Feminism, Animals and Science: The Naming of the Shrew

<p>Beginning with some ways in which "animals" are defined by science, and with feminist concerns about non-humans as fellow sufferers, this text examines how ideas about animals are constructed in different areas of biological science and how these intersect with feminist critiques of modern science. The book then addresses the human/animal opposition implicit in much feminist theorizing, arguing that the opposition helps to maintain the essentialism that feminists have so often criticized. The final chapter brings us back from ideas of what "the animal" is to ask how these questions might relate to environmental politics, including ecofeminism and animal rights.</p>

Politics & Social Sciences

Birke, Lynda I. A.

Social Sciences

Open Univ Pr

What we think other animals are matters to how we see ourselves: how similar are they, or how different? Do humans belong to culture, and animals (or women?) to nature? For feminists, that matters particularly, for it has so often been animal names that have been used to derogate women. This book explores these boundaries focusing particularly on feminist analyses of science; science not only uses animals, but also names and defines them. Beginning with some ways in which 'animals' are defined, and with feminist concerns about non-humans as fellow sufferers, the book goes on to look at how ideas about animals are constructed in different areas of biological science and how these intersect with feminist critiques of modern science.The book then addresses the human/animal opposition implicit in much feminist theorizing, arguing that the opposition helps to maintain the essentialism that feminists have so often criticized. The final chapter brings us back from ideas of what 'the animal' is, to ask how these questions might relate to environmental politics, including ecofeminism and animal rights.

<p>Lynda Birke’s book was an important step toward the development of a “feminist science”. It provoked controversy and considerable debate for both feminists and non-feminists alike. WOMEN, FEMINISM AND BIOLOGY focuses on human development, since theories of development incorporate ideas of how we acquire a sense of gender; and the way we view our relationship to nature, a topic of increasing concern within feminism. Since earlier feminist literature was dominated by a critique of determinist ideas in biology, this book marks a significant advance in that it presented a new vision of biology in the context of feminist theory. In contrast to determinist and reductionist approaches, Birke argued that a person’s biology is continually and dynamically interacting with the environment, including the social and political constraints existing at any point in time. This process of interaction can itself affect changes in a person’s biology. She presented a holistic view of nature and put forward challenging ideas for a more progressive, liberatory biology.</p>

Women, feminism and biology: The feminist challenge

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See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Birke, Lynda I. A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Birke, Lynda I. A.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Birke, Lynda I. A.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Feminism, Animals and Science: The Naming of the Shrew

Feminism, Animals and Science: The Naming of the Shrew

Women, feminism and biology: The feminist challenge