Suchergebnisse

Introduces a Vol of nine Chpts (each abstracted) by providing a theoretical & political context for issues raised by recent changes in & challenges to the political project of feminism. The central idea of a shared oppression uniting women in their struggle for liberation informed second-wave feminism of the 1960s & 1970s, which tended to concentrate on social structures that universally disadvantaged women, regardless of class, race, or sexual differences. This ignorance of difference eventually led to the assertion of radical difference in postmodernist & poststructuralist feminist thought. These new strands of theory were anchored in a wider challenge to Western philosophical thought that revealed the gendered nature of the dichotomies that structure it. Two particular claims were stressed by poststructural feminists: that all knowledge was partial & relative to the social construction of experience. Thus, recent feminist work is described as emphasizing the local & cultural variability of gender in all its forms. Others have focused on the nature of power as ambivalent & negotiated rather than imposed from one group onto another. With a focus on identity issues in the context of practicing feminism, contributions address the significance of women's agency & sense of active subjectivity as well as notions of identity construction in power relations. 85 References. D. M. Smith

Considers feminist studies of religion as existing on the borderlands of debates over the appropriate methods & objects of scholarly religious investigations. Since the 1980s, there has been a dramatic increase in feminist writings on questions of gender & the variety of world religions. These writings have challenged Christian orthodoxy, called attention to issues of global & cultural diversity, & constructed a notion of women's centered spirituality. Much of this work has interrogated the mythic structures of the Judeo-Christian tradition & has sought to retrieve women's role in the history of the church. Part of this effort has been dedicated to exposing the misogyny endemic to traditional religious practices, but another part of it has been to innovate new spiritual & mystical discourses. It is suggested that, for feminist religious thought to achieve its goals, it must become more scholarly, rigorous, & committed to translate its theories into social practice. 42 References. D. M. Ryfe

Presents personal reflections on editing a special journal issue of Feminism and Psychology (1992, 2, 3) which sought to thematize heterosexuality not as a given for women, but as an interrogative focus of research. Focus is on social constructionist work that investigates the coercive nature of heterosexuality, heterosexual identification, & the relationship between heterosexual sexual behavior & sexual identity. It is suggested that sophisticated treatment of these issues promises to reveal all the ways in which heterosexuality is a social construct rather than a biological given. Moreover, investigation of these themes is taken to represent an ideal case for the social construction of normative behavior & identity formation. It is concluded that analysis of the meanings & functions of heterosexuality is important for laying the groundwork of a lesbian feminism that can confront, resist, & undermine it. 84 References. D. M. Smith

Discusses the feminist-informed anthropological intervention in a 1983-1985 study of gender discourses & relations in contemporary Greece to show how this approach developed as a response to issues surrounding debates in 1970s-early 1980s feminism. The formation of this research agenda is situated in the context of Greek society poised at a critical historical moment of social reform in which legal constructions of gender difference were undergoing radical transformation. It is argued that the dual presence of feminism in the fieldwork -- as a theoretical perspective & a symbol & social movement constituting the field of investigation -- deeply unsettled the conventional separation between self & Other usually erected in anthropological discourses. It is suggested that this destabilization opened the possibility of a dynamic dialogue between theory & data, researcher & researched, & feminist self-knowledge & knowledge of gendered Others. Issues of similarity & difference are discussed in terms of shifting social & political meanings. 31 References. D. M. Smith

An examination of the health care/scientific community's response to breast cancer argues that many practices do as much, or more, harm than good. Specifics highlighted include the initial lack of interest in women's health in the US; the failure to include survivor input in either research or practice; & the skewing of research data in favor of pharmacological remedies. It is noted that the activism of multiple groups/organizations made women's health a priority in the 1990s & significantly increased funding for breast cancer research. The story of a breast cancer survivor's efforts to establish a grassroots group devoted to support, education, & advocacy illustrates the complex relationship of science, politics, & feminism that surrounds the issue of breast cancer. Characteristics of a feminist analysis of science are examined to show the ability of feminist perspectives to reveal conceptual errors & dubious value judgments in biology that negatively affect finding solutions to problems. Medical research/practice & social change issues related to breast cancer that need to be addressed by feminist scientists are discussed. 30 References. J. Lindroth

Investigates the relation of African American women to contemporary feminist issues & organizing, drawing on interviews with 30 such women who have been involved in African American organizations. Results indicate that these women are hesitant to embrace the identity of feminist. Although they engage in feminist activities, they tend to view feminism in the popular 1970s sense of the term as antimale & middle-class white. A number perceive their exclusion from the women's movement as reason to resist the feminist label, while others believe that racial issues are more important than gender issues. Efforts to construct a new vernacular for African American female political activism, such as womanism or black feminism, are taken to indicate the negative effect of the women's movement on African American women. To develop better collaboration between African American women & feminism, it is suggested that women's groups must do better in understanding the construction of African American gendered identities & goals. 30 References. D. Ryfe

Introduces an edited Vol of 12 chapters (each abstracted) that develops a more politicized & accessible version of postmodernist feminist thought that might have relevance for women in the North & the South, & particularly for women of color. A literature review demonstrates that feminists have taken the postmodern challenge to stress the local, specific, & historically constructed by focusing particularly on the concept of difference. While the notion of difference has opened interesting theoretical avenues, a growing body of criticism has expressed an uneasiness with its political implications. In particular, feminists in the South have accused northern scholars of constructing a neocolonial discourse that relegates women in the South to the position of undifferentiated Other oppressed by both gender & Third World development. It is suggested that this challenge has opened new arenas of debate concerning the possible contribution of feminist postmodernism to issues of women's development. D. M. Smith

"UN, Gender, and Women" published on by Oxford University Press.