Is it time to take a break from feminism? In this pathbreaking book, Janet Halley reassesses the place of feminism in the law and politics of sexuality. She arg.
Table of contents
- See a Problem?
- Split Decisions: How and Why to Take a Break from Feminism
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- Study Guide for Come Into My Trading Room: A Complete Guide to Trading (Wiley Trading);
- Split Decisions: How and Why to Take a Break From Feminism.
- Lighthouses of the Universe: The Most Luminous Celestial Objects and Their Use for Cosmology: Procee.
Princeton University Press, ; pp. Following suit, I begin this review with my own such disclosure. Raised a feminist by both a mother and father committed to s and s white second-wave feminism and as someone who still primarily identifies as a feminist scholar, I was immediately suspect of Split Decisions because the subtitle seemed to suggest some kind of post-feminist—i.
However, in spite of its misleading title, Split Decisions provides an excellent rereading of the theoretical, political, and legal implications of recent feminist and queer theorizing while revealing the problems and possibilities of both. To begin, I feel compelled to caution readers that Split Decisions is theoretically dense and complex.
Wading through the book is worth it, however, because readers will discover an expansive and impressive rethinking of key intellectual ideas about power and sexuality. Moreover, in part 1, "Taking a Break from Feminism," Halley helps readers by laying out her key terms, overarching argument, and basic understanding of feminism. Halley argues that the last 25 years have "produced a rich range of theories of sexuality," resulting in a "wide array of incommensurate theories of sexuality and of power" 3.
Halley then proposes "an alternative to the normative demand to harmonize them, reconcile them, and smooth out their clashes. I argue here for a politics of theoretic incommensurability" 3.
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In short, Halley argues that both our theories and politics are better when we focus on conflicts and contradictions, on split decisions. The subtitle of the book, then, reflects Halley's belief that U. Using abbreviations for male m and female f , Halley argues that this is the case because feminism makes "a distinction between something m and something f; a commitment to be a theory about, and a practice about, the sub-ordination of f to m; and a commitment to work against that subordination on behalf of f" 5.
In short, Halley argues that feminist theory is convergentist rather than divergentist, and it is now time to take a break from convergentist feminism and move toward divergentist thinking and practices.
Split Decisions: How and Why to Take a Break from Feminism
Clearly, then, Halley does not argue that we take a complete break; as she puts it, "My desire is a posture, an attitude, a practice, of being in the problem not being in the theory" 7. This is why my flavour of feminism is concerned with the social and cultural roles of all genders, and unpicking why those very gender distinctions might be made, and by whom. There are other flavours: Some flavours of feminism assert there is a basic, irreducible difference between men and women, but just as many do not.
To say the least. I clearly can't quit a book after 18 pages, but the whole thing is a straw man built on nonsense.
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View all 3 comments. Obviously, for those of you who've read me for awhile, you know I love this book. I'm reading it again because, still in the process of unpacking, painting, furnishing the new abode, this is one book I happened to have not packed in crates. Someday, I'll write an actual review instead of the bits and pieces of blog posts that I have up currently. If you're puzzled by postmodernism, pomo, post-structuralism, read about it from a practitioner and someone who is fun to read.
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Fun in the sense that you feel like the author, Janet Halley, is sitting on a sofa saying, 'Come sit here,' patting the sofa cushion, 'and let me tell you a little bit about how I came to think this way. It'd be great if you'd think more like me about this topic, but cool if you don't. But seriously, I'd rilly rilly like to seduce you, I won't lie. Oh, I must stop now because, otherwise, I will move to Boston and worship by Halley's feet, feeding her grapes, and wondering if I can call her Ian. Apr 11, ralowe rated it it was ok. Mar 31, Scott Neigh added it. May 02, jennifer rated it it was amazing.
Alyssa rated it it was amazing Jan 24, Tomas Boudreau rated it liked it Sep 12, Courtney rated it liked it Nov 30, Joel rated it liked it Apr 20, Justin rated it did not like it May 02, Diomed Xanthus rated it liked it Jun 20, Emily rated it really liked it Jul 21, Sarah Jaffe rated it really liked it Jul 03, Voyou rated it it was amazing Mar 17, DefConPrime rated it liked it Apr 17, Elizabeth Field rated it liked it Feb 25, Jade rated it really liked it Jul 24, Tessa Zirnsak rated it really liked it Jan 11, Jonathon Zapasnik rated it really liked it Nov 04, Sarah rated it did not like it Jul 19, Brandon Jennings rated it did not like it Mar 29, Jenny Robertson rated it liked it Jan 05, Shannon rated it it was ok Apr 25, Tomas Boudreau rated it really liked it Feb 18, Rebecca rated it it was ok Nov 26, Sarah Say rated it it was ok Apr 27, There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
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