Why Would Feminists Trust the Police?: A Tangled History of Resistance and Complicity

Political analyst Cowan (Border Nation) makes an impassioned case for U.K. feminists to take up the cause of police abolition and overthrow “carceral feminism.” She traces the history of the latter—a “pro-police and prison-forward” approach to women’s issues—through 19th-century colonialism and upper-class suffragism, and into more contemporary manifestations like 1990s “stranger danger,” the #MeToo movement (which was dominated by calls for punishment), and recent advocacy for prosecution-based solutions to sexual assault. As an alternative, Cowan spotlights a “non-carceral” feminism spearheaded by women of color in the U.K.’s Caribbean and Asian communities throughout the 20th century; these efforts—mainly comprising mutual aid groups—bolstered women’s power rather than seeking punishment or extra policing. Delving into the recent fracturing of U.K. feminism along ideological lines relating to women’s need for protection (including high-profile debates around the rights of trans people, whom prominent right-leaning feminists portray as a threat to women), Cowan makes a strong case that “carceral feminism” promotes fear for women’s safety in order to drum up support for law enforcement, which, when the experiences of trans women and women of color are taken into account, actually harms more women than it helps. It’s a persuasive call for feminists everywhere to reconsider how women’s well-being is used to justify oppression. (June)