Jacqueline Rose's 'Women in Dark Times' Reissued Amid Global Upheaval

Jacqueline Rose's essay collection 'Women in Dark Times' was originally published in September 2014, advocating a 'scandalous feminism' that confronts human darkness rather than seeking power. The book examines figures like Rosa Luxemburg, a Marxist Jewish revolutionary who criticized Lenin and Trotsky, and Marilyn Monroe, whose beauty masked societal cruelty. Artist Yael Bartana's film 'A Declaration' (2006), set off Jaffa's coast, is analyzed for its subversive slowness against nationalism. Rose's other works, including 'Mothers: An Essay on Cruelty' (2018) and 'On Violence and On Violence Against Women' (2022), explore themes of motherhood and masculinity. A decade later, the reissue emerges as Sheryl Sandberg's 'Lean In' era fades and political landscapes shift, with Rose noting these are 'even darker times for women.' Critic Parul Sehgal in 2023 described Rose's books as praising shadows, focusing on unconfronted truths. The text highlights painters Charlotte Salomon, who died at Auschwitz at twenty-six, and Thérèse Oulton, whose landscapes reject hierarchy. Rebecca Liu, a writer and commissioning editor at Guardian Saturday magazine, reflects on the book's relevance amid rising nationalism and violence, questioning if its contemplative feminism can counter brute power. The collection argues against sanitizing the subconscious, emphasizing vulnerability and transformation.