Hope and Feminist Theory

Hope and Feminist Theory
Author: Rebecca Coleman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2013-12-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317981774

Hope is central to marginal politics which speak of desires for equality or simply for a better life. Feminism might be characterised as a politics of hope, a movement underpinned by a utopian drive for equality. This version of hope has been used, for example in Barack Obama’s phrase ‘the audacity of hope’ – a mobilisation of an affirmative politics which nevertheless implies that we are living in hopeless times. Similiarly, in recent years, feminism has seen the production of a prevailing mood of hopelessness around a generational model of progress, which is widely imagined to have ‘failed’. However, as a number of feminist theorists have pointed out, the temporality of feminism cannot be conceived as straightforwardly linear: feminism can only be imagined as having failed if it is understood as a particular set of relations and things. This collection grapples with the question of hope: how it figures and structures feminist theory as both a movement towards certain goals, and as inherently hopeful. Questions addressed include: Does hope necessarily imply a fantasy of perfectibility, a progression to a utopian future? Might it also be conceived in other ways: as an attachment?A lure? Does life tend towards hope, happiness, optimism? And, if so, what are the consequences when hope fails? Who decides which hopes are false? What is the cost of giving up hope? This book was published as a special issue of the Journal for Cultural Research.

Rhetorical Feminism and This Thing Called Hope

Rhetorical Feminism and This Thing Called Hope
Author: Cheryl Glenn
Publisher: SIU Press
Total Pages: 297
Release: 2018-11-12
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0809336952

Rhetoric and feminism have yet to coalesce into a singular recognizable field. In this book, author Cheryl Glenn advances the feminist rhetorical project by introducing a new theory of rhetorical feminism. Clarifying how feminist rhetorical practices have given rise to this innovative approach, Rhetorical Feminism and This Thing Called Hope equips the field with tools for a more expansive and productive dialogue. Glenn’s rhetorical feminism offers an alternative to hegemonic rhetorical histories, theories, and practices articulated in Western culture. This alternative theory engages, addresses, and supports feminist rhetorical practices that include openness, authentic dialogue and deliberation, interrogation of the status quo, collaboration, respect, and progress. Rhetorical feminists establish greater representation and inclusivity of everyday rhetors, disidentification with traditional rhetorical practices, and greater appreciation for alternative means of delivery, including silence and listening. These tenets are supported by a cogent reconceptualization of the traditional rhetorical appeals, situating logos alongside dialogue and understanding, ethos alongside experience, and pathos alongside valued emotion. Threaded throughout the book are discussions of the key features of rhetorical feminism that can be used to negotiate cross-boundary mis/understandings, inform rhetorical theories, advance feminist rhetorical research methods and methodologies, and energize feminist practices within the university. Glenn discusses the power of rhetorical feminism when applied in classrooms, the specific ways it inspires and sustains mentoring, and the ways it supports administrators, especially directors of writing programs. Thus, the innovative theory of rhetorical feminism—a theory rich with tactics and potentially broad applications—opens up a new field of research, theory, and practice at the intersection of rhetoric and feminism.

Feminism Is for Everybody

Feminism Is for Everybody
Author: bell hooks
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2014-10-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317588371

What is feminism? In this short, accessible primer, bell hooks explores the nature of feminism and its positive promise to eliminate sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. With her characteristic clarity and directness, hooks encourages readers to see how feminism can touch and change their lives—to see that feminism is for everybody.

Hope Under Oppression

Hope Under Oppression
Author: Katie Stockdale
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2021-06-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0197563597

We have all been told, at one time or another, to "never give up hope." It's a common injunction to children, but as we grow older, sustaining hope becomes more challenging, particularly in a world we come to see as often frightening, dark, and unjust. But what is this thing "hope," and why is hope so valuable that we are so often urged to preserve and protect it? This book explores the nature and essential role of hope in human life under conditions of oppression. Oppression is often a threat and damage to hope, yet many members of oppressed groups, including prominent activists pursuing a more just world, find hope valuable and even essential to their personal and political lives. Katie Stockdale offers a unique evaluative framework for hope that captures its intrinsic value, the rationality and morality of hope, and ultimately how we can hope well in the non-ideal world we share. She develops an account of the relationship between hope and anger about oppression and argues that when people are angry about oppression, they tend to also harbour hope for repair. When people's hopes for repair are not realized, as is often the case for those who are oppressed, their anger can evolve into bitterness. They feel unresolved anger as a result of losing hope that injustice will be sufficiently acknowledged and addressed. Fortunately, things do not have to be this way. Even when people may feel that they have lost all hope, faith can help them to be resilient in the face of oppression. They can join with others who share their experiences or commitments for a better world, uniting with them in collective action. By doing so, they can strengthen hope for the future when hope might otherwise be lost. Ultimately, this work illustrates the crucial value of hope for both individuals and collectives in the pursuit of justice, and in an increasingly uncertain world.

Feminist Theory

Feminist Theory
Author: bell hooks
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2014-10-03
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317588347

When Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center was first published in 1984, it was welcomed and praised by feminist thinkers who wanted a new vision. Even so, individual readers frequently found the theory "unsettling" or "provocative." Today, the blueprint for feminist movement presented in the book remains as provocative and relevant as ever. Written in hooks's characteristic direct style, Feminist Theory embodies the hope that feminists can find a common language to spread the word and create a mass, global feminist movement.

