Counterpractice - (Rethinking Art's Histories) by Rakhee Balaram (Paperback)

About the Book

This groundbreaking book highlights a generation of women who made art as a way of defining a culture of experimental thought and practice, against the backdrop of the French women's movement or Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (1970-81)

Book Synopsis

Counterpractice highlights a generation of women who used art to define a culture of experimental thought and practice during the period of the French women's movement or Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (1970-81). It considers women's art in relation to some of the most exciting thinkers to have emerged from the French literature and philosophy of the 1970s - Hélène Cixous, Luce Irigaray and Julia Kristeva - forcing a timely reconsideration of the full spectrum of revolutionary practices by women in the years following the events of May '68. Lavishly illustrated with over 200 images, the book also features an illuminating foreword by art historian Griselda Pollock.

From the Back Cover

Counterpractice highlights a generation of women whose art defined the culture of experimental thought and practice promoted by the French women's movement. Establishing a conversation with some of the most exciting thinkers to emerge from France in the 1970s - Hélène Cixous, Luce Irigaray, and Julia Kristeva - the book positions women artists in the context of male trends in French art, while simultaneously viewing them alongside contemporaries from Europe and the United States. This approach forces a timely reconsideration of the full spectrum of revolutionary practices by women in the years following the events of May '68.

Featuring over 200 illustrations and extensive excerpts from rare French archival materials, Counterpractice will appeal to students and scholars of art, French, and gender studies, as well as general readers interested in this remarkable period of feminist history. It includes a foreword by Grisela Pollock.

Review Quotes

'In this illuminating scholarship, we re-encounter the familiar names of (1970s) French feminisms, but Balaram's innovation is to reveal a swathe of obscured, forgotten, or lesser-known (French) artists and feminist actors. Balaram allows these artists and artworks to shine as she seamlessly weaves history, politics, artwork, and theory, nuancing the often monolithic presentation of 1970s French feminism.'
Jasmine D. Cooper, French Studies

'Counterpractice provides an ambitious survey of the events leading up to May '68 and an invaluable document of the women artists who were working in Paris around that time. Taken together with her careful account of the ground-breaking feminist theory that informed their activism, Rakhee Balaram has made an essential and lasting contribution to the field.'
Mary Kelly, Judge Widney Professor, Roski School of Art and Design, University of Southern California

'This pioneering book is a major contribution to the history of feminist art, writing, theory, and activism. Rakhee Balaram has done meticulous research, placing the movement in its historical and political contexts and interpreting the issues debated and contested among these women. No stone is left unturned. Enjoy your journey with these original, stimulating artists, and with this wonderful author as your guide.'
Gloria Orenstein, Professor Emerita of Comparative Literature and Gender Studies, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

About the Author

Rakhee Balaram is Assistant Professor of Global Art and Art History at State University of New York-Albany