Shueisha Shinsho Watashi tachi ga koe wo ageru toki (When we dare to raise our voices)

The term “mansplaining” would not have gained such currency in contemporary parlance if women around the world do not routinely experience being interrupted, silenced, and/or talked down upon by men, whether in school, workplace, household, or public space. When women speak up against social and personal injustice, they do so at great risk and cost: the legitimacy of their claims is often questioned; they are judged for their appearances or styles; they are interrogated about their personal backgrounds irrelevant to their claims; or they are perceived as playing the victim or being hysterical. The backlash not only inflicts severe injury to those who raised their voices but also buries their claims under the rug and deprives other women of the courage to speak up. In such an environment, women who dare to raise their voices have to carefully deliberate not only what to argue but when, where, and how--including their attire, expression, and tone. Despite the inordinate labor involved in such acts, women throughout history have still raised their voices, because they had no other choice.
 
This book, co-authored and co-edited by five female scholars of American history, politics, society, and culture, focuses on ten women in modern U.S. history who took actions against social and structural injustice. Through these case studies, the book examines what it means for women to raise their voices—-what circumstances led to their choices, what kinds of considerations and calculations were involved in their actions, how society listened to their voices (or not), what the outcomes of their voices and actions have been.
 
Part I examines five women who addressed the American public and the world at large between 2018 and 2020, when #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements pushed the world to confront prevalent racial and gender inequality and violence: Naomi Osaka, Emma (x) Gonzales, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Christine Blasey Ford, Stacey Abrams. Part II focuses on five women who challenged America for its failure to live up to its promises of democracy, equality, and justice: Charlotta Bass, Rosa Parks, Angela Y. Davis, Haunani-Kay Trask, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  The ten women discussed in the book are diverse in terms of race, age, status, sexual identity, location as well as the issues they spoke up about and acted upon. Yet what they shared is a faith in the promise of a free, equal, truly affluent society and their courage to address structural barriers that hinder its realization.
 

(Written by YOSHIHARA Mari, Professor, Center for Global Education / 2025)