Feminist Thought : A More Comprehensive Introduction

by Tong, Rosemarie Putnam

• ISBN13: 9780813343754
• ISBN10: 0813343755
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-08-04
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

A clear, comprehensive, and indispensable introduction to the major traditions of feminist theory, Feminist Thought includes incisive, critical examinations of liberal feminism, radical feminism, Marxist and socialist feminism, psychoanalytic feminism, and ecofeminism. This third edition has been thoroughly reformulated and expanded to encompass recent developments in feminist thought. Particularly noteworthy are a new chapter on care-focused feminism (Chapter 5), an exploration of the connections of multicultural and global feminism with postcolonial feminism (Chapter 6), and a close consideration of the linkages between postmodern feminism and third-wave feminism (Chapter 8). Key feminist theorists such as Virginia Held, Judith Butler, Martha Nussbaum, and Eva Feder Kittay receive new or extended discussions. The much-expanded bibliography, organized by topics within chapters, provides an invaluable aid to further research. An illuminating guide to the diversity of feminism, Feminist Thought continues to serve as the essential resource for students and thinkers who want to understand the theoretical origins and complexities of contemporary feminist debates.

Author Biography

Rosemarie Tong is a Distinguished Professor of Health Care Ethics in the Department of Philosophy and Center for Professional Applied Ethics at the University of North Carolina.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Introduction: The Diversity of Feminist Thinking	p. 1
Liberal Feminism	p. 11
Conceptual Roots of Liberal Feminist Thought and Action	p. 11
Eighteenth-Century Thought: Equal Education	p. 13
Nineteenth-Century Thought: Equal Liberty	p. 16
Nineteenth-Century Action: The Suffrage	p. 21
Twentieth-Century Action: Equal Rights	p. 23
Twentieth-Century Thought: Sameness Versus Difference	p. 27
Contemporary Directions in Liberal Feminism	p. 34
Critiques of Liberal Feminism	p. 37
Conclusion	p. 45
Radical Feminism: Libertarian and Cultural Perspectives	p. 48
Libertarian and Cultural Views on the Sex/Gender System	p. 51
Some Libertarian Views on Gender	p. 52
Some Cultural Views on Gender	p. 56
Sexuality, Male Domination, and Female Subordination	p. 65
The Pornography Debate	p. 68
The Lesbianism Controversy	p. 71
Reproduction, Men, and Women	p. 73
Libertarian and Cultural Views on Mothering	p. 82
Critiques of Radical-Libertarian and Radical-Cultural Feminism	p. 90
Marxist and Socialist Feminism: Classical and Contemporary	p. 96
Some Marxist Concepts and Theories	p. 97
Classical Marxist Feminism: General Reflections	p. 106
Contemporary Socialist Feminism: General Reflections	p. 110
Women's Labor Issues	p. 118
Critiques of Marxist and Socialist Feminism	p. 125
Conclusion	p. 126
Psychoanalytic Feminism	p. 128
Sigmund Freud	p. 129
Feminist Critiques of Freud	p. 133
Early Feminist Appropriations of Freud	p. 135
Later Feminist Appropriations of Freud	p. 138
Psychoanalytic Feminism: General Reflections	p. 152
Conclusion	p. 160
Care-Focused Feminism	p. 163
The Roots of Care-Focused Feminism	p. 164
Maternal Ethics and the Ethics of Care	p. 181
Conclusion	p. 195
Multicultural, Global, and Postcolonial Feminism	p. 200
Multicultural Feminism: General Reflections	p. 201
Roots of Multicultural Feminism in the United States	p. 202
Interlocking Sources of Women's Oppression	p. 204
Conceptual Challenges for Multicultural Feminism	p. 207
Global and Postcolonial Feminism: General Reflections	p. 215
Diversity and Commonality	p. 217
Sexual/Reproductive Issues Versus Economic Issues	p. 218
Knowing When to Respect Women's Culture	p. 228
Conclusion	p. 233
Ecofeminism	p. 237
Some Roots of Ecofeminism	p. 238
Ecofeminism: New Philosophy or Ancient Wisdom?	p. 242
Tensions in Nature: Ecofeminist Thought	p. 243
Spiritual Ecofeminism	p. 252
Transformative Ecofeminism	p. 256
Global Ecofeminism	p. 261
Critiques of Ecofeminism	p. 265
Conclusion	p. 268
Postmodern and Third-Wave Feminism	p. 270
Postmodernism/Postmodern Feminism: Keynotes	p. 272
Critique of Postmodern Feminism	p. 283
Third-Wave Feminism	p. 284
Critique of Third-Wave Feminism	p. 289
Conclusion	p. 290
Notes	p. 293
Bibliography	p. 333
Index	p. 401
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