Handbook of Diversity in Feminist Psychology

Handbook of Diversity in Feminist Psychology
Author: Hope Landrine, PhD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Total Pages: 625
Release: 2009-12-17
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0826117066

"With the publication of the Handbook of Diversity in Feminist Psychology, the field of feminist psychology has achieved a new depth; the volume is a sophisticated and cutting-edge compendium that not only describes the state of the field, but also pushes its boundaries in important ways."----Sex Roles: A Journal of Research "Critical for all those who are in the field of psychology to own, refer to, and use. No longer are diversity and gender issues considered to be on the periphery as they once were....one would be remiss in not considering these factors in psychology." --Florence L. Denmark, PhD (From the Foreword) Author, Psychology of Women "FINALLY--A collection of work that is built on decades, if not centuries, of hard work from many feminists of color and our allies! This is one of the few books that delves deeply into the complex world of considering the human condition in cultural context, something psychology is only [relatively] recently trying to do. This book is a must have for anyone interested in feminism OR diversity issues. It is a great example of feminist multiculturalism and both fields (i.e., feminism and multicultural psychology) should consider it an example of how to merge theoretical orientations in a way that is fitting for real people. I LOVE this book!" --Geneva Reynaga-Abiko, Psy.D. This handbook presents a multicultural approach to diversity in feminist psychology. Provocative and timely, the text comprehensively discusses the cutting-edge of feminist discourse, covering major topics such as multicultural feminist theory, gender discrimination, aging, health and therapy, violence and harassment, politics and policy, and much more. The unique quality of this book is that each contributor brings her own cultural perspective, values, and concerns to her chapter. Special emphasis is also given to the intersectionality of minority identities such as race, ethnicity, social class, sexual preference, and other socially constructed status differences among women. Key Topics Discussed: Intimate partner violence: perspectives from ethnic groups in the United States Gender-transgressive sexual minorities HIV/AIDS among women of color and sexual minority women Psychological perspectives on older women, including transitions, cognitive functioning, and mental health Ethnicity, disordered eating, and body image Methodological and statistical issues in research with diverse samples Low-income women, women with disabilities, workers, and immigrants/refugees

Feminist Freedom Warriors

Feminist Freedom Warriors
Author: Chandra Talpade Mohanty
Publisher: Haymarket Books
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2018-06-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1608468984

Born out of an engagement with anti-racist feminist struggles as women of color from the Global South, Feminist Freedom Warriors (FFW) is a project showcasing cross-generational histories of feminist activism addressing economic, anti-racist, social justice, and anti-capitalist issues across national borders. This feminist reader is a companion to the FFW video archive project that is currently available online. Using text and images, the book presents short narratives from the women featured in the FFW project and illustrates the intersecting struggles for justice in the fight against oppression. These are stories of sister-comrades, whose ideas, words, actions, and visions of economic and social justice continue to inspire a new generation of women activists.

Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism

Third World Women and the Politics of Feminism
Author: Chandra Talpade Mohanty
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 1991-06-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780253206329

"The essays are provocative and enhance knowledge of Third World women's issues. Highly recommended . . . " —Choice " . . . the book challenges assumptions and pushes historic and geographical boundaries that must be altered if women of all colors are to win the struggles thrust upon us by the 'new world order' of the 1990s." —New Directions for Women "This surely is a book for anyone trying to comprehend the ways sexism fuels racism in a post-colonial, post-Cold War world that remains dangerous for most women." —Cynthia H. Enloe " . . . provocative analyses of the simultaneous oppressions of race, class, gender and sexuality . . . a powerful collection." —Gloria Anzaldúa " . . . propels third world feminist perspectives from the periphery to the cutting edge of feminist theory in the 1990s." —Aihwa Ong " . . . a carefully presented wealth of much-needed information." —Audre Lorde " . . . it is a significant book." —The Bloomsbury Review " . . . excellent . . . The nondoctrinaire approach to the Third World and to feminism in general is refreshing and compelling." —World Literature Today ". . . an excellent collection of essays examining 'Third World' feminism." —The Year's Work in Critical and Cultural Theory These essays document the debates, conflicts, and contradictions among those engaged in developing third world feminist theory and politics. Contributors: Evelyne Accad, M. Jacqui Alexander, Carmen Barroso, Cristina Bruschini, Rey Chow, Juanita Diaz-Cotto, Angela Gilliam, Faye V. Harrison, Cheryl Johnson-Odim, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Ann Russo, Barbara Smith, Nayereh Tohidi, Lourdes Torres, Cheryl L. West, & Nellie Wong.

The Problem with Work

The Problem with Work
Author: Kathi Weeks
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2011-09-09
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0822351129

The Problem with Work develops a Marxist feminist critique of the structures and ethics of work, as well as a perspective for imagining a life no longer subordinated to them.

Living a Feminist Life

Living a Feminist Life
Author: Sara Ahmed
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 341
Release: 2016-12-22
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0822373378

In Living a Feminist Life Sara Ahmed shows how feminist theory is generated from everyday life and the ordinary experiences of being a feminist at home and at work. Building on legacies of feminist of color scholarship in particular, Ahmed offers a poetic and personal meditation on how feminists become estranged from worlds they critique—often by naming and calling attention to problems—and how feminists learn about worlds from their efforts to transform them. Ahmed also provides her most sustained commentary on the figure of the feminist killjoy introduced in her earlier work while showing how feminists create inventive solutions—such as forming support systems—to survive the shattering experiences of facing the walls of racism and sexism. The killjoy survival kit and killjoy manifesto, with which the book concludes, supply practical tools for how to live a feminist life, thereby strengthening the ties between the inventive creation of feminist theory and living a life that sustains it.