The Second Wave: A Reader in Feminist Theory

Book Overview

The Second Wave collects many of the major essays of feminist theory of the past forty years, essays by the figures who have made key contributions to feminist theory during this period and have generated extensive discussion. Organized historically, these essays provide a sense of the major turning points in feminist theory.

Contributors include: Norma Alarcon, Linda Alcoff, Michele Barrett, Elsa Barkley Brown, Judith Butler, Nancy Chodorow, Patricia Hill Collins, Simone de Beauvoir, Shulamith Firestone, Nancy Fraser, Carol Gilligan, Heidi Hartmann, Nancy C. M. Hartsock, Luce Irigaray, Catharine MacKinnon, Uma Narayan, Linda Nicholson, Ellen Rooney, Gayle Rubin, Gayatri Spivak, Wendy W. Williams and Monique Wittig.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415917611
• ISBN13: 9780415917612
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic Span of Feminist Literature

I got this book for my Feminist Theory class, taught by one of the contributors, Uma Narayan, and have found it to be an excellent representation of the diversity of feminist theory: Radical Lesbian Feminists, Marxist Feminists, Liberal Feminists, Third-World Feminists and more all contribute powerful pieces. It really is a great way to expand your knowledge of feminism... you learn it's a complicated and controversial topic--many of the essays disagree with each other. I highly recommend this book for a diverse array of accounts in feminist history.

One of the Best Introductions to the Second (tidal)Wave

This superb collection of seminal texts from the so-called "second wave" of feminism is perhpas the best introduction to feminist thought I've come across. From Simone DeBeauvoir's famous statement "one is not born a woman..." to Gayatri Spivak's ruminations on "strategic essentialism" and Third World representation in American academia, literally every text is exceptional. The reader will find (almost) everything, from revolutionary African-American and Latina responses to the purported Eurocentrism in early feminist studies, to French feminists' (Irigaray and Wittig, specifically) provocative interrogations of the phallocentric culture, to mention a few. My only complaint is Nicholson's introductions to each section-- they could be a bit longer and more comprehensive; readers with a cursory knowledge of feminist thought should consider reading a basic introduction, not the texts themselves, before delving into this collection. Regardless, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in women's studies/feminism.