Ulteriori informazioni
Sommario
Acknowledgements; Introduction The varieties of feminist thinking Liberal feminism The roots of liberal feminism; Historical development of liberal-feminist thought; Critiques of liberal feminism; Conclusion Marxist feminism Some Marxist concepts and theories: their feminist implications; Friedrich Engels: The origin of the family, private property, and the state; Contemporary Marxist feminism; Critiques of Marxist feminism; Conclusion Radical feminism on reproduction and mothering Reproduction: curse of boon?; Mothering: love it or leave it?; Conclusion Radical feminism on gender and sexuality Biological sex and patriarchal gender; Feminist sexuality; Pornography as symptom and symbol of male-controlled female sexuality; Lesbianism as paradigm for female-controlled female sexuality; Critiques of radical feminism; Conclusion Psychoanalytic feminism The roots of psychoanalytic feminism; Standard feminist critiques of Freud; Pursuing psychoanalysis in feminist directions; Conclusion Socialist feminism Dual-systems theory; Critiques of dual-systems theories; Toward a unified-systems theory; Critiques of unified-systems theories; Conclusion Existentialist feminism Sartre's Being and Nothingness: a backrop to The Second Sex; Simone de Beauvoir: existentialism for woman; Critiques of existentialist feminism; Conclusion Postmodern feminism Some major influences on postmodern feminist thought; Postmodern feminism: three perspectives; Critique of postmodern feminism; Conclusion
Riassunto
In this survey of feminist theory, Rosemarie Tong provides coverage of the psychoanalytic, existential and postmodern schools of feminism. The author guides the reader through the complexities of even the most notoriously difficult thinkers. Students will meet and become familiar with many of the essential figures in the feminist tradition, from Wollstonecraft and Engel, on through de Beauvoir, Dinnerstein, and Daly, and up to Mitchell and Cixous. The text treats all views with respect and encourages students to think critically and sympathetically about a wide range of views that have a direct relevance to their own lives.
