ABSTRACT
This chapter tells stories of the development of the concept of sexual harassment and the emergence of a global ‘me too’ moment. The first section tells a story that links 20th-century socialist feminist discussion of sexual predation in workplaces with American Second Wave feminist activism against sexual harassment and subsequent Third Wave feminist awakenings. The second section moves into recent history of African-American women’s activism against sexual assault: the community organising done by Tarana Burke, founder of the ‘me too’ movement that made #metoo possible. It also covers the reporting of the Harvey Weinstein story, which marks the beginning of #metoo’s call for accountability by powerful men engaged in sexual misconduct. The third section considers critically and globally how much ‘me too’ has so far achieved in that call to hold various high-profile public figures accountable for misuse of their social privilege, and to reform institutions that shield privileged abusers. Because current manifestations of women’s refusal to accept ongoing gender subordination are taking place within culturally distinct histories, I frame ‘me too’ as an umbrella concept, a shorthand that can help us see similarities in movements taking place around the world even as we take notice of the equally significant cultural differences.
