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Fall 2006
Volume 06, Number 1

Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy

From the Editor

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More than one popular media outlet has asked whether feminism is dead. Certainly we know that rumors of its death have been greatly exaggerated. But what some of the queries reveal is wonderment about activism. Activists of every sort—not just feminist—have sought innovative and creative avenues for effecting social change. Protesting has not lost its power, but door-to-door organizing, email campaigns, online petitions and blogs, civic organizations and lobbying, and even legislative initiatives have come to replace some of the in-your-face/in-your-street political activism that characterized earlier years in the feminist campaign. Moreover, as feminist theory continues to make in-roads in theory and practice, activism changes or adapts in order to seek new goals or advance new ideals.

Sharon Crasnow asks about the proper role of activism in scientific inquiry in her article, "Activist Research and the Objectivity of Science." Contrary to the more common view that activist commitments "impede gathering, interpreting, and evaluating evidence and thus compromise objectivity," Crasnow argues that "activism is one of the means through which standpoint can be achieved." She employs the particular case of an anthropologist who, because of her activism with the women of her study community, came to see not just the effects of oppressive practices but also the social structure that maintained it. Crasnow’s article is suggestive on a number of levels. In addition to encouraging scholars to see the practical challenges of their theories, it expands what might be understood as activism. Can our scholarship be seen as activism insofar as it pushes the boundaries of traditional theory or challenges oppressive structures within that theory?

Carmela Epright’s comments in "Praxis and the ‘F’ Word: Young Women, Feminism, Fear" come at an interesting time. A recent article in Newsweek magazine featuring a discussion with Linda Hirshman sparked numerous hostile responses.1 Hirshman had said that women must work outside the home in order to have a political voice. Most of the letters in response claimed that feminism is about choice, and women’s decision to stay at home should be affirmed by feminists rather than disparaged.2 As one letter writer put it, the view that women must work outside the home "is extremely skewed and goes against the entire concept of what feminism stands for. My understanding of feminism is that it’s the right for a woman to choose the path that is best for her, whether that be working a full-time job or being a full-time mom."3 Another indicated that her experiences in parent organizations and community volunteer opportunities gave her the political power and social honor Hirshman claimed was only possible through paid work.4 These letters might be written off as simplistic understandings of feminism, but that might be a mistake. They offer sometimes careful analysis of class and race bias in a liberal feminist claim for women’s right or duty to work in the paid labor force. They also reveal a sort of paradox as the goals of feminism appear accomplished to some, while others among us view sexist oppression as well-entrenched and in need of further feminist response.

Epright examines this phenomenon of the paradox of feminism as advocate for personal choice by sharing some of her students’ responses to an introduction to feminist theory class. Epright’s sometimes wry look at how feminism is received by conservative college students adds a subtlety to the analysis, including the students’ own reluctance to recognize how oppression might structure their lives. She argues, "Because feminist theory recognizes that there are contradictory and confusing questions to be asked about women’s experience, embracing feminism as a way of being in the world, as opposed to merely viewing it as a way of reading and thinking through texts, would require them to accept more ambiguity and tolerate more complexity than their familial, religious, and cultural conceptions will permit." As teachers of feminist theory, many of us have confronted the dilemma Epright discusses. Her article offers a helpful way to think through our obligations as teachers, activists, feminists, and philosophers.

The rest of the issue features fourteen book reviews ranging from feminist philosophy of science to maternal bodies and care, from feminist critiques and appropriations of canonical figures to contributions of specific feminist philosophers. Reviewers do us all a tremendous service, and I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who have written reviews for this Newsletter. New books continue to come in—a sign of our ever-present activism within the academy—and new reviewers are needed. If you would like to write a review, please send me your CV by email. This is an excellent opportunity for established scholars and graduate students alike.

Endnotes

1. "Fast Chat: Managing Mommies," Newsweek, (June 19, 2006): 10. Hirshman’s book is Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World (New York: Viking, 2006).

2. Letters: "The Mommy Wars Rage On," Newsweek, (July 10, 2006): 26 & 30.

3. Ibid., 26.

4. Ibid., 30.

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