Germaine Greer
Australian writer and feminist, born 1939; wrote The Female Eunuch.
At a glance
Main ideas
Liberation, not equality, Femininity imposed, Environment
See all 3Criticism
Transgender women, Female genital mutilation
See all 2Books to start with
The Female Eunuch, Sex and Destiny, The Change …
See all 4Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Greer is an Australian writer and academic regarded as one of the major voices of second-wave feminism.
- Her first book, The Female Eunuch (1970), became an international bestseller.
- She is a liberation rather than equality feminist, arguing that women should assert their difference rather than live like men.
- Her later books deal with literature, feminism and the environment.
Why it matters
- The Female Eunuch was a watershed text of 1970s feminism, and her views have kept her at the centre of feminist debate since.
Key facts
- Born
- 29 Jan 1939, Melbourne, Australia1
- Education
- University of Melbourne (graduated 1959); University of Sydney (MA); PhD, Newnham College, Cambridge (1968), on Shakespeare's early comedies1
- Academic posts
- University of Warwick, from 1968 to 1972; Newnham College, Cambridge; University of Tulsa1
- Lives
- In the UK from 1964; later divided her time between Queensland and Essex1
- Books
- More than 201
Main ideas
Criticism
-
Transgender women1
Her statements that she does not regard transgender women as women led to calls to no-platform her; over 130 academics signed a 2015 letter against no-platforming.
-
Female genital mutilation1
Her comments that opposition to it could be an attack on cultural identity were controversial.
Books to start with
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Connections
Writes
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
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