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WMST-L File Collection:

Feminist Theories

Last updated: Sept. 27, 2010

The following files from the WMST-L file collection offer discussion of feminist theory/theories:

Black Feminist Theory; Black Women and Sexualized Images (2 Subjects)
(Responses to a January 2008 WMST-L query asking for literature on two subjects: Black feminist theory and Black women and sexualized images.)

Conservative Feminism: An Oxymoron?
(December 1998; see also Radical Feminism, below)

The Female Gaze
(We often hear about the male gaze, but is there also a female gaze? If so, to what does the term refer? WMST-L discussion, March 2008)

Feminist Critiques of Judith Butler's Theories
(Responses to a WMST-L query in October 2007. Of related interest may be an earlier file, Teaching Butler and Haraway)

Feminist Epistemology
(February 1996; 2 parts [incl. reading list])

Feminist Spirituality
(Wide-ranging discussions of feminist spirituality, including definitions, teaching resources, the relation between spirituality and religion, and more. Discussions took place on WMST-L in March 2008 and August/September 2009.)

Feminist Theories of Law
(Suggested readings about feminist theories of law, including religious law. These suggestions were offered on WMST-L in February 2002.)

Feminist Theory: Suggested Readings
(Suggested books and articles that any student of feminist theory should read. Results of a 1997 query posed by WMST-L member Joya Misra, who then compiled the responses.)

Feminist Theory: Suggested Readings II
(A request for suggested feminist theory texts produced the following WMST-L discussion in November 1999. Of related interest may be What is 'Feminist Theory'?)

Freud and Feminism: Introductory Readings
(Suggestions for introductory readings to help undergraduates understand why some feminists have found Freud to be worth reading and thinking about. WMST-L discussion, October 2009.)

Gender Theory Readings
(Recommended books and articles for an undergraduate course in Gender Theory. WMST-L discussion, September 2003.)

Global Feminisms Texts
(Recommendations for feminist theory texts that give students a sense of the issues concerning global feminisms. WMST-L discussion, June 2003.)

Guardian of Language: An Interview with Hélène Cixous
(A 1996 interview with French feminist literary critic and philosopher Hélène Cixous, conducted by WMST-L member Kathleen O'Grady. Another WMST-L file of possible interest: Making "French feminism" Accessible to Undergraduates.)

The Language of Feminist Theory
(Is there justification for feminists to use the sometimes inaccessible language of high theory? A WMST-L discussion that took place in March 1993.)

Making "French feminism" Accessible to Undergraduates
(Suggested works by or about Irigaray, Cixous, and Kristeva that would help make these and other "French feminist" writers accessible to undergraduates. There is also some discussion about the term "French feminism." WMST-L discussion, October 2008. Another WMST-L file of possible interest: Guardian of Language: An Interview with Hélène Cixous.)

Marxist Feminism
(Attempts to define/explain Marxist Feminism. WMST-L, August 1994)

Nomadic Philosopher: A Conversation with Rosi Braidotti
(A 1995 interview with postmodern feminist philosopher Rosi Braidotti, conducted by WMST-L member Kathleen O'Grady.)

Patriarchy: Use of the Term
(Discussions from May 1994 and March 2003. See also the later file Teaching About Patriarchy)

Postmodernism: Intro Readings
(Recommended readings to introduce students to feminism and postmodernism. WMST-L discussion, August 1998.)

Radical Feminism
(November/December 1998; 2 parts. See also Conservative Feminism, above.)

Radical Feminism: Readings for a Course
(This WMST-L discussion from February 2007 offers suggested readings for a course in radical feminism and also includes some discussion of radical feminist thought about transgender issues. See also Radical Feminism, above.)

Recent Work on Feminist Theory
(Responses to an August 2008 query on WMST-L about recommended new books on feminist theory.)

Religion in a Feminist Theory Course
(A May 2006 WMST-L discussion about ways to deal with religion in a feminist theory course.)

Resources for Teaching about Second Wave Theories
(Books, articles, web sites, etc. that may be helpful for teaching about second wave theories. WMST-L discussion, March 2010. Also of interest may be Teaching '70s Feminism and 'Waves' of Feminism.)

Resources on Anarchist Feminism
(Resources for learning about anarchist feminism. WMST-L discussion, April 2006)

Revitalizing a Feminist Theory Course
(WMST-L discussion in December 2003 on how to revitalize a graduate course in feminist theory. In particular, how does one make such a course include not just problems but also solutions and applications to real life?)

Teaching About Patriarchy
(A brief discussion of how to teach about patriarchy that took place on WMST-L in August 2006. See also the earlier file Patriarchy: Use of the Term.)

Teaching Butler and Haraway
(Suggestions for teaching difficult texts by theorists Judith Butler and Donna Haraway. WMST-L discussion, February 2001. See also a later file, Feminist Critiques of Judith Butler's Theories)

Theory As Activism
(Writings that discuss theory as activism, and a consideration as well of activism as theory. WMST-L discussion, January 2004.)

What is 'Feminist Theory'?
(WMST-L discussion in October 1997 about what we mean by and how we teach "feminist theory.")

Women and the Body
(A WMST-L discussion from March/April 2006 and some additional messages from May 2008 identify sources associating women with the body.)


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