Theorizing Feminisms: A Reader Elizabeth Hackett - A Collection of Classic and Cutting-Edge Essays o

snehadbuyrhizat
Aug 18, 2023
1 min read

Reviewed by: Theorizing feminisms: A reader Diana Buccafurni (bio) Theorizing feminisms: A reader, edited by Elizabeth Hackett and Sally Haslanger. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Elizabeth Hackett and Sally Haslanger have provided a thought-provoking collection both for readers who long have been interested in feminism and for those who are new to feminism. Hackett and Haslanger's text is divided into four broad sections. The first section, entitled "Background Concepts," offers a selection of readings that serve as an introduction to some of the foundational concepts relevant to feminism, including Iris Young's account of "oppression," Sally Haslanger's work on "gender," Susan Wendell's conception of "disability," and Trino Grillo's analyses of "anti-essentialism" and "intersectionality" (i.e., the idea that one's identity consists of a complex of multiple categories such as race [End Page 184] and gender). Also included in this section are readings regarding the role that social determinants play in contributing to knowledge acquisition, such as Linda Alcoff's essay, "The Problem of Speaking for Others." With some of the conceptual issues framed from the beginning, even students can feel more confident as they go on to work through some of the substantive debates within feminism.