Insightful, empowering, and intelligent discussions left the audience feeling truly inspired after Clare McGlynn and Natasha Walter’s conversation.
As McGlynn and Walter, wonderfully chaired by Professor Jane McNaughton at Durham University, were led into a discussion about feminist, environmental, and human rights issues, what struck me was the absolute insistence in talking about complicated issues. Talking about these issues is the first step to solving them.
Natasha Walter, celebrated author, journalist, and human rights activist, discussed her most recent book Feminism for a World on Fire, linking the climate emergency directly with violence towards women and misogyny. She contributes to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, BBC Breakfast, and Channel 4 News alongside having written for the Guardian, the Independent, and the Observer. Walters sees liberation and progression of women as a collective endeavour, pushing back against the idea of individual empowerment as almost a pristinely packaged consumer item.
Clare McGlynn is a Law Professor at Durham University who is leading conversations on the regulation of pornography, sexual violence, and online abuse; appointed honorary KC in recognition of her leadership in reforming the law on extreme pornography. Her debut book Exposed: The Rise of Extreme Porn and How We Fight Back is a case study into the patriarchal forces that oppress women through extreme porn. She also contributes to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Today programmes, and ITV News.
The event started with each author introducing themselves and their books, as well as setting out what their books centred on, followed by an excerpt being read from Exposed. Perhaps the event would have benefitted from some symmetry and an excerpt read from Feminism for a World on Fire, but due to time constraints there was no opportunity for this.
I specifically enjoyed the declaration from Walter that feminism does not mean hatred or working against men, instead it is a communal effort to make the system better for everyone. She emphasises that patriarchy places enormous pressure on men as well as women and is detrimental to everyone. Similarly, McGlynn claims that not all porn is bad, it is what she calls “big porn” that is detrimental to everyone and that is being pushed in everyone’s faces. Patriarchal porn is completely different to indie porn, she argues. Both authors agreed that patriarchy is an underlying systemic issue that is not eternal or unsolvable but will require immense amounts of effort to start to fix.
I thought that the event and speakers were truly inspirational, however I would have appreciated increased conversation between them. While the subject of their individual books is slightly different, the fundamental issue of feminism still remains the same, and a more natural, longer conversation between them would have made the event even better. Discussion began around the 30-minute mark, which left only 20 minutes for conversation before audience questions began.
Both authors were extremely passionate, and the discussion was excellent guided thanks to the great chairing of Jane McNaughton. Expertly crafted questions captured the passion and overall goal of the books, and this made the experience incredibly enjoyable. By sharing a personal experience of talking to her son about sexual violence, she bridged the gap between the audience and the authors by relating everyday experience to theoretical thought.
The event closed with a link to today’s political climate, Walter claiming that women are facing new and old challenges simultaneously. McGlynn added that the desensitisation to political and cultural context in our world will eventually lead us into an authoritarian state (currently the growing reality for America, she suggested), and the only way we can fight against this is through discussion and exposure to these difficult topics. And through the ambition of collective endeavour, added Walter.
This event was truly inspiring and the audience rushed out towards the signing table at the end, feeling like something had dramatically shifted in their consciousness. It is important to connect through communities and discussions, and this is exactly what this event facilitated.
The only major issue with this event was that it was not longer. Listening to McGlynn and Walter speak felt like listening to pure, unfiltered knowledge pouring from their mouths and I only wish I got to live in this moment forever. Alas, we must go out and make a difference.