Between Femininity and Feminism: Colonial and Postcolonial Perspectives on Care

Book Detail

• Author: Mahadevan, Kanchan
• Brand: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
• Edition: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of Pages: 311
• Release Date: 01-01-2014
• Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
• ISBN (EAN): 0008124607303
• Package Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Languages: English

Book Description: This book engages with the contribution of feminist thinkers to examine their transformation of the activity of philosophy itself in the course of its contact with the feminine. It also portrays how feminist philosophy brings about a greater awareness of philosophy's relation to history, culture, and other disciplines.

The author vividly highlights the struggle between femininity and feminism in the philosophical corpus of feminist thinkers with reference to the concept of care. Starting with pioneering feminism during the colonial period, the book moves to its second wave in the post-colonial period to examine the trajectory of the concept of care.

Women do not form a homogeneous category. Therefore, this volume explores the extent to which Ramabai, Wollstonecraft, Okin, Gilligan, and de Beauvoir can dialogue with contemporary women. The relationship between these thinkers and their arguments is conceptually connected.

The book addresses several critical questions such as: What is femininity? Can one define feminine at all? How does a feminist feminine differ from a patriarchal feminine? Can male philosophical frameworks be employed in feminist directions?

Additionally, the book investigates shifts from colonial to post-colonial periods in feminist approaches to care and examines the possibility of integrating feminine care with the political concepts of justice and autonomy. It also explores the intervention in conceptual categories of Western feminism, aiming to blur the strict binary between Indian and Western traditions.