How Can Feminism Help Librarians Confront Authoritarianism?

How Can Feminism Help Librarians Confront Authoritarianism in the Twenty-First Century?

Afghanistanwomen-protest-against-Taliban-takeover-Sept.-2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vueVxVQqeFo&list=PLGvt9IyrGCa5-EtEPqWqkj9pynH4WSZrZ&index=5

The current increase in book bans and disinformation assaulting librarians in the U.S. are part of a broader rise of authoritarianism around the world. What are the distinctive features of this global authoritarianism? How have feminists, especially Black feminist intersectional thinkers, responded to and analyzed this phenomenon? How can these analyses help librarians confront authoritarianism by promoting social justice, critical thinking and empathy?

Frieda Afary is an Iranian American public librarian in Los Angeles and the author of Socialist Feminism: A New Approach (Pluto Press, 2022). She is also the 2023-2024 co-chair of PEN America’s Translation Committee.

Related Items

Oppose Fascism Brochure

Oct 13, 2025

This brochure is brought to you by the Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) Alliance for Democracy . Please share with others. To see both sides of the brochure, and to print, please click on the link below: Link to Brochure

“We Need a Humanist Alternative to Capitalism” POSLE’s Interview with Frieda Afary

Sep 25, 2025

Originally posted in Posle, a journal of Russian dissident exiles POSLE Why do some Iranian feminists support Ukraine? What can we learn from the feminists in Iran? Iranian-American socialist feminist Frieda Afary reflects on the Iranian opposition in exile and...

Immigrant Defense Brochures

Aug 31, 2025

These brochures are brought to you by the Indivisible-affiliated NELA Alliance for Democracy for sharing in public spaces like libraries, farmers' markets, and schools, as well as meetings, actions, and events. We have created a NELA-branded version, but have also...