Review by Choice Review
Farganis (New School for Social Research) has written a concise study on the situation of feminist thought in relation to contemporary social controversies. She analyzes the Nussbaum (domestic violence and victimization), Baby M (motherhood and surrogacy), Sears (employment and affirmative action), and Hill/Thomas (race and sexual harassment) cases in a broad theoretical context. Farganis outlines major themes (e.g., difference and equality) and conflicts (e.g., essentialism versus cultural feminism) within feminist thought, illustrating how these played out in the resolution of the cases. Although insightful, the analyses are weak in details. This is exemplified in Farganis's reification of the "women's movement," which contradicts much of the pluralism in theory that Farganis outlines. Her goal is to make current issues in feminist philosophy and social theory broadly accessible. This is partially accomplished at the expense of detail and direction. For upper-division undergraduates and above. J. L. Croissant; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
