Future of Differences (eBook)

Susan Hekman is Professor of Political Science, University of Texas at Arlington.

1. The Problem of Difference.

The Other.

From erasure to emphasis.

From difference to differences.

The future of differences.

2. From Difference to Differences: The Case of Feminist
Standpoint Theory.

Defining the feminist standpoint.

The challenge of difference: redefining the feminist
standpoint.

Toward a new paradigm.

3. A Method for Differences.

Feminism, method and difference.

Weber's ideal type.

Feminist ideal types.

Conclusion.

4. The Epistemology of Moral Voice: Displacing Hegemony in
Moral/Legal Discourse. .

Different moral voices. Different legal voices.

A new legal game.

An alternative moral epistemology: multiple voices.

5. Backgrounds and Riverbeds: Feminist Reflections.

Theories of the Background.

Subverting the Background.

Shifting the riverbed.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References.

Index.

'This is an ambitious book. It seeks to develop a clear theory of
difference(s) on which to ground feminist epistemology and
practice. Hekman's contention is that feminists must eschew equally
both universalism and relativism. Her careful and insightful
readings of feminist classics and contemporary scholarship have
produced a text that will become a classic in its own right.
Hekman's modestly stated ambition is to provide a form of analysis
that engages both with differences and with general concepts. Her
reading of Weber is truly a tour de force in this regard. This is a
book that every feminist scholar will want to read and use.'
Henrietta L. Moore, Professor of Social Anthropology and
Director of the Gender Institute, London School of Economics

'The Future of Differences makes an invaluable contribution
to feminist theory. With her characteristic precision and clarity,
Hekman has provided a valuable guide to the new epistemic terrain
into which a focus on differences has led feminist theory and
practice. Skilfully bringing together the work of numerous
theorists, she argues that a feminism of difference must embrace a
pluralist paradigm that includes an epistemology of truths rather
than Truth. This is a book that will change the way we do moral
theory and epistemology. This is a book to be read carefully,
thought about, and shared with others.' Professor Nancy Tuana,
Department of Philosophy, University of Oregon