Feminist Theory Today

Kathy E. Ferguson

Annual Review of Political Science · 2017 · 110 citations · 25 references

Concepts

TL;DR

Feminist theory extends beyond women to critique dualistic thinking, emphasize fluid emergence, and pursue equality, freedom, and justice through intersectional, interdisciplinary, and activist scholarship. The authors aim to advance academic knowledge while prioritizing positive social change. They use intersectionality, interdisciplinarity, and activist scholarship to tackle contemporary questions.

Abstract

Feminist theory is not only about women; it is about the world, engaged through critical intersectional perspectives. Despite many significant differences, most feminist theory is reliably suspicious of dualistic thinking, generally oriented toward fluid processes of emergence rather than static entities in one-way relationships, and committed to being a political as well as an intellectual enterprise. It is rooted in and responsible to movements for equality, freedom, and justice. Three important contemporary questions within feminist theory concern (a) subjectivity, narrative, and materiality; (b) global neoliberal geopolitics; and (c) global ecologies. Feminist theorists employ the tools of intersectionality, interdisciplinarity, and the intertwinings of scholarship and activism to address these questions. While we labor to contribute to our academic fields, our primary responsibility is to contribute to positive social change.

References

25