Doing Feminist Theory

From Modernity to Postmodernity

Dr. Susan Archer Mann

Doing Feminist Theory: From Modernity to Postmodernity critically examines feminist thought from the late eighteenth century to the present. Organized historically and by theoretical perspectives, author Susan Archer Mann:

* Highlights the relationship between feminist theory and political practice and examines the diversity of feminist visions and voices by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and global location

* Interweaves the history of feminist thought with the history of the U.S. women's movement to ground feminist perspectives in their socio-historical contexts

* Bridges the local and global using theory application sections devoted to feminist analyses of colonialism, imperialism, and globalization

* Offers a critical and dynamic approach to theory that is interdisciplinary and inclusive of alternative forms of theory construction, such as poetry, music, and zines

* Illuminates how transformations in contemporary feminist thought reflect paradigm shifts from modernity to postmodernity

Doing Feminist Theory

From Modernity to Postmodernity

Dr. Susan Archer Mann

Description

Doing Feminist Theory: From Modernity to Postmodernity critically examines feminist thought from the late eighteenth century to the present. Organized historically and by theoretical perspectives, author Susan Archer Mann:

* Highlights the relationship between feminist theory and political practice and examines the diversity of feminist visions and voices by race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and global location

* Interweaves the history of feminist thought with the history of the U.S. women's movement to ground feminist perspectives in their socio-historical contexts

* Bridges the local and global using theory application sections devoted to feminist analyses of colonialism, imperialism, and globalization

* Offers a critical and dynamic approach to theory that is interdisciplinary and inclusive of alternative forms of theory construction, such as poetry, music, and zines

* Illuminates how transformations in contemporary feminist thought reflect paradigm shifts from modernity to postmodernity

Doing Feminist Theory

From Modernity to Postmodernity

Dr. Susan Archer Mann

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Using this Text to Navigate Feminist Thought

Chapter 1: Doing Feminist Theory
Introduction: Deconstructing the "F-word": What is Feminism?
Boxed Inserts
Box 1.1 What is Feminism?
Box 1.2 Minimalist Definitions of Feminism
Box 1.3 The Unforgiveable Transgression of Being Caster Semenya
Box 1.4 "Poetry is Not a Luxury"

SECTION I: MODERN FEMINIST THOUGHT

Chapter 2: Liberal Feminisms
Introduction
Box 2.1 The Adams' Letters
Box 2.2 The Municipal Housekeeping Movement

Chapter 3: Radical Feminisms
Introduction
Box 3.2 "Redstockings Manifesto"

Chapter 4: Marxist, Socialist & Anarchist Feminisms
Introduction
Marxist, Socialist & Anarchist Feminisms in Early Modernity
Women's Work in the Home
Love, Marriage & Sexual Practices
Precursors to Ecofeminism in Early Modernity
Existential Socialist Feminism
Women's Work in Late Modernity
New Directions in Feminist Thought Inspired by the Old & New Left
Queer Anti-Capitalism
Socialist Feminist Standpoint Approaches
Boxed Inserts:
Box 4.2 Lenin on "Sex-Love"
Box 4.3 A Comparison of Family-Friendly Policies in the U.S. & Scandinavia
Box 4.4. "To My White Working-Class Sisters"

Chapter 5: Intersectionality Theories
Introduction
Precursors to Intersectional Analyses in Early Modernity

SECTION II: FEMINIST THOUGHT AFTER TAKING THE POSTMODERN TURN

Chapter 6: Postmodernism, Poststructuralism, Queer & Transgender Theories
Introduction
Historically Grounding Postmodernism & Poststructuralism
Major Assumptions of Feminist Postmodernisms & Poststructuralisms
Epistemological Assumptions
Queer Ecofeminisms

Chapter 7: Third Wave Feminisms
Introduction
Conclusion: The "Unhappy Marriage" of the Modern & Postmodern

SECTION III: THEORY APPLICATIONS

Bridging the Local & the Global: Feminist Discourses on Colonialism, Imperialism & Globalization
Introduction
Conceptualizing Imperialism & Colonialism

Chapter 8: Feminism & Imperialism in Early Modernity
Introduction
Rosa Luxemburg on Imperialism
Boxed Inserts

Chapter 9: Feminism & Imperialism in Late Modernity
Introduction
Modernization Theory & Dependency Theory
Socialist Feminist World-Systems Theories
Radical Feminist Global Analyses
Global Feminist Analyses Inspired by Luxemburg's Work

Chapter 10: Feminism & Imperialism in Postmodernity
Introduction
Postcolonial & Transnational Feminisms
Can the Subaltern Speak?
The Cultural Logics of Transnationality
Boxed Inserts

Conclusion: Paradigm Shifts in Feminist Thought
Glossary
Bibliography/References
Credits/Permissions
Name Index
Subject Index

Doing Feminist Theory

From Modernity to Postmodernity

Dr. Susan Archer Mann

Author Information

Susan Archer Mann is a Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of New Orleans.

Contributors:

Jane Ward is associate professor of Women's Studies at the University of California Riverside. She is the author of Respectably Queer (Vanderbilt University Press, 2008), as well as several articles on queer politics, transgender relationships, the social construction of heterosexuality, the failure of diversity programs, and, most recently, queer motherhood. She teaches courses in feminist and queer studies.

Doing Feminist Theory

From Modernity to Postmodernity

Dr. Susan Archer Mann

Reviews and Awards

"[The writing] is a real strength. . . . Mann teaches well in the book. She offers an impressive, wide-ranging overview of the history of feminist theory."--Deirdre M. Condit, Virginia Commonwealth

"Mann does an excellent job of mapping the thematic development of the theories shaping U.S. feminism. The author's ability to 'connect the dots' is impressive and instructive."--Hawley Fogg-Davis, Temple University