Feminism and Philosophy
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NEWSLETTER | The American Philosophical Association Feminism and Philosophy FALL 2013 VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 1 FROM THE EDITOR BOOK REVIEWS Margaret A. Crouch Elena Duvergés Blair: Plato’s Dialectic on Woman: Equal, Therefore Inferior Reviewed by Dana Rognlie ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER ON FEMINISM AND PHILOSOPHY Elizabeth Brake: Minimizing Marriage: Marriage, Morality and the Law Reviewed by Vicki Toscano NEWS from THE committee ON THE StatUS OF WOMEN Maurice Hamington and Celia Bardwell- Jones (eds.): Contemporary Feminist Pragmatism ARTICLES Reviewed by Stephanie Rodgers Catherine E. Hundleby Critical Thinking and the Adversary Jane Moore (ed.): Mary Wollstonecraft Paradigm Reviewed by Devora Shapiro Carolyn Korsmeyer Julie Stephens: Confronting Postmaternal Aesthetics: Feminism’s Hidden Impact Thinking Reviewed by Shelley M. Park Ásta Sveinsdóttir Who’s Afraid of Feminist Metaphysics? Alison Stone: Feminism, Psychoanalysis, and Maternal Subjectivity Reviewed by Allison B. Wolf Ewa Plonowska Ziarek: Feminist Aesthetics and the Politics of Modernism Reviewed by Summer Renault-Steele CONTRIBUtorS VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 1 FALL 2013 © 2013 BY THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIatION ISSN 2155-9708 APA NEWSLETTER ON Feminism and Philosophy MARGARET A. CROUCH, EDITOR VOLUME 13 | NUMBER 1 | FALL 2013 culture, but that it is important that feminism be credited From THE Editor with providing many of these innovative approaches to how we think about the world. Margaret A. Crouch EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Ásta Sveinsdóttir maintains that “feminist philosophy has so far had little influence on what gets addressed under the How, if at all, has feminist philosophy influenced mainstream label ‘metaphysics.’” But this is not because feminists are philosophy? When feminist philosophy became a sub-field not doing metaphysics. It is because of the ways in which of philosophy, integration of the insights and critiques of mainstream metaphysics has been defined, and a reluctance feminist philosophy into mainstream philosophy was a goal on the part of some feminist philosophers to characterize for many. However, feminist philosophy appears to have their work as metaphysics, largely because of this definition. remained to some extent “marginalized,” as Phyllis Rooney Sveinsdóttir offers a definition of metaphysics to support argues in her recent article, “The Marginalization of Feminist the claim that feminists indeed do metaphysics, and that Epistemology and What That Reveals About Epistemology metaphysics is necessary to feminist philosophy. She also ‘Proper.’”1 This issue includes invited articles on the influence recommends that non-feminist metaphysicians need a of feminist philosophy on critical thinking, aesthetics, and change of methodology, one that incorporates the insights metaphysics. They address the question of whether, and to of feminist and other critical philosophies. what extent, feminist philosophy has been taken up by non- feminist philosophers in these fields. These three essays provide much to think about. Should we insist that curricula, especially for graduate students, include Catherine Hundleby argues feminist philosophy has not explicitly feminist philosophy? If, as Korsmeyer argues, had sufficient impact on critical thinking but suggests a philosophical insights from feminism have become detached strategy for increasing its influence by revising the way that from their origins, or attributed to other sources, does this critical thinking courses are taught. She maintains that the matter? Will feminist philosophy ever be fully integrated into Adversary Method, identified by Janice Moulton in 1983, is philosophy? Should it be? still the dominant paradigm in analytic philosophy, and that, as Moulton pointed out, is exclusionary. Hundleby argues NOTE 1. Phyllis Rooney, “The Marginalization of Feminist Epistemology that critical thinking courses, taught as introductory “service” and What That Reveals about Epistemology ‘Proper,’” in Feminist classes in many universities, contribute to the reproduction Epistemology and Philosophy of Science: Power in Knowledge, ed. of this paradigm. These courses are often taught by Heidi Grasswick (Dordrecht, Holland: Springer, 2011), 3–24. instructors with little expertise in argumentation theory, from textbooks that accept the Adversary Method as their primary pedagogy. One way of challenging the dominance ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER ON of the Adversary Method would be to change how critical thinking is taught, taking into account alternatives modes FEMINISM AND PHILOSOPHY of reasoning and the broader context of critical thinking provided by argumentation theory. The Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy