French Feminism: An Indian Anthology

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From the Jacket:

French Feminism has a long history stretching back at least to the Middle Ages, where we see evidence of women denouncing inequality and the unjust subordination of their sex. In the late 1960s and early 1970s of the twentiety century, however, one finds a radical break with the feminism that preceded it. Marked by a libertarian culture influenced by Marxism, socialism and psychoanalysis, the feminism the began in the 1970s rejected the reformist and legal vision of women's emancipation politicized the private sphere, and demanded social and political equality.

This remarkable anthology of 36 texts, freshly translated for this volume, vividly maps the terrain of French feminism in its contemporary context from the 1970s onwards. Bringing together the seminal writings of both scholars and activists, the volume will help readers to grasp the questions, the challenges, and the progress of reflection. The essays are divided into eight sections:

• The women's Liberation Movement in France
• Women and Creativity
• Writing History/Rewriting History
• Race, Class, Gender
• Legal Bodies/Women's Bodies
• Occupying/Capturing Political Space
• Feminists Defetishize Theory
• Feminist Mappings

Overall, this absorbing volume gives voice to the extraordinary range of contemporary in French feminism. Each section is preceded by an introduction which places the contributions in their material and social contexts to show how French feminism has evolved in response to concrete struggles and institutional constraints as much as to sophisticated intellectual discourse.

Given its unique comparative framework and wide-ranging coverage, this volume will attract the attention of students and scholars in the fields of feminism, gender and women's studies, sociology, history, literature, anthropology, and Philosophy.

About the Author:

Danielle Haase-Dubosc is Associate Adjunct Professor in French Literature and Director of studies at Columbia University Centre in Paris.

Mary E. John is Associate Professor, Women's Studies Programme, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Marcelle Marini is Professor Emeritus at the Universite de Paris VII.

Rama Melkote is Vice President of the Anveshi Research Centre for Women's Studies, Hyderabad.

Susie Tharu is Professor at the School of Critical Humanities, and also Head of the Department of Literature, Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages. Hyderabad.