Inessential Woman : Problems of Exclusion in Femin - Softcover

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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.

Much of mainstream feminism focuses on white, middle-class women. Spelman, in a brilliant, scholarly rethinking of feminist thought, traces the roots of this tendency to Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Nancy Chodorow, Shulamith Firestone and other feminists who, in her view, ignore the interplay of racial, class, cultural and ethnic differences among oppressed women. This associate professor of philosophy at Smith first unravels the sexist, inegalitarian views of Plato and Aristotle, then goes on to examine how women, in reaction to sexist bias ingrained in our culture, created an artificial concept of an essential "womanness" which all females supposedly share. Her closely reasoned, eloquent polemic should stir debate and controversy among feminists, social activists and others concerned with progressive change.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.