edinburgh university press feminist philosophies a-z mar 2007

Feminist Philosophies A–Z Nancy Arden McHugh A concise alphabetical guide to the key terms, issues, theoretical approaches, projects and thinkers in feminist philosophy. Feminist Philosophies A-Z covers contemporary material in a number of feminist approaches. It illustrates the complexity, range and interconnectedness of issues in feminist philosophy while making clear the relationship of feminist philosophy to the rest of philosophy as a discipline (epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, social philosophy and metaphysics). Entries are pithy, detailed, informative and are cross-referenced to guide the reader through the lively debates in feminism. This volume is an indispensable resource for philosophers, students, and Women’s Studies faculties as well as anyone with an interest in feminist philosophy. Nancy Arden McHugh is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Wittenberg University, Ohio. She is the author of published articles on epistemology and on feminist theory in various philosophy journals. Co v er design: River Design, Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press 22 George Squar e , Edinburgh EH8 9LF www.eup.ed.ac.uk ISBN ????? Nancy Arden McHugh barcode Edinburgh Nancy Arden McHugh PHILOSOPHY A–Z SERIES GENERAL EDITOR: OLIVER LEAMAN These thorough, authoritative yet concise alphabetical guides introduce the central concepts of the various branches of philosophy. Written by established philosophers, they cover both traditional and contemporary terminology. Features • Dedicated coverage of particular topics within philosophy • Coverage of key terms and major figures • Cross-references to related terms. Feminist Philosophies A–Z Feminist Philosophies A–Z P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES A–Z i P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 Volumes available in the Philosophy A–Z Series Christian Philosophy A–Z, Daniel J. Hill and Randal D. Rauser Epistemology A–Z, Martijn Blaauw and Duncan Pritchard Ethics A–Z, Jonathan A. Jacobs Indian Philosophy A–Z, Christopher Bartley Jewish Philosophy A–Z, Aaron W. Hughes Philosophy of Language A–Z, Alessandra Tanesini Philosophy of Mind A–Z, Marina Rakova Philosophy of Religion A–Z, Patrick Quinn Philosophy of Science A–Z, Stathis Psillos Forthcoming volumes Aesthetics A–Z, Fran Guter Chinese Philosophy A–Z,BoMou Islamic Philosophy A–Z, Peter Groff Political Philosophy A–Z, Jon Pike ii P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 Feminist Philosophies A–Z Nancy Arden McHugh Edinburgh University Press iii P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 C  Nancy Arden McHugh, 2007 Edinburgh University Press Ltd 22 George Square, Edinburgh Typeset in 10.5/13 Sabon by TechBooks India, and printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wilts A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 2217 7 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 2153 8 (paperback) The right of Nancy Arden McHugh to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. iv P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 Contents Series Editor’s Preface vi Introduction viii Acknowledgements xii Feminist Philosophies A–Z 1 Bibliography 158 v P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 Series Editor’s Preface Philosophy has traditionally been a very male form of activity, surprising perhaps given its place as a humanities discipline. Most professional philosophers today are men, and while it is not difficult to produce a list of important thinkers from the history of philosophy, it is difficult for many philosophy students to think of any women to include in such a list. There were in the past many female philosophers, but they have on the whole not beentreatedas of equal value as theirmale peers. This volume does not look at these female thinkers, however, since feminist philosophy is not the activity of philosophy as carried out by women. It is rather philosophy developed in a way that makes the issue of gender and everything that stems from it an important and even crucial theoretical concept. For example, philosophy has traditionally set out to ignore the gender and race context within which thought was pro- duced, working with a notion of objectivity and validity that transcends, or seeks to transcend, personal issues. The whole point of philosophy is to consider the arguments themselves and only peripherally the nature of the arguers, their cultural and social backgrounds, or so it was often argued. Feminist philosophy sets out to study philosophy within a particular context, the context in which it was produced and who pro- duced it, and considers these issues of context as significant in assessing the nature of the activity itself. Many women in phi- losophy have contributed to this activity, and Nancy McHugh provides here an introduction to some of the basic language vi P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 SERIES EDITOR’S PREFACE vii and personalities in the area. Someofthislanguagehas become technical and requires explication, since it is used to bring out aspects of argument and theory that traditional philosophy has for a long time ignored. Much of this language involves a new way of looking at philosophy and it is the intention of this guide to make this easier to grasp and operate. Oliver Leaman P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 Introduction Feminist Philosophies A–Z is a reference covering contem- porary feminist philosophy. It is oriented toward students in feminist philosophy and women’s studies classes as well as a general audience interested in feminist theory. The goal of the A–Z Series is to provide pithy coverage of important termi- nology and figures in philosophy. Because of this there is a fair amount of breadth in the volumes, with depth in some areas, but not all. In Feminist Philosophies A–Z my goal is to have a represen- tative coverage of the field as well as to focus on some areas of feminist philosophy. In this volume I have tried to be par- ticularly conscious of areas of feminist philosophy that may have received less coverage in other references or are newer to feminist philosophy and are receiving increased coverage in feminist philosophy courses. For example, there are several entries devoted to debates in transnational feminism, Third World feminism and antiglobalisation. Furthermore, I have tried to show how debates in areas such as Chicana/Latina feminism, Black feminist thought and Third World feminism have informed other areas of feminist philosophy. Thus many general entries make reference to these areas toshow the cross- fertilisation of ideas and make clear that feminist philosophy is an ongoing, critical practice that seeks growth and revi- sion. The volume is also attentive to many of the ongoing debates and ideas in feminist philosophy. For example, there are entries on reproductive rights, reproductive technologies, viii P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 