D. A. Clarke

Who is D. A. Clarke?

D. A. Clarke is a radical feminist essayist and activist in the United States of America since 1980. Much of her writing addresses the link between violence against women and market economics, although she may be best known for her 1991 essay "Justice Is A Woman With A Sword". In that essay, which she has updated twice for editions of the anthology Transforming a Rape Culture, she argues that feminist theory has taken a dogmatic approach to nonviolence and that women's self-defense, violent feminist activism, and the encouragement of positive media portrayals of violent women have not been given the serious consideration they should receive and that their dismissal from mainstream feminism, while it may ultimately be desirable, has not been based on a properly thorough analysis. Her most popular work, however, may be the one least often correctly attributed to her: the early poem privilege, which has been found on dorm refrigerators and bulletin boards ascribed to 'Anonymous.' In this case, at least, Anonymous really was a woman.

In addition to being published in print anthologies, much of her work has appeared online. Clarke also had brief visibility as an amateur/indie musician, with one album "messages" released on cassette in the mid 80's.