Ruby Hamad's 'White Tears' explores feminism and white supremacy

Tlon Editore has published the Italian translation of Ruby Hamad's 'White Tears / Dark Scars: Feminism and White Supremacy' (Lacrime bianche / ferite scure. Femminismo e supremazia bianca). The book, originally in English, examines how white women and feminists react with victimhood when accused of racism. Hamad, an Australian journalist and academic of Lebanese origin, discusses concepts like gaslighting—where evidence of racism is questioned to make victims doubt their experiences. In an interview, she notes that inclusive corporate policies often tokenize marginalized people, demanding silence in exchange for inclusion. On political art, she sees value in both engaged and disengaged work, rejecting a hierarchy. Regarding female leaders, she warns against equating a woman's rise with feminist progress, citing Margaret Thatcher and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who helped overturn Roe v. Wade. The book is part of a niche publishing trend in Italy that challenges conservative academic and political norms, especially under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's ultraconservative government.