An Introduction to Feminist Philosophy [Paperback]

This is the first book to offer a systematic account of feminist philosophy as a distinctive field of philosophy. The book introduces key issues and debates in feminist philosophy including: the nature of sex, gender, and the body; the relation between gender, sexuality, and sexual difference; whether there is anything that all women have in common; and the nature of birth and its centrality to human existence. An Introduction to Feminist Philosophy shows how feminist thinking on these and related topics has developed since the 1960s. The book also explains how feminist philosophy relates to the many forms of feminist politics.

The book provides clear, succinct and readable accounts of key feminist thinkers including de Beauvoir, Butler, Gilligan, Irigaray, and MacKinnon. The book also introduces other thinkers who have influenced feminist philosophy including Arendt, Foucault, Freud, and Lacan. Accessible in approach, this book is ideal for students and researchers interested in feminist philosophy, feminist theory, womens studies, and political theory. It will also appeal to the general reader.

Acknowledgements

How to use this book

Introduction: What is Feminist Philosophy?

Chapter 1 Sex

Chapter 2 Gender

Chapter 3 Sexuality

Chapter 4 Sexual Difference

Chapter 5 Essentialism

Chapter 6 Birth

Chapter 7 Feminism

Bibliography

Index

Alison Stone explains with a rare clarity the many theories of feminist philosophies which revolve around some basic concepts (sex, gender, sexual diversity, essentialism, birth, feminism) and reveals the many prejudices that these concepts carry to the detriment of both women and men.
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