Inessential Woman - Softcover

Elizabeth V. Spelman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807067458 ISBN 13: 9780807067451

Publisher: Beacon Press, 1990

Synopsis

Throughout history, Western philosophers have buried women's characters under the category of "men's nature." Feminist theorists, responding to this exclusion, have often been guilty of this exlcusion as well – focusing only on white, middle-class women and treating others as inessential. Inessential Woman is an eloquent argument against white, middle-class bias in feminist theory. It warns against trying to seperate feminist thinking and politics from issues of race and class, and challenges the assumption of homogeneity that underlies much of feminist thought.

About this title

About the Author:

Elizabeth V. Spelman is professor of philosophy at Smith College and author of Inessential Woman and Fruits of Sorrow. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

From Library Journal:

Spelman (philosophy, Smith) has developed a closely written, detailed, and (regrettably) repetitive treatise criticizing many feminist writers for their failure to transcend what she calls "the legacy of western philosophy": Whereas Aristotle and Plato denied the essential sameness among all humans, she says, these writers insist on an essential sameness among women, which results in denial of important differences, generalizes from the white, middle-class-American experience, and neglects to adequately acknowledge that of minority and Third World women. Taking examples from writers as diverse as Mary Daly, Shulamith Firestone, and Simone de Beauvior, Spelman accuses feminists of insisting that sexism affects all women alike--a statement sure to elicit controversy. For academic collections.
- Beverly Miller, Boise State Univ. Lib., Id.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Beacon Press
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0807067458
• ISBN 13: 9780807067451
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240