French Feminist Theory: An Introduction

Offering an introduction to the key concepts and themes in French feminist thought, both the materialist and the linguistic/psychoanalytic traditions, this title explores the work of a wide range of theorists: Simone de Beauvoir, Chantal Chawaf, Helene Cixous, Catherine Clement, Christine Delphy, Marguerite Duras, Colette Guillaumin, Madeleine Gagnon, Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva, Nicole-Claude Mathieu, Michele Montreley, Monique Plaza, Paola Tabet and Monique Wittig. It outlines the philosophical and political diversity of French feminism, setting developments in the field in the particular cultural and social contexts in which they have emerged and unfolded. The principal areas covered are: ongoing debates on the cultural construction and definition of sexual and gendered identities; the relationship between subjectivity and language; the roles played by both private and public institutions in the shaping of sexual relations; the issue of embodiment; and the relationship between gender, sexuality and race. Finally, the book traces the connections between French and Anglo-American feminist approaches and methodologies.