1st Edition

Contemporary Feminist Pragmatism

Edited By Maurice Hamington, Celia Bardwell-Jones Copyright 2012
    292 Pages
    by Routledge

    292 Pages
    by Routledge

    The notion of "feminist pragmatism" or "pragmatist feminism" has been around since Charlene Haddock Seigfried introduced it two decades ago. However, the bulk of the work in this field has been directed toward recovering the feminist strain of classical American philosophy, largely through renewed interest in the work of Jane Addams. This exploration of the origins of feminism and pragmatism has been fruitful in building a foundation for theoretical considerations.

    The editors of this volume believe the next logical step is the contemporary application to both theory and experience. Contemporary Feminist Pragmatism is the first book to address the modern significance of the nexus of feminism and pragmatism. The issues explored here include the relationship between community and identity, particularly around the impact of gender and race; reframing political practice regarding feminist pragmatist commitments including education, sustainability movements, and local efforts like community gardens; and the association between ethics and inquiry including explorations of Buddhism, hospitality, and animal-human relationships.

    Selected Contents: Part 1: Community and Identity  1. Transforming Whiteness with Roycean Loyalty: A Pragmatist Feminist Account Shannon Sullivan  2. The Hostile Gospel and Democratic Faith: Black Feminist Reflections on Rap and John Dewey V. Denise James  3. Border Communities and Royce: The Problem of Translation and Reinterpreting Feminist Empiricism Celia Bardwell-Jones  4. Dynamic Borders, Dynamic Identities: A Pragmatist Ontology Of "Groups" For Critical Multicultural Transnational Feminisms Amrita Banerjee  5. Solving the Problem of Epistemic Exclusion: A Pragmatist Feminist Approach Susan Dieleman  Part 2: Political Practice  6. Feminist-Pragmatist Democratic Practice and Contemporary Sustainability Movements: Mary Parker Follett, Jane Addams, Emily Greene Balch, and Vandana Shiva Judy Whipps  7. Community Gardeners or Radical Homemakers? Lisa Heldke  8. Education’s Role in Democracy: The Power of Pluralism Barbara Thayer-Bacon  Part 3: Ethics and Inquiry  9. Visionary Pragmatism and an Ethics of Connectivity: An Alternative to the Autonomy Tradition in Analytic Ethics Cynthia Willett  10. The Revolutionary Fact of Compassion: William James, Buddhism and the Feminist Ethics of Care Cathryn Bailey  11. Hospitality as Moral Inquiry: Sympathetic Knowledge in the Guest/Host Encounter Maurice Hamington  12. A Methodological Interpretation of Feminist Pragmatism Claudia Gillberg  13. Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Women, Animals, and Oppression Erin McKenna  14. Natural Caring: A Pragmatist Feminist Approach to Ethics in the More-Than-Human World Heather E. Keith

    Biography

    Maurice Hamington is the Director of the B.A. completion program at Antioch University Seattle. He writes on issues of feminist care ethics and American philosophy and is the author or editor of nine books.

    Celia Bardwell-Jones is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Women’s Studies at Towson University.

    Winner of the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender (OSCLG) Outstanding Edited Book Award 2012.

    "The volume will benefit both specialists and non-specialists, theorists and practitioners, feminists and pragmatists. It will be an invaluable resource in any graduate level seminar on the American pragmatic tradition and only gain traction as pragmatism and feminism become more integrated into mainstream philosophy and the social sciences." John Kaag, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, USA in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

    "This volume...makes a significant, original contribution to feminist philosophy that will likely inspire further significant and original work.Contemporary Feminist Pragmatism is an invaluable resource for feminists and pragmatists alike, though it will also serve as an accessible and interesting introduction for nonspecialists. I expect that we can look forward to a good deal of feminist pragmatist scholarship that will cite as its inspiration ideas encountered in this volume."-Mathew A. Foust in Hypatia