The review of reviews. born for “to document the ferment of struggles, debates and academic research on feminisms and gender” and “keep a record of the historic battles that we are living through”in the words of its founders in their editorial, The breaking wave today celebrates its first year of existence. symbol of his commitment to “hear the voices of those who fight for a fairer society”the quarterly magazine has chosen, for this anniversary issue – its fifth – to explore the field of speech as a means of emancipation, issues of power and marker of race and gender.
Carried by this theme, the feminist mook gives pride of place to testimonies, in particular that of Axelle Jah Njiké, who questions the silences still surrounding the sexual violence suffered by young black women; unique encounters with Juliette Defever, speech therapist working with trans people; or choirs with a support group on health and sexuality from a community center in Ivry-sur-Seine (Val-de-Marne). Through this “place of self-education”, Mathilde Blézat looks back on the history of an emancipatory practice at the heart of the movements of the 1960s and 1970s. A practice that is now enjoying a new lease of life thanks to the renewal of feminist struggles.
Backfire
But the liberation of speech, strongly driven by the #meetoo movement, produced its reaction. As the analysis of Thibault Grison, doctor of information science, through the expression “we can’t say anything more”, relayed in turn by the humorist Didier Bourdon, in 2005, by Nicolas Sarkozy, during his presidential campaign of 2007, and finally by Alain Finkielkraut, in 2019, faced with the rise of the “wokism” danger. Or three personalities presenting themselves as victims of the restriction of freedom of expression and political correctness. “The denunciation of a supposed act of censorship functions as a strategy to maintain the ‘monopoly of speech'”, emphasizes the researcher.
A monopoly that remains strong in the political and media field. As the review reminds us, thanks to two figures that are telling to say the least: in the first weeks of the new legislature, in 2017, the speaking time of women in the National Assembly was 3.58% (according to the count of Brutfor 38.8% of deputies) and 35% on TV and radio antennas, in 2020, according to the CSA.
Finally, at a time when four women are vying for the presidency, we will read with interest the “Return to” the campaign of Ségolène Royal, in 2007. Without omitting the errors of the socialist candidate, Lénaïg Bredoux shows the“delegitimization enterprise” which takes place from the outset and in its own camp. With hindsight, Sandrine Rousseau, unsuccessful candidate for the EELV primary in 2021, who was one of Ségolène Royal’s opponents, confesses: “I had to live my campaign to understand that what she had suffered was sexism, or rather a hatred of free women in politics. »
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