SITUATING FEMINISM CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY Series Editor: Mark Gottdiener University of California, Riverside CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL THEORY books are brief, introduc- tory texts designed to make current trends in social theory accessible to undergraduate students in the social sciences. VOLUMES IN THIS SERIES 1. Tom Mayer, ANALYTICAL MARXISM 2. Sondra Farganis, SITUATING FEMINISM: From Thought to Action 3. Raymond A. Morrow with David D. Brown, CRITICAL THEORY AND METHODOLOGY 4. Robert Hollinger, POSTMODERNISM IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: A Thematic Approach SERIES EDITORIAL BOARD Ben N. Agger, Sociology, SUNY Buffalo Robert J. Antonio, Sociology, Univ. of Kansas Wini Breines, Sociology, Northeastern Univ. Richard Harvey Brown, Sociology, Univ. of Maryland, College Park Nancy Fraser, Philosophy, Norwestern Univ. Kenneth J. Gergen, Psychology, Swarthmore College Lawrence E. Hazelrigg, Sociology, Florida State Univ. Douglas Kellner, Philosophy, Univ. of Texas, Austin Jennifer M. Lehmann, Sociology, Univ. of Nebraska, Lincoln Eric Monkkonen, History, UCLA John O'Neill, Sociology, York Univ. Paul Rabinow, Anthropology, Univ. of California, Berkeley SITUATING FEMINISM FROM THOUGHT TO ACTION SONDRA FARGANIS CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL TH EORY VOLUME 2 SAGE Publications International Educational and Professional Publisher Thousand Oaks London New Delhi Copyright © 1994 by Sage Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information stor- age and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information address: / ^v SAGE Publications, Inc. 1^1 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 E-mail: [email protected] SAGE Publications Ltd. 6 Bonhill Street London EC2A 4PU United Kingdom SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd. M-32 Market Greater Kailash I New Delhi 110 048 India Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Farganis, Sondra. Situating feminism: from thought to action / author, Sondra Farganis. p. cm. - (Contemporary social theory; v. 2) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN 0-8039-4649-X - ISBN 0-8039-4650-3 (pbk.) 1. Feminism-United States. 2. Feminist theory. I. Title. II. Series: Contemporary social theory. HQ1421.F37 1994 305.42'01-dc20 94-7489 CIP 96 97 98 99 00 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Sage Production Editor: Yvonne Könneker In memory of Alan, who left us too soon. C O N T E N TS Acknowledgments ix 1. Introduction 1 2. Contemporary Feminist Theory 14 Overview of Contemporary Feminist Theory 16 Equitability, Standpoint, and Postmodernism 22 Equity 26 A Woman-Centered Standpoint 30 Difference and Postmodernity 33 Conclusion 45 3. The Sears Case 50 Contours of the Sears Case 53 Implications of the Sears Case 60 Sears and Postmodernism 66 4. The Baby Μ Case 70 Particulars of the Baby Μ Case 72 Unpacking the Issues in the Baby Μ Case 74 Feminism and Surrogacy 85 5. The Hedda Nussbaum Case 95 Specifics of the Nussbaum Case 97 Analyzing the Nussbaum Case 102 Postmodernist Reflections on the Case 109 6. The Hill/Thomas Case 115 Particulars of the Hill/Thomas Case 120 The Politics of Sexual Harassment 126 Significance of the Hill/Thomas Case 133 Conclusion 140 Feminist Legal Theory 141 Public/Private 147 Final Considerations 168 References 172 Additional Readings 184 Author Index 187 Subject Index 191 About the Author 195 A C K N O W L E D G M E N TS I am mindful of Mark Twain's missionary who is captured by cannibals: "They listened very carefully and thoughtfully to every word he said. Then they ate him." I hope this shall not be my fate. My colleagues at the New School have provided me a space to raise questions, criticize prevailing opinions, and dissent from positions that seemed to me wrought with danger. As a result, I've not been afraid to ask whether my own positions contain untenable political consequences. In Mark Gottdeiner, I found friendship and support, which allowed this book to move from a mere argument to a full-fledged essay. Sid Plotkin has provided an example of the academy at its best: I value our conversations, which have ranged widely and deeply. I also have, in my life- world, a trinity that has anchored me in a safe harbor. Jim's ten- acity and brilliance of intellect has always taken me to a place where I could not go on my own. I know why his students revere him, for he fires up their imaginations like nobody else can. Daphne has embodied a vision of womanhood that is not sullied by pettiness and bitterness but alive with care, concern, and tol- erance. She has been a model of how one can support equity and diversity without tearing apart some abstract notion of Other as enemy. Dion, levelheaded, emboldened by a piercing wit, worked through this manuscript in that final summer and helped a proj- ect reach its destination. His directness is softened by charm and sculpted by intellect. My gratitude to this trio knows no bounds. ix