INTRODUCTION ix postmodern feminism, radical feminism, Marxist feminism, the public/private distinction, feminist epistemology and fem- inist ethics. For the most part, I cover figures that consider themselves self-consciously feminist. So all the entries reflect twentieth- and twenty-first-century feminism, even though there may be figures in the history of philosophy, such as Mary Woll- stonecraft, that we now tend to talk about as feminist or hav- ing feminist ideals. I also include only women in this volume. Though there may be feminist men, for a variety of reasons I thought it was important to devote my limited space to the coverage of important women in feminist philosophy. I am sure that there are important female figures that I have left out. For this I apologise. There are so many women who have made significant and unique contributions to feminist philos- ophy, it is hard to give all of these figures the attention they are due. Because feminist philosophy still holds a marginal position in philosophy, all feminist work is noteworthy, is a challenge to the discipline and deserves recognition. In regards to the entries,foreachentry on a feminist philoso- pher or feminist thinker I include country of origin and race or ethnicity. I realise that this might make some readers uncom- fortable, but I do it for a variety of interrelated reasons. Most feminists of colour identify their race or ethnicity because they view it as important to their theorising. Because their race or ethnicity is so central to their view of their work, I certainly wanted to include it in the description of their work. In do- ing so, it seems wrong not to include whiteness as a racial category for white feminist thinkers. Whiteness is a location from which white feminists theorise whether or not they are self-conscious of it. I didn’t want to further other women of colour by identifying their race as part of their epistemological location and not recognise that whiteness is a privilege, a place from which white women theorise from and a place to criti- cally interrogate. Quite frankly, it was not always an easy task [...]... socialist feminist in sociole ogy Barrett is the author of The Politics of Truth: From Marx to Foucault (1991) in which she reframes for feminist theory Marx’s notion of ideology of as ‘economics of truth’ In light of increased attention to feminist issues that cannot be explained in terms of class oppression, Foucaultian understanding of a ‘politics of truth’ is able to explain a more complex matrix of oppression... Women’s Oppression Today: The 10 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES A–Z Marxist /Feminist Encounter (1989) and Imagination in Theory: Culture, Writing, Words, and Things (1999) In the now classic and widely referenced text, The AntiSocial Family (1991), Barrett and Mary McIntosh articulate how the social ideal of the family masks the reality of family life and enables violence and abuse in the home See Marxist feminism;... Chicana feminists are Cherr´e Moraga and Aurora Levins Morales ı Linda Mart´n Alcoff, author of Visible Identities : Race, ı Gender, and the Self (2005), is a prominent Chicana feminist philosopher Mar a Lugones, author of Pilgrimı ages/Peregrinajes (2003), is a prominent Latina feminist as is Ofelia Schutte, author of Cultural Identity and Social Liberation in Latin American Thought (1993) FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES. .. reading: Foucault (1990); McWhorter (1999) Black Feminist Thought: Patricia Hill Collins in her 1991 book Black Feminist Thought defines Black feminist thought Black feminist thought is a type of standpoint epistemology that originates from the insights of Black feminist intellectuals such as Audre Lorde, Barbara Smith and bell hooks, and the experiences of oppression and domination that are the legacy of... embodiment; oppression Analytic Feminism: a type of feminism that grew out of analytic philosophy Analytic feminists use the methodology of analytic philosophy to approach feminist concerns For example, most analytic feminists hold on to the idea of truth, rationality and justice as universal properties to think about feminist arguments concerning knowledge and rights Among noted analytic feminists are... to articulate the importance of linking together activism and oppression as well as the importance of social transformation in the development of Black feminist thought Further reading: Collins (2005, 2006); hooks (1981, 1984, 1994, 2000); Lorde (1980, 1983, 1984, 1995); Smith (2000a&b) 14 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES A–Z Bordo, Susan: white US feminist philosopher, specialising in aesthetics and philosophy... Braidotti turns her recognition of multiplicity to feminist theories, arguing that with the rapid growth of feminist theories feminists need to establish a feminist genealogy to counterbalance the continual misogyny in academia Braidotti is also the author of Patterns of Dissonance (1991) See embodiment; postmodern feminism Butler, Judith: white US feminist philosopher specialising in queer theory and... only includes men In contemporary FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES A–Z 17 philosophy, women and especially feminists have a difficult time getting included in the canon A series of texts, Rereading the Canon, was developed to provide a critique of the canon and to call into question the very idea of a canon Margaret Atherton’s Women Philosophers in the Early Modern Period (1994) and Mary Ellen Waithe’s series History... 6 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES A–Z come out as lacking in all senses in comparison to the androcentric model of man as ideal Tuana shows how western thought has constructed women’s lack of agency in everything from reproduction – women are mere vessels or fertile grounds – through to their ability to participate in philosophical thought Alcoff, Linda Mart´n: Latina feminist philosopher specialisı ing in feminist. .. also the author of What Can She Know? Feminist Theory and the Construction of Knowledge (1991) and Rhetorical Spaces: Essays on Gendered Locations (1995) See feminist epistemology; feminist science studies; situated knowledge Collins, Patricia Hill: Black feminist sociologist specialising in race and gender theory and popular culture Collins is the author of Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness . OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 Feminist Philosophies A–Z Nancy Arden McHugh Edinburgh University Press iii P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 C  Nancy. Cross-references to related terms. Feminist Philosophies A–Z Feminist Philosophies A–Z P1: OTE/SPH P2: OTE/SPH QC: OTE/SPH T1: OTE EUBK027-Mchugh.cls-Sabon March 1, 2007 15:22 FEMINIST PHILOSOPHIES A–Z i P1:. journals. Co v er design: River Design, Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press 22 George Squar e , Edinburgh EH8 9LF www.eup.ed.ac.uk ISBN ????? Nancy Arden McHugh barcode Edinburgh Nancy Arden McHugh PHILOSOPHY