Preface

Preface Megan Sweeney (bio) and Judith Gardiner "the history of feminism is, in a sense, a history of autotheory," writes Lauren Fournier in her 2021 book, Autotheory as Feminist Practice in Art, Writing, and Criticism.1 This special issue of Feminist Studies features essays, artworks, and an interview that contribute to these intertwined histories by enacting autotheory and/or reflecting on the development of the field. The volume opens with two essays that explore embodied possibilities for living in a world saturated with violence. Cynthia Belmont reflects on deer hunting as an ecofeminist practice, arguing that vegans and subsistence hunters might find common ground in grappling with the complexities and complicities of our relationships to the land and creatures that enable us…