Entertainment · Books & Arts · 14 hrs ago
German feminist magazine Emma to close after nearly 50 years
Emma will publish its final issue on December 8, ending a run that began nearly 50 years ago.
The German magazine was founded by feminist Alice Schwarzer and became a prominent voice for women’s rights.
Its campaigns helped shape debates about women’s independence, including the campaign for abortion rights in 1971.
But many readers no longer see Emma as representing them, as feminism has broadened to address how racism and social class shape discrimination.
Critics also object to Schwarzer’s views on trans women and women who wear headscarves, and to her comments linking sexual violence with Muslim backgrounds.
The magazine has 15,000 subscribers, a level that is no longer enough to keep it going.
Schwarzer has also said she and her colleagues are tired after decades of activism, and the magazine’s archive is due to go to the Marbach Literature Archive.
Germany’s feminist magazine Emma will cease publication, with its final issue due on December 8.
The magazine is ending after nearly 50 years; it would have reached its 50th anniversary in January.
Founder and editor Alice Schwarzer, 83, said she and her colleagues were worn out by decades of campaigning.
The magazine had 15,000 subscribers, which was not enough to keep it going, according to n-tv.
Emma and Schwarzer have drawn criticism from intersectional feminists over their views on trans women, headscarves and feminism.
- Who
- The magazine Emma, founded by Alice Schwarzer, and its readers.
- What
- Emma is being discontinued. Its final issue will appear on December 8.
- When
- The final issue is due on December 8; the magazine would have turned 50 in January.
- Where
- Germany.
- Why
- Schwarzer cited exhaustion among herself and her colleagues. n-tv also reported that 15,000 subscribers were not enough to sustain the magazine.
Emma and Alice Schwarzer
Intersectional feminists
Trans women
Emma and Alice Schwarzer
Schwarzer and Emma have not recognized trans women as women, according to n-tv.
Intersectional feminists
They say this exclusion matters and dismisses trans people’s experiences of discrimination.
Headscarves
Emma and Alice Schwarzer
Schwarzer has publicly denied that women who wear headscarves are making a self-determined choice, according to n-tv.
Intersectional feminists
Headscarf-wearing women can be feminists, and their experiences should be recognized.
Approach to feminism
Emma and Alice Schwarzer
n-tv describes Emma as a voice for a radical feminism that claims to be the only true feminism.
Intersectional feminists
Intersectional feminists argue that discrimination is shaped by factors including racism and social position, and that women are not a homogeneous group.
The Stern magazine cover “Wir haben abgetrieben!” appeared, which n-tv says helped secure Schwarzer a place in German history.
After assaults on New Year’s Eve in Cologne, Schwarzer linked Muslim socialization with Islamist misogyny, a connection many perceived as a broad disparagement of ethnic or religious groups, n-tv reported.
Emma is due to publish its final issue.
Emma would have reached its 50th anniversary.
- Final issue
- December 8
- Subscribers
- 15,000
- Founder and editor
- Alice Schwarzer, 83
- Anniversary
- Would have turned 50 in January
- Archive
- To be transferred to the Marbach Literature Archive
6 sources
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