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Diane Brown and Maryanne Lynch
Sybylla Feminist Press: A Case Study, 1988 to 2003
This is a case study of Sybylla Feminist Press from 1988 to 2003 and, as such,
marks a significant departure from Sue Funder's earlier case study (1976-1984). It is a partial view—like any account of a collective project—and in this lies its basic premise.
Our central argument is that feminism has always included many modes of practice and the currency of any one practice is related to the broader context in which it operates. This can be a strength and also a weakness: feminists often consciously work against the grain of dominant trends and, at the same time, do not always recognise the historical specificity of their practices. As Jan Larbalestier argues, women 'are positioned in narratives on feminism by past legacies and the contemporary framing of debates about racism, ethnicity, sexuality, and representation'. Our case study seeks to explore and test this tension by way of outlining internal changes in Sybylla and how these might be linked to broader social, political, economic and cultural shifts.
Beginning with a fundamental change, from a printing and publishing cooperative on award wages to a voluntary publishing collective, we trace attempts by successive collectives to differentiate Sybylla from the mainstream appropriation and commodification of 'women's writing'. We also examine how the redefinition of Sybylla's core activities intersected with the broader repositioning of publishing as a 'professional occupation' and graduate editing and publishing courses linked to the industry.
We note that new theoretical frameworks meant that old political verities were coming under scrutiny. A central issue, we argue, is Sybylla's understanding of itself as a feminist press in the context of shifting definitions of feminism, marked by the increasing problematisation of identity, culture and difference, as well as the rapid rise and delivery of new communication technologies and publishing platforms.
Issues (then and now) include: Was the politics of consensus old hat? How might a meaningful feminist intervention be made if the mainstream was enthralled with the idea of intervention? Was the term 'feminism' out-moded at a time when core categories of early second-wave feminism—such as class—were being deconstructed? What is, for that matter, feminism in a 'post-modern' world? And, bringing all of these issues into sharper focus, was the concept of Sybylla now a relic of the past or is Sybylla still relevant to contemporary feminism?
As the authors of this paper, we embrace and critique Sybylla's last years as a feminist collective. We note the ways in which collectives during this period sought to grapple with the issues raised here and, also, from the comfort of critical distance and hindsight, identify the gaps in this engagement. Above all, we recognise that the question of 'Other Feminism/s' can only be answered from a particular place, time and contextual framework.
Duobiographical Note
Diane Brown works as a freelance scholarly book editor and writer. She has a Grad.Dip. (Editing & Publishing), Monash University, Clayton and a PhD. (Arts), Victoria University, St. Albans, Australia. She was co-founder of the South Australian feminist publishing collective, Tantrum Press (1986-1994) and has worked for tertiary institutions, community organisations and arts organisations. Her feature articles and occasional reviews have been published in the Australian Women's Book Review, the Australian Book Review and Overland.
Maryanne Lynch works as a writer, director, dramaturg and editor. She has a BA (Hons) (UniMelb) and a MA (Philosophy) (UniMelb/Monash). Maryanne has worked across a range of contexts, including tertiary institutions, community organisations and arts organisations. Her work is characterised by an interest in how different readings can be made of any social phenomenon and what these readings tell us of contemporary Australia.
Maryanne Lynch was a Sybylla collective member during the production of Second Degree Tampering (1992), and co-edited Motherlode (1996). Diane Brown joined the Sybylla collective just before Motherlode was launched. The authors have continued their involvement with Sybylla since that time and have worked together on Sybylla's print and publishing history project.
Diane Brown
<dianeb@netspace.net.au>
Maryanne Lynch
<msminx@powerup.com.au>