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Abstract
Feminist theory is a challenging and often deeply divided body of thought that raises issues which affect us all. In this, her third edition of the highly successful Feminist Political Theory, Valerie Bryson provides both a wide-ranging history of Western feminist thought, from medieval times to the present day, and a lucid analysis of contemporary feminist politics and debates. Fully updated to cover the latest feminist scholarship throughout, this timely new edition provides an accessible and thought-provoking exploration of complex theories related to 'real-life' issues such as sexual violence, political representation, transgender rights, cyberfeminism and globalisation.
With unrivalled scope, depth and accessibility, this new edition of Valerie Bryson's Feminist Political Theory is set to be the go-to text on feminism for students and researchers – or indeed anyone interested in gender justice.
"The harmonious combination of theoretical argumentation and historical data makes the book very rigorous and, therefore, extremely persuasive. I would recommend this book without hesitation to all my students, and to anyone curious about the history of feminist thought." – Dr Mihaela Mihai, Senior Research Fellow, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh (UK).
"Valerie Bryson's Feminist Political Theory was the first feminist theory book I ever read – and I still have it on my shelf. Her third edition offers a highly engaging introduction for the new student of feminism, and for a new generation of feminist activists. It critically foregrounds the politics of feminist ideas, and maintains throughout a heartfelt and optimistic commitment to the importance of feminism to the achievement of gender equality." – Professor Sarah Childs, Professor of Politics and Gender, University of Bristol (UK).
Valerie Bryson is Emerita Professor of Politics at Huddersfield University. In addition to the influential Feminist Political Theory, her publications include Feminist Debates: Issues of Theory and Political Practice.
This fully updated new edition provides an accessible and thought-provoking exploration of complex theories related to 'real-life' issues such as sexual violence, transgender rights and cyberfeminism.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover\r | Cove | ||
| Contents | v | ||
| Acknowledgements | x | ||
| Some Notes on Terminology | xi | ||
| Introduction | 1 | ||
| A (partial) history of feminist political theory | 1 | ||
| Different kinds of feminism | 2 | ||
| Feminist political theory, past and present | 5 | ||
| 1 Early Feminist Thought | 6 | ||
| Seventeenth-century feminism in Continental Europe and Britain | 7 | ||
| The Enlightenment and early liberal feminism | 12 | ||
| The utopian socialists and feminism | 22 | ||
| 2 Liberalism and Beyond: Mainstream Feminism in the Mid-Nineteenth Century | 30 | ||
| Feminism in the United States: Maria Stewart and Elizabeth Cady Stanton | 31 | ||
| Feminism in Britain and Mill’s The Subjection of Women | 43 | ||
| 3 The Contribution of Marx and Engels | 57 | ||
| Classic Marxist theory | 57 | ||
| Engels’ The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State | 59 | ||
| Feminist criticisms of Engels | 62 | ||
| Marxism as a (problematic) feminist resource | 64 | ||
| 4 The Vote and After: Mainstream Feminism in the United St ates and Britain from the Late Nineteenth Century to the Second World W | 70 | ||
| The situation of women in the late nineteenth century | 70 | ||
| The suffrage campaign | 73 | ||
| After the vote: the re-emergence of contradictions | 82 | ||
| 5 Left-Wing Feminism in Britain and the United States from the Late Nineteenth Century to the Second World War | 92 | ||
| Britain | 92 | ||
| The United States | 95 | ||
| 6 Marxist Feminism in Germany and Russia | 104 | ||
| Marxist feminism in Germany | 104 | ||
| Marxist feminism in Russia | 110 | ||
| 7 Feminism after the Second World War | 121 | ||
| The situation of western women in the mid-twentieth century | 121 | ||
| Communism, feminism and black feminism | 123 | ||
| Simone de Beauvoir and The Second Sex | 124 | ||
| 8 Liberalism and Beyond: Feminism and Equal Rights from the 1960s to the 1990s | 133 | ||
| Betty Friedan and the politics of NOW | 134 | ||
| Subsequent developments | 136 | ||
| Susan Okin and a feminist theory of justice | 139 | ||
| Equal rights feminism: critical analysis and debate | 142 | ||
| Feminism, equal rights and liberalism by the end of the twentieth century | 153 | ||
| 9 Radical Feminism and the Concept of Patriarchy | 155 | ||
| The origins of radical feminism | 156 | ||
| Kate Millett and the theory of patriarchy | 157 | ||
| Criticisms of the concept of patriarchy | 159 | ||
| The concept of patriarchy by the end of the twentieth century | 166 | ||
| 10 Radical Feminism: Patriarchy in Private and Public Life | 167 | ||
| Patriarchy and the family | 167 | ||
| Patriarchy, sexuality and sexual violence | 171 | ||
| Patriarchy and reproduction | 178 | ||
| Patriarchy and the state | 183 | ||
| Patriarchy and the economic system | 184 | ||
| Patriarchy, ‘man-made language’ and knowledge | 185 | ||
| Conclusions: the impact of radical feminism | 187 | ||
| 11 Marxist and Socialist Feminism from the 1960s to the 1990s | 189 | ||
| The political and ideological context | 189 | ||
| The domestic labour debate | 191 | ||
| Women and the labour market | 193 | ||
| Two systems or one? ‘Dual systems’ v. ‘capitalist patriarchy’ | 195 | ||
| The material basis revisited | 197 | ||
| Alienation | 201 | ||
| Feminist standpoint theory | 203 | ||
| Ideology, the family and ‘structures of oppression’ | 205 | ||
| The ‘cultural turn’ | 207 | ||
| Socialist feminist strategies | 209 | ||
| Socialist and Marxist feminism by the end of the twentieth century | 212 | ||
| 12 Theoretical Developments: Postmodern Feminisms and Beyond | 213 | ||
| Postmodernism: knowledge, language, power and identity | 213 | ||
| ‘French feminism’ | 215 | ||
| Judith Butler | 217 | ||
| Queer theory | 220 | ||
| Feminist applications of postmodern theory | 222 | ||
| Feminist criticisms of postmodernism | 226 | ||
| Postmodernism and feminism: into the twenty-first century | 230 | ||
| 13 Theoretical Developments: Postcolonial Feminism, Black Feminism and Intersectionality | 233 | ||
| Postcolonial feminism | 233 | ||
| Black feminism | 239 | ||
| Intersectionality | 247 | ||
| Conclusions | 252 | ||
| 14 Western Feminist Theory in the Twenty-First Century: Developments in Liberal and Socialist Thought | 253 | ||
| Liberalism and feminism: theoretical developments | 253 | ||
| Developments in socialist and Marxist feminist thought | 262 | ||
| 15 Western Feminism in the TwentyFirst Century: Continuities, Challenges and Change | 268 | ||
| The context of twenty-first-century feminism | 268 | ||
| Counting the waves | 271 | ||
| Feminists in cyberspace | 282 | ||
| Transgender/transsexual issues | 288 | ||
| Conclusions: Feminist Political Theory Today | 298 | ||
| Bibliography | 302 | ||
| Index | 346 |