| Because
of his misogyny and disdain for the body, Kant has been a target of
much feminist criticism. Moreover, as the epitome of eighteenth-century
Enlightenment philosophy, his thought has been a focal point for feminist
debate over the Enlightenment legacy—whether its conceptions of reason
and progress offer tools for women's emancipation and empowerment
or, rather, have contributed to the historical subordination of women
in Western society.
This volume presents radically divergent interpretations of Kant
from feminist perspectives. Some essays see Kant as having contributed
significantly to theories of rationality and autonomy in ways that
can further feminist projects. Other essays argue that Kant is a
preeminent exponent of patriarchal views and that gender hierarchies
are inscribed in the very structure of his theories of morality
and aesthetic judgment. But both critics and sympathizers challenge
the accepted topography of Kantian philosophy by which central philosophical
concerns are defined as those that are abstract, universal, and
transcendental. Instead, these feminist writers resituate Kantian
questions in the politics of everyday life and emphasize the embodied
nature of knowledge, morality, and aesthetics. They analyze dilemmas
that face concrete subjects, involving issues of friendship, collective
responsibility, xenophobia, and colonialism, among others.
Contributors are Annette C. Baier, Marcia Baron, Monique David-Ménard,
Kim Hall, Cornelia Klinger, Jane Kneller, Sarah Kofman, Marcia Moen,
Herta Nagl-Docekal, Adrian M. S. Piper, Jean P. Rumsey, Robin May
Schott, Hannelore Schröder, Sally Sedgwick, and Holly L. Wilson. |
|
|
