Works of Feminist Theory, Philosophy & History

[8ball]

Definitely this!

I look forward to hearing from Vintage Paw.

Have any of you read any Emily St John? Could she be considered a feminist writer of sci fi? I don't know. But there is something about the dissolution of patriarchy in the books of hers I've read.

I don’t really know about this stuff myself. I guess to a degree that Monster’s Regiment could be read as feminist fantasy, but it was written by man (Pratchett).

 

[mango5]

A while back we had a sci-fi book group that took a feminist turn with Ursula Le Guin but again I am left with questions about what counts as feminist. For example, does nk jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy count as it features strong women characters and impact of male violence and non-traditional gender roles? Ditto Monstrous Regiment.

 

[mango5]

Slightly ludicrous that this conversation is as much about what counts as feminist writing/thinking as what the ideas actually are.
Seige mentality.

The jemisin is a real example... I think the trilogy is feminist but I've been told it's not (off these boards) but I also think it counts as sci-fi even though it's marketed as fantasy.

 

[Eeepet]

There's definitely a seige mentality - understandable given the attacks (from left, right & centre) on women/women's rights. But I find it helpful to think of books as 'women-centred' rather than 'feminist' (or vice versa). Means that I know what I'm getting and don't then feel the need to criticise one for not being the other. Alice Munro for example. Exquisite understanding of the narrowness of many women's lives but also insightful about men, class, poverty. Probably feminist in its underlying analysis but not 'feminist' per se. Either way I think we are entitled to enjoy whatever resonates with us, regardless of its place on the purity scale.

 

[Gramsci]

I thin Anuradha Ghandy is excellent.

A collection of her work can be found here:
Anuradha Ghandy - MLM Library

I found this book useful:
Philosophical Trends in the Feminist Movement - MLM Library

I looked her up. She was member of the Maoist insurgency in India.

From reading on that it contained a high proportion of women. Many joined as it was much more egalitarian than the lives they lived in the countryside.

Didn't know about her. Thanks for the info.

More on women and the Maoist movement in India in this link. Women were also leaders in the movement.

India’s Maoist uprising morphs into women’s armed insurgency

 

[Mordi]

A while back we had a sci-fi book group that took a feminist turn with Ursula Le Guin but again I am left with questions about what counts as feminist. For example, does nk jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy count as it features strong women characters and impact of male violence and non-traditional gender roles? Ditto Monstrous Regiment.

SFMistressworks has a long list of authors reviewed I've been trying to read through, though I don't think all could necessarily be described as feminist. Jane Gaskell's A Sweet, Sweet Summer is one of the best books I've ever read and Joanna Russ is always who comes to mind when someone says they want to read Feminist SF.

 

[friendofdorothy]

Bumping this old thread as I don't recall seeing it at the time and the book recommendations and discussion are still very relevant. I haven't read much feminist history or philosophy in an age, so thank you all.

 

[belboid]

of fairly recent books, I still cannot praise highly enough Amia Srinivasan's book, The Right to Sex. Challenging, smart as a whip and just really bloody clear. I bought several copies as presents when it came out and everyone loved it - on either side of that debate too (and AS is definitely on the right side)

The Right to Sex - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[zedr]

I'm currently reading Ammonite by Nichola Griffith which is an excellent (so far!) feminist sci fi novel.

A few others I'd recommend off the top of my head

Woman on the Edge of Time - Marge Piercy
Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin

I've not enjoyed the few Joanna Russ books I've read, but know she's highly rated so maybe I'm just missing something.