Inessential Woman / Edition 1

by Elizabeth V. Spelman

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807067451
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Publication date:	03/31/1990
Edition description:	REPRINT
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.50(d)

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.

Editorial Reviews

Spelman uses her considerable erudition and analytical abilities to bring white, middle-class feminist theorists and their profoundest critics closer together. —The Women's Review of Books

"An energetically thought-provoking contribution to current developments in feminist theory." —The New York Times Book Review

From the Publisher

Much of mainstream feminism focuses on white, middle-class women. Spelman, in what PW termed ``a brilliant, scholarly rethinking of feminist thought,'' traces the roots of this tendency to ignore the interplay of racial, class, cultural and ethnic differences among oppressed women. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly