ABSTRACT
As in other Western capitalist democracies, there is considerable anguish on the left, or at least the “old” left, concerning the apparently unstoppable march of economic rationalism through the public institutions, such as universities and government, and its connection to the decline in political participation among Western citizens. Young people are sometimes depicted as central to this problem of waning social movements and political activism. More specifically, young women are often blamed for the decline in women’s movement activism, being accused of a more commercialized and individualized commitment to securing their own personal goals. During the 1990s, the generational cat-fight between feminists became a favourite media handle for discussing feminism, expressed in popular books as well as academic fora.
