Only Paradoxes to Offer: French Feminists and the Rights of Man

by Joan Wallach Scott

Book Overview

When feminists argued for political rights in the context of liberal democracy they faced an impossible choice. On the one hand, they insisted that the differences between men and women were irrelevant for citizenship. On the other hand, by the fact that they acted on behalf of women, they introduced the very idea of difference they sought to eliminate. This paradox--the need both to accept and to refuse sexual difference in politics--was the constitutive...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674639316
• ISBN13: 9780674639317
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.8" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Very Good Book

I liked this book very much. I learned a great deal about historical women's rights activists. I think that the book has a very comprehensive overview of the various feminists discussed. There is a decent amount of detail for each, but not so much that it bores you to read. The way the book is written makes it very easy to read, which also keeps your interest. I especially enjoy the writing about Olympe de Gouges. It is extremely interesting and in-depth. The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is that it did not include more women, it only focused on a few.