As this is my last issue of the Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy, I would like to take this occasion to comment on the Newsletter’s aims and to connect them to the essays included in this issue. I see the Newsletter as addressing a problem that in one form or another virtually all philosophers share: Most contemporary philosophers are to some extent captives of their specialties. The professionalization of our discipline has brought with it the expectation that philosophers will dedicate themselves to a single topic (or set of closely related topics) and that their expertise will center on the literature pertaining to this topic. This narrowness of focus encourages subtlety and depth of insight, to be sure. Yet, many philosophers have become aware that it poses a serious problem for pedagogy (and, perhaps less obviously, for scholarship, too).

Mindful of our ever more diverse student bodies, we need inclusive course materials to ensure that all of our students feel welcome and respected in our classrooms. Mindful, too, of the diversity of our society as a whole as well as the globalization of economic relations and communications networks, we owe our students a liberal education that prepares them to understand, enjoy, and participate in this cosmopolitan environment. Indeed, it seems irresponsible to offer a curriculum that does not meet these needs.

Yet, fulfilling this responsibility is no easy matter. Many faculty members were educated well before the need for feminist scholarship and multicultural scholarship was widely recognized (I include myself in this group), and even today very few Ph.D. programs in philosophy familiarize their students with contemporary feminist philosophy, African-American philosophy, and the like. Thus, it is understandable that many philosophers find the task of incorporating such materials in their courses daunting. In my view, then, one of the principal purposes of this Newsletter is to assist philosophers in acquainting themselves with developments in feminist philosophy that they can use to enrich their courses.

This issue of the newsletter is designed to address the needs of philosophers who have had little exposure to feminist philosophy but who would like to catch up, and also philosophers who are conversant with feminist philosophy but who would like information on the latest textbook options. All of the essays in this issue are reviews of new textbooks or new editions of textbooks. As you will see, the vitality of feminist philosophy and its increasing importance in the undergraduate curriculum has spurred publishers to meet the demand for fresh course materials. Not only are the textbooks under review geared to various levels of difficulty and philosophical sophistication, but also there are specialized texts, e.g., focusing on ethics or the history of philosophy, as well as broad surveys of issues and views. While some of the books are organized according to taxonomies of feminist philosophy, others are organized according to traditional fields of philosophy. The books reviewed here are indicative of the types of feminist philosophy texts that are available. But I would urge readers to bear in mind that this selection of books by no means exhausts the current options in this field, and I would hope that this introduction will prompt philosophers to explore the full range of textbook options.

Before closing, I must change the subject and digress at some length, for I cannot leave this post without expressing my gratitude to a number of people. Over the course of my career in philosophy, I have been privileged to work collaboratively with three extraordinary philosophers-first, with Kenneth Kipnis on a series of four edited volumes commencing with Economic Justice: Private Rights and Public Responsibilities and culminating with Kindred Matters: Rethinking the Philosophy of the Family, then with Eva Feder Kittay on Women and Moral Theory, and for the past five years with Hilde Hein on this newsletter. Each of these editorial partnerships has been intellectually rewarding and an enormous pleasure for me, and I especially wish to express my appreciation to Hilde Hein, whose advice and friendship I have relied on throughout this undertaking. Most of my newsletter issues featured sections devoted to specific topics. Louise Antony, Iris Marion Young, Eva Feder Kittay, and Hilde Lindemann Nelson worked with me on these special issues, and their erudition, resourcefulness, and generosity ensured that a broad spectrum of feminist philosophy was represented in this publication and that the newsletter’s high standards of scholarship were maintained. During my editorship, I have had the assistance of Elise Springer, who is a Ph.D. candidate in my department. Her organizational skill and unfailing patience have been indispensable to producing the newsletter in a timely fashion, and I am grateful to her for taking time from her own work to help me with this project. Finally, I want to thank the two CSW Chairs with whom I have worked, Helen Longino and Martha Nussbaum, for the support they have given the newsletter and for their contributions to it.

I am happy to say that Barbara Andrew will now become Editor of the Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy (during the transitional year, I shall serve as Consulting Editor). I welcome Barbara to the Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy, and I look forward to reading the issues she produces.

Diana Tietjens Meyers
University of Connecticut, Storrs

• From the Editor
• About the Newsletter
• News from the Committee on the Status of Women
• From the New Chair
• Book Reviews
  • Recent Feminist Philosophy Textbooks, Reviewed by Amy Mullin
  • Free Spirits: Feminist Philosophers on Culture and Gender Basics: Feminist Perspectives on Women and Men, Reviewed by Jessica Prata Miller
  • The Second Wave: A Reader in Feminist Theory and Women, Knowledge and Reality: Explorations in Feminist Philosophy, Reviewed by Cynthia A. Stark
  • Ethics: A Feminist Reader and Living with Contradictions: Controversies in Feminist Social Ethics, Reviewed by Margaret A. McLaren
  • Hypatia's Daughters: Fifteen Hundred Years of Women Philosophers, Reviewed by Julie M. Zilberberg
• Notes on Contributors