We've only just begun
Coiled spring or damp squib? Vanessa Baird looks at feminism in the 1990s.

Purple politics and the
white woman's dress
Poet Amryl Johnson is feminist, black and has a dream.

Agony!
Great and Important Men write to Agony Aunt Emmeline for advice. She gives it...

Silicon tricks and the two dollar woman
Cynthia Enloe unpacks the post-modern world of women's work.

The Real Woman
What does it take to be a woman? Nina Silver tries to find out - in a dazzling variety of ways.

WOMEN TODAY - THE FACTS

Now, listen to me!
Wanjiru Kihoro takes a critical look at the lip-service paid to women by Western development agencies.

Breaking points
Will Islamic fundamentalists break Zahra - as they have broken so many Afghan women? She shares her experience with Sarah Miles.

Simply - a history of feminism

Don't wanna be like you
A sticky moment for feminist Juliet Keliner when her feminist daughter accuses her of being a 'doormat'...

New Age Patriarchs
A new breed of 'new men' has appeared on the scene. Are they good news for women? Erica Simmons investigates

ACTION

'You re going to make a lot of people very angry,' said my friend encouragingly, as I discussed one of the items planned for this issue of NI. I won't spoil the fun by telling you which. It could actually be any one of a number. Feminism is like that. Few of the articles we carry in New Internationalist raise such hell as those that could be loosely termed 'feminist'. What might seem like a harmless observation to the writer - verging on the platitudinous even - can inspire an awesome torrent from an incensed reader.

It seems strange that ideas that have been knocking around for some time continue to arouse such strong feelings. And researching the history of feminism for the Simply spread made me realize just how long those ideas have been around. Far from being a steady progress from dark ignorance to enlightenment the story of feminism is one of fits and starts, of protest and progress followed by backlash and repression.

Sexual equality is a dynamite issue. It touches all of us. A lot of energy is invested in trying to make it happen. A lot of energy is invested in trying to stop it happening. This makes it emotionally charged, so virtually anything you say can upset or anger or offend somebody. They might be annoyed by what you include - or even more by what you don't include. There is no point in pretending that this has not cost me sleepless nights.

But there have been aspects of putting together this magazine that have been especially inspiring. At the outset we decided that there should be several interviews with people from different parts of the world in whose lives feminism or feminist ideas had played a crucial part. Their contributions were vital and heart-warming. They reminded me that feminism is not an abstraction but something that lives and breathes in the hearts and minds of many people - both female and male.

There will be people who question whether feminism should be a subject at all. Surely it should inform every issue of the magazine? I would agree. But the sharp, single-focus issue sometimes helps too. The last time we did this was in 1985, to mark the end of the UN Decade For Women. The one before that was in 1980. That issue was both edited and designed by men. This time both are women, this being the first issue designed by Kate. Indeed, it is the first NI ever to have been designed by a woman. Something is happening...

Letters
Letter from India
Updates
Reviews: plus Sillitoe / Reisz classic
Curiosities
Endpiece by Kit Garbett
Country profile: Argentina

FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: CONSTRUCTION WORKER IN HONDURAS BY JENNY MATTHEWS/FORMAT
ONLINE MAG MAINTAINED BY SIMON LOFFLER