Natasha Walter
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Natasha Walter (born 20 January 1967) is a British feminist writer and human rights activist. She is the author of a novel, ''A Quiet Life'' (2016), two works of feminist non-fiction: ''Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism'' (2010, Virago) and ''The New Feminism'' (1998, Virago). She is also the founder of the charity Women for Refugee Women.


Background and career

Her father was
Nicolas Walter Nicolas Hardy Walter (22 November 1934 – 7 March 2000) was a British anarchist and atheist writer, speaker and activist. He was a member of the Committee of 100 and Spies for Peace, and wrote on topics of anarchism and humanism. Background ...
, an anarchist and
secular humanist Secular humanism is a philosophy, belief system or life stance that embraces human reason, secular ethics, and philosophical naturalism while specifically rejecting religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality ...
writer, while her mother Ruth Walter (née Oppenheim) was a teacher and (later) social worker. Her grandfather was
William Grey Walter William Grey Walter (February 19, 1910 – May 6, 1977) was an American-born British neurophysiologist, cybernetician and robotician. Early life and education Walter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, United States, on 19 February 1910, the ...
, a
neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, neural circuits, and glial ...
. Her grandparents on her mother's side were refugees from Nazi Germany. Walter read English at St John's College, Cambridge, graduating with a
double First The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...
, and then won a
Frank Knox William Franklin Knox (January 1, 1874 – April 28, 1944) was an American politician, newspaper editor and publisher. He was also the Republican vice presidential candidate in 1936, and Secretary of the Navy under Franklin D. Roosevelt durin ...
Fellowship to Harvard.Kira Cochrane
"Natasha Walter: 'I believed sexism in our culture would wither away. I was entirely wrong'"
''The Guardian'', 25 January 2010.
Her first job was at ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
'' magazine, and she subsequently became Deputy Literary Editor of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' and then a columnist for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''. She went on to write for many publications, including
ArtReview ''ArtReview'' is an international contemporary art magazine based in London, founded in 1948. Its sister publication, ''ArtReview Asia'', was established in 2013. History Launched as a fortnightly broadsheet in February 1949 by a retired country ...
, and to appear regularly on BBC2's ''
Newsnight Review ''The Review Show'' was a British discussion programme dedicated to the arts which ran, under several titles, from 1994 to 2014. The programme featured a panel of guests who reviewed developments in the world of the arts and culture. History ' ...
'' and Radio 4's '' Front Row''. In 1999 she was a judge on the Booker Prize and in 2013 she was a judge on the Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize). Walter was the founder in 2006 and director of the charity Women for Refugee Women which supports women who seek
asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...
. In 2008 Women for Refugee Women produced the play ''Motherland'' which Natasha Walter wrote based on the experiences of women and children in
immigration detention Immigration detention is the policy of holding individuals suspected of visa violations, illegal entry or unauthorized arrival, as well as those subject to deportation and removal until a decision is made by immigration authorities to grant a v ...
. It was directed by
Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadi ...
and performed at the Young Vic in 2008 by
Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadi ...
,
Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011 ...
and others. Women for Refugee Women subsequently worked in partnership with other organisations to campaign for the end to the detention of children for immigration purposes in the UK, a policy which the government announced it would end in 2010. Women for Refugee Women currently supports refugee women throughout the UK and campaigns for an end to the detention of women who seek asylum. She is the author of ''The New Feminism'', which was an influential feminist book published by
Virago A virago is a woman who demonstrates abundant masculine virtues. The word comes from the Latin word ''virāgō'' ( genitive virāginis) meaning vigorous' from ''vir'' meaning "man" or "man-like" (cf. virile and virtue) to which the suffix ''-ā ...
in 1998. Her book ''Living Dolls'', also published by Virago, looks at the resurgence of
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...
in contemporary culture. In March 2015, Natasha Walter was the Humanitas Visiting Professor of Women's Rights at Cambridge University. Walter is also the author of a novel, ''A Quiet Life'', which is based loosely on the life of Melinda Marling, the wife of Cambridge spy Donald Maclean. In October 2019, Natasha Walter was arrested for her actions in blocking a road in
Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...
's 'October Rebellion' in London's
Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...
. She tweeted: "I was one of 100s arrested yesterday for drawing attention to the destruction of our beautiful planet." Natasha Walter lives in London with her partner and their two children.


Works

*''The New Feminism'' (1998). *''On the Move: feminism for a new generation'' (1999). *''Living Dolls'' (2009). *''A Quiet Life'' (2016)


Recognition

She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women of 2013.


References


External links


Women for Refugee Women2002/01/interview_with_natasha_walter
An interview with Walter on the website The F-Word

A feature by Walter in ''The Guardian'' on the situation facing Saudi women
AuthKey=6ba2fcf21ac8a0b0e4ddf01c86ed4e90&issue=503
A feature from ''Prospect'' magazine on biology and the backlash {{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Natasha 1967 births Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge British feminist writers Harvard University alumni People educated at North London Collegiate School Living people British feminists BBC 100 Women 21st-century British novelists 21st-century British women writers