Draft:Cathy Bernheim

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Overarching Summary

Cathy Bernheim, a French novelist born in 1946, is an influential feminist activist. She is considered to be a pioneer of the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (Women’s Liberation Movement or MLF). She was also a member of the Gouines Rouges, a radical feminist lesbian movement. She has authored many books about feminism and the fight for reproductive rights, and gender equality, and against sexual violence in France.   

Early Life

Cathy Bernheim was born on April 10, 1946 in Saint-Raphaël. Bernheim was raised Catholic, the religion of her mother, while her father was a Jewish resistance freedom fighter. She is a French novelist and essayist as well as the grand-niece of Professeur Bernheim of the Faculté de Médecine de Nancy.   

Career

Bernheim, an influential and well-known feminist activist, is considered a pioneer of the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (Women’s Liberation Movement). Founded in 1970, this movement fought against patriarchy in France, and for women’s rights. The movement was led by nine women, including Bernheim. This movement was also founded around the same time as the American Women's Liberation Movement. The Mouvement de Libération des Femmes fought for bodily autonomy and challenged patriarchal society and all the problems that come with it. This movement led to transformations within the political and social society in France, giving women more rights in regard to birth control and parental equality. She was also a vital member of the Gouines Rouges - “Red Dykes” a French radical feminist lesbian movement. This movement went hand in hand with the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes because the lesbian activists made it their duty to show the feminists that their causes are unified and that they are all working toward the same goal. Therefore, when the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes held gatherings the lesbian activists of the Gouines Rouges would come to make their case heard and fight in unity alongside their feminist peers.   

She is an author, speaker, journalist, editor, and activist. She translated several English feminist literature such as autobiographies. She speaks English, French, and Italian and uses these resources to edit, write, and more. Between 1967 and 1969 she worked in cinema and wrote films in Paris. Later on in her life, she became an editor at Prisma Media, a Spanish media and news organization. She worked there for 25 years, from June 1990 to July 2015.

Activism

Much of Cathy Bernheim’s activism stems from her work with the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes, or the MLF. Bernheim, along with eight feminist activists, spearheaded a protest by laying a wreath under the Arc de Triomphe on August 26, 1970. Her historical slogan, “There is more unknown than the unknown soldier: his wife,” was displayed on banners during the demonstration, which was the first monumental act of the movement. In an interview with France 2 TV, Bernehim stated, “We told ourselves we really had to strike a blow… [the famous monument was a good place] to try and get the message across that ‘one out of two men… is a woman.” In the news interview she spoke about the revolutionary characteristics of their movement and how it was unlike any other that France had seen, so much so that the police officers observing their protest were baffled. She said, “It was so unlike any other form of serious political action. That’s why it had such an impact on people… It was so unexpected for women to assert themselves simply as women, that journalists and police didn’t understand a thing.”

Bernheim’s activism is not limited to her fight against equality between men and women. She was heavily involved in efforts towards reproductive justice for women. She voiced her unwavering support for the teenage girls participating in a hunger strike at the Chateau de la Solitude. Many had become pregnant as a result of sexual assault, were taken out of school, and put into institutions that Bernheim compared to prison. Inspired by her campaign work with the MLF regarding this cause in 1971, the Veil Law decriminalizing abortion was instituted a year later in 1972. Throughout her career as an activist, Bernheim focused on issues ranging from sexual assault, reproductive freedom, domestic and political equality, and a rejection of misogynistic beauty standards. Her demonstrations and campaigning with the Mouvement de libération left her with a monumental legacy in the French feminist movement.

Literary Legacy

In an interview, Cathy Bernheim states a mantra of French feminists: “One out of two men… is a woman.”

Perturbation, My Soeur by Cathy Bernheim is a semi-autobiographical novel that delves into the complexities of familial relationships, focusing on the bond between two sisters. The story follows the lives of two sisters, exploring their contrasting personalities, experiences, and the emotional turbulence that shapes their relationship. Set against the backdrop of 20th-century France, the book navigates themes of identity, sisterhood, and the impact of personal choices on familial connections. Perturbation, My Soeur, among other significant works by Bernheim, contributes to French feminism through its exploration of female experiences and identity. Bernheim's portrayal of the sisters' lives, their struggles, and the complexities of their relationship resonates with feminist themes, highlighting the societal pressures, expectations, and the nuances of being a woman. The book's focus on personal narratives and the emotional landscape of the characters adds depth to the discourse on feminism, shedding light on the intricacies of women's lives within a patriarchal framework.

Bernheim's work has been seen as a significant contribution to French literature, offering perspectives that challenge traditional gender roles and fostering discussions on feminism, identity, and autonomy. Cathy Bernheim was a very influential figure in the French feminism movement, fighting for gender equality, reproductive rights, and against sexual violence. In an interview on lesbian liberation and desire by LambdaLiterary, author Renate Stendhal explains that she, "had been looking for years for a book that would recapture that first discovery of women’s condition as the “second sex” (Beauvoir) and as “colonized people” (as French feminists put it). That awakening to everything: a new world vision, a new language, desire and agency, in short, that golden age of women in the late 60s and 70s to the mid-80s. I found only one book that remembered, step-by-step, women’s new thinking and it was a French book: Cathy Bernheim’s Perturbation, My Soeur.”

Personal Beliefs

Cathy Bernheim has admitted that she had recently had a fascination for her Jewish ancestors, specifically with the male ones. This is surprising, even to her, as her previous works have had little to no affection for men. This had to do with the lack of “truth or equality” in male-female relationships. According to her, in male-female relationships, there is a dynamic that sees an imbalance of power leaning toward the males. Quoting Bernheim, she states, “the only way I would have been able to put up with loving men was if I were one myself.” She believed that forming a large collective group, a sisterhood, is fundamental in the pursuit of a real change in society. To her, through unity, with enough time, there was bound to be political and social reform.

Books

Le livre de l'oppression des femmes: (Translation): The Book of the Oppression of Women, Paris, Belfond, 1972

Les femmes s'entêtent: (Translation): Women are Stubborn, Paris, Gallimard, 1975

Le sexisme ordinaire: (Translation): Ordinary Sexism, Paris, Le Seuil, 1979

Perturbation ma sœur.Naissance d'un mouvement: (Translation): Disturbance My Sister. Birth of a Movement 1970-1972, Paris, Le Seuil, 1983

L'amour presque parfait: (Translation): Almost Perfect Love Paris, edition of the Félin, 1991

L'amour presque parfait: (Translation): Almost Perfect Love Paris, Le Félin, 2003

Dors, ange amer: (Translation): Sleep, Bitter Angel Paris, Seuil, 2005

Perturbation ma sœur:naissance d'un mouvement de femmes (Translation): Disturbance My Sister. Birth of a Movement 1970-1972, Paris, Le Félin, 2010