker’s Educational Association (WEA) annual conference in Nottingham. There is a review of the session here.
November
NUS. 3rd November. I delivered a workshop on Reclaim the Night in the UK at the NUS ‘Sister Activist’ training.
Cumberland Lodge Conference on Gender Equality in the 21st Century, I spoke on gender and violence on Thursday 17th November. A review of the conference is here.
December
Rights of Women, delivered training on Feminist theory, activism and the history of women’s action against male violence against women. Feedback: “Thankyou for inspiring and energising us at your workshop”; “enlightening and empowering”; “we are still all talking about it in the office”.
On the 24th September I spoke at the Labour Party national women’s conference in Liverpool on: ‘A Women’s Movement for the 21st Century’.
I recently spoke on the role and importance of direct action in the Women’s Liberation Movement, as part of a panel at the UK Feminista Summer School in Birmingham on Saturday 13th August. All the plenary panels are available to view online.
I was interviewed for a feature in the new issue of the University of Bristol magazine ‘Nonesuch’, you can read the online version here.
I delivered a workshop on engaging with contemporary feminist activism and the current feminist ‘resurgence’ at the national Women’s Aid conference in Warwick on Friday 8th July.
I took part in two panel debates at the 2011 Philosophy and Music Festival at Hay, ‘How The Light Gets In‘. The first debate, ‘The Skin We’re In’ can be viewed here. The second debate ‘When Women Rule The World’ is here.
To mark 2011 International Women’s Day in March I spoke at the Bath Literature Festival on Saturday 5th March 2011, on the subject “Does Feminism Have To Start All Over Again?”. There is a review of the session here.
I gave one short ‘WOW Bite’ talk on the history, importance and inspiration of Reclaim the Night, and also spoke in a panel debate titled ‘The Campaign Trail’, along with Ruth Bond, Chair of the W.I, and human rights activist Bianca Jagger; all as part of the Women Of the World (WOW) Festival at the Southbank Centre, on Saturday 12th of March 2011.
