📄 Papers

Queer Theory Gender Identity Trans Feminism +2

Gender's Nature: Intersexuality, Transsexualism and the 'Sex'/'Gender' Binary 2000

Myra J. Hird

This groundbreaking article challenges the fundamental distinction between 'sex' and 'gender' by demonstrating that 'sex' itself is a social construction. Through examining intersexuality and transsexualism as embodied experiences that disrupt binary categories, Hird reveals how medical and social institutions work to maintain artificial divisions. The paper questions whether emphasizing sexual difference or exposing sex as construction better serves feminist goals for social transformation.

Feminist Theory Science Studies Gender Norms +2

Higamous, hogamous, woman monogamous 2000

Amanda Rees

This essay critically examines evolutionary psychology's claims about gender differences and mate selection, particularly the popular notion that women are 'naturally monogamous' while men are 'naturally polygamous.' Rees reveals how these scientific narratives serve gender essentialism and how feminism responds to evolutionary psychology's challenges.

Feminist Theory Radical Feminism Feminist Epistemology +3

Pure tolerance revisited 2000

Denise Thompson

This radical feminist theoretical article revisits the place of tolerance in feminist theory, critically responding to the pluralist stance advocated by the inaugural issue of Feminist Theory journal. Drawing on Herbert Marcuse's theory of 'repressive tolerance', Thompson argues that unlimited tolerance provides shelter for patriarchal and anti-feminist viewpoints, thereby undermining feminism's core as a liberatory politics. She contends that feminism must maintain intolerance toward male domination to preserve its theoretical coherence and political efficacy.

Feminist Theory Political Participation Ethics of Care +2

Reconceiving Citizenship: The Challenge of Mothers as Political Activists 2000

Kerreen Reiger

An exploration of how mothers as political activists challenge traditional conceptions of citizenship. Reiger examines maternal activism in Australian childbirth reform movements, arguing that mothers' claims for participation in health policy reconceive citizenship to include care, embodiment, and community advocacy.

Feminist Theory Intersectional Feminism Identity Politics +2

Aspiring to a politics of alliance: Response to Sylvia Walby's 'Beyond the politics of location: The power of argument in a global era' 2000

Ann Phoenix

This response essay explores tensions between universalism and politics of location in feminist theory, responding to Walby's claims about making universal arguments across local differences. Phoenix, from an intersectional perspective, advocates for alliance politics built on acknowledging difference rather than abstract universalism.

Feminist Theory Feminist Literary Criticism Feminist Epistemology +2

Being reasonable, telling stories 2000

Rita Felski

This essay explores the relationship between rational argumentation and narrative knowledge in feminist theory, questioning traditional oppositions between theory and story, abstract and concrete, argument and narration. Felski argues that narrative is not the opposite of rationality but an important mode of feminist knowledge production, and the two should be seen as complementary rather than opposed.

Feminist Theory Postmodern Feminism Academic Feminism +2

Beyond the Politics of Location: The Power of Argument in a Global Era 2000

Sylvia Walby

This 2000 article by leading feminist sociologist Sylvia Walby challenges the dominance of standpoint epistemology and the 'politics of location' in feminist theory. Walby argues that in an era of globalization, feminism needs to move beyond location-based knowledge claims and embrace the power of reasoned argument to make effective universal claims about gender justice. The paper engages critically with postmodern and postcolonial feminist theories that privilege particular standpoints over universal reasoning.

Feminist Theory Global Feminism Feminist Epistemology +2

In search of feminist theory 2000

Sylvia Walby

This essay is Walby's response to critiques from Phoenix, Knapp, and others, further elaborating her position that feminism needs robust theorization and universal claims. Walby argues that in the era of globalization, feminism cannot be limited to politics of location but needs to develop theoretical frameworks capable of analyzing systemic oppression across local boundaries.

Marxist Feminism Feminist Economics Development Studies +2

Indexing alternatives: Feminist development studies and global political economy 2000

Priti Ramamurthy

This essay explores how feminism reconstructs development studies and global political economy analysis, proposing alternative theoretical frameworks for understanding the intersections of globalization, development, and gender. Ramamurthy critiques mainstream development discourse and advocates for analytical perspectives centered on social reproduction and women's agency.

Feminist Theory Feminist Epistemology Critical Theory +2

More Power to Argument 2000

Gudrun-Axeli Knapp

This essay responds to Sylvia Walby's claim that feminism needs to move beyond politics of location toward universal arguments. Knapp, drawing from German Critical Theory and feminist traditions, explores the power of argument while warning against power relations that abstract universalism might mask, advocating for argumentative practice that is both critically powerful and acknowledges situatedness.

Existentialist Feminism Feminist Theory Feminist Philosophy +2

Re-reading the Second Sex: Theorizing the Situation 2000

Elaine Stavro

This essay re-evaluates Simone de Beauvoir's philosophical contributions in The Second Sex, particularly her theorization of the concept of 'situation.' Stavro argues that Beauvoir was not merely a follower of Sartre but critically transformed existentialism through embodied, situated subjectivity, establishing a unique foundation for feminist theory.

Feminist Theory Body Politics Academic Feminism +2

Thinking Through Breasts: Writing Maternity 2000

Alison Bartlett

A groundbreaking exploration of how maternal embodiment, particularly breastfeeding, transforms academic writing and knowledge production. Bartlett develops an 'epistemology of breasts' that challenges traditional boundaries between personal experience and scholarly practice.