Scream from the Shadows: The Womens Liberation Movement in Japan

More than forty years ago a womens liberation movement called man ribu was born in Japan amid conditions of radicalism, violence, and imperialist aggression. Setsu Shigematsus book is the first to present a sustained history of man ribus formation, its political philosophy, and its contributions to feminist politics across and beyond Japan. Through an in-depth analysis of man ribu, Shigematsu furthers our understanding of Japans gender-based modernity and imperialism and expands our perspective on transnational liberation and feminist movements worldwide.

In Scream from the Shadows, Shigematsu engages with political philosophy while also contextualizing the movement in relation to the Japanese left and New Left as well as the antiVietnam War and radical student movements. She examines the controversial figure Tanaka Mitsu, man ribus most influential activist, and the movements internal dynamics. Shigematsu highlights man ribus distinctive approach to the relationship of womenand womens liberationto violence: specifically, the movements embrace of violent women who were often at the margins of society and its recognition of womens complicity in violence against other women.

Scream from the Shadows provides a powerful case study of a complex and contradictory movement with a radical vision of womens liberation. It offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the blind spots within our contemporary and dominant views of feminism across their liberal, marxist, radical, Euro-American, postcolonial, and racial boundaries.