is sponsored by the APA committee on the status of women (CSW). The Carolyn Korsmeyer argues that feminist philosophy has newsletter is designed to provide an introduction to recent had a significant impact on mainstream aesthetics, but philosophical work that addresses issues of gender. None that “this influence can be difficult to see because much of the varied philosophical views presented by authors of the supporting evidence has lost its feminist label.” She of newsletter articles necessarily reflects the views of any finds that, though there may not be many publications in or all of the members of the committee on the status of feminist aesthetics, recent anthologies in aesthetics do women, including the editor(s) of the newsletter, nor does include articles on the issues that feminists philosophers the committee advocate any particular type of feminist have emphasized. However, it is difficult to identify what philosophy. We advocate only that serious philosophical feminism, as opposed to other innovative approaches in attention be given to issues of gender and that claims of philosophy, has contributed. This is true, for example, of gender bias in philosophy receive full and fair consideration. “everyday aesthetics.” Korsmeyer also points out that many ideas that feminists brought to aesthetics and other areas SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND INFORMatION of philosophy are now attributed to male theorists, such as 1. Purpose: The purpose of the newsletter is to publish Foucault or Derrida. She concludes that feminist insights information about the status of women in philosophy and have been integrated into the general understanding of to make the resources of feminist philosophy more widely APA NEWSLETTER | FEMINISM AND PHILOSOPHY available. The newsletter contains discussions of recent • Links to feminist philosophy groups, women in developments in feminist philosophy and related work in philosophy groups, lists, list-serves, blogs, and wikis other disciplines, literature overviews and book reviews, suggestions for eliminating gender bias in the traditional As was announced in the fall 2011 Newsletter on Feminism philosophy curriculum, and reflections on feminist pedagogy. and Philosophy, the APA CSW is establishing a site-visit It also informs the profession about the work of the APA program. The goals of the APA CSW-sponsored site-visit committee on the status of women. Newsletter submissions program include: should be limited to ten double-spaced pages and must follow the APA guidelines for gender-neutral language. All • Gaining information in a systematic way about the range manuscripts should be prepared for anonymous review. and variety of women’s experiences in philosophy at References should follow The Chicago Manual of Style. each level (undergraduate, graduate, faculty/lecturer) Essays must be sent electronically to the editor. that contribute to the ongoing underrepresentation of women in the field. 2. Book reviews and reviewers: If you have published a book that is appropriate for review in the newsletter, please • Educating departments about challenges women have your publisher send us a copy of your book. We are philosophers and other underrepresented groups always seeking new book reviewers. To volunteer to review face, drawing on first-person reports and social- books (or some particular book), please send the editor a science research. CV and letter of interest, including mention of your areas of research and teaching. • Making recommendations based on programs that have been shown to be successful in other departments, 3. Where to send things: Please send all articles, comments, both in philosophy and other fields where women are suggestions, books, and other communications to the editor, substantially underrepresented. Dr. Margaret A. Crouch, at [email protected]. As of late April 2013, several universities have formally 4. Submission deadlines: Submissions for spring issues requested that their philosophy departments be visited with are due by the preceding November 1; submissions for fall several additional universities exploring the possibility. These issues are due by the preceding April 1. site visits will begin in the fall of 2013. NEWS from THE COMMITTEE ARTICLES ON THE StatUS OF WOMEN Critical Thinking and the Adversary During the spring of 2012, the APA committee on the status Paradigm of women (CSW) launched a stand-alone website that is linked to the APA website. This sight is proving to be very Catherine E. Hundleby popular. It includes the following items of interest: UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR • Monthly profiles of women philosophers The current status of feminism in philosophy may continue to suffer from an “Adversary Method” of reasoning that • Data on women in philosophy Janice Moulton argued back in 1983 constitutes a Kuhnian paradigm in our discipline. The first section