"Considering Emma Goldman should be read by everyone with theoretical and political interests in the fate of contemporary feminism. Refusing to simplify Goldman's irascible, often negative views of women, femininity, and even feminism, Hemmings considers the difficult question of why, despite such views, Goldman has remained a figure of deep fascination to those seeking justice and equality for all. By rigorously homing in on Goldman's own forms of political ambivalence, Hemmings considers the value of ambivalence more generally to a feminist politics capable of changing and shape-shifting to better meet the exigencies of the contemporary political moment. This is a bracing, very important contribution to contemporary feminist theory."--Janice Radway, coeditor of "American Studies: An Anthology "

"Continuing her interest in the construction of feminist storytelling, Clare Hemmings explores the affective relationship between a critic and her object of study, grappling with the transit between the historical archive and the critical present. By deliberating on the ways in which scholars fashion their objects of study in relation to their hopes and fears about feminism itself, Hemmings offers an ambitious and compelling work whose critical implications are far reaching."--Robyn Wiegman, author of "Object Lessons "