Yesterday I was checking out Zed Books and decided I want to read more transnational feminist theory If you are interested in this, let me know and we can discuss it here. I am going to read this first: Feminism and War: Confronting U.S. Imperialism It's not at any of the libraries here so I'm gonna order it. I guess this will be the book for March. Let me know if you're in...
14 comments:
I'm in! -kanako
I'm interested - where are you ordering a copy from? I see Powell's has it (new) for $40. -Bridget
Hi I usually order from Orca but I was already getting something from Powell's so I included this in my order--you can find it cheaper if you look, but I like to support the independent book stores. Quitty can order anything for you at Orca. They say it won't be here until March 12th though, so maybe this will be for March/April. Probably more realistic...it seems like something they should have through Evergreen but I didn't see it. You can probably get it through Summit though (not sure if you have to be a student for that).
i'd love to get my hands on this book, but i'm a grad student so i barely make rent. i will keep my eyes open for an affordable copy asap, though.
good find!
my copy from powell's came in and i've only just cracked the intro since it's one of a number of books i'm currently reading. should we post discussion bits as comments here?
hi sara, i think we should just post multiple posts on this one book so that people who might check the blog see them. i can write something at the top maybe. i've been meaning to try and change the stupid graphics of this thing, but i haven't had time to mess around with it
i got my book yesterday and just finished the angela davis book. anyhow if someone posts on a topic or a chapter, then the rest of us can discuss that in the comments, or post a new topic kind of like a thread? i guess we can just see how it works out. cool that you are reading a long. i figure i will probably read 1-3 chapters a week as i am reading other stuff a well. ok well i will post soon on this, but go ahead and start it if you want! xoxoxo
so i've been reading this book and it is full of technical terms, jargon
the subject matter is important, but it's frustrating that it's written this way
it needs to be translated into normal language people can understand
i hate that this is the case and haven't had the energy to write about it yet
This reminds me of the virtues of Valenti's "Full-Frontal Feminism."
Heady, scholarly publications place themselves in the "pretty doorstop" category if the material is inaccessible for use. The purpose should be to mobilize and inform women, not just get someone a fancy-schmancy degree.
well to be fair to the book, the audience for the book are popular intellectuals and activists involved at the international level, as well as academics. i just wrote about the conference the book came out of, but the irony is that these scholars aim is to change international policy. they are not the careerist ivory tower intellectual types, but those who attend UN conferences and work with International Law and NGO's. that the language they use is inaccessible to a mass audience should come as no surprise, since there is a specialized language that comes with every academic discipline. still i think that these issues are really important for us to consider as well, from our vantage point as feminists working outside the academic and international policy realm--i feel i have to read this stuff just to understand what is happening in the world, as a means of navigating reality. it is also strategic. as western feminists, whose agenda is being furthered if we do not examine what it means to be a western feminist in terms of imperialism and war?
so many spelling mistakes in that last comment i made, sorry
looking at the notes on contributors, there are several writers who are not academics, but are coming from activist perspectives...maybe some of that writing will be less confusing? hope so!
i think when people are writing in order to impact policy, they often adapt to the language of that policy. this book seems to have a weird mix of jargon--theoretical as well as technical. i am trying to decode it because i think it's important.
i know a lot of people don't know what 'hegemony' or even 'ideology' mean--still these terms are useful theoretical tools that as feminists we should have access to and be able to use. angela davis writes here about conceptual tools...very interesting to think along these lines. the way we think, conceptual tools, as having an impact on how we act. naming things is important, defining terms even more so...that there are names for things we don't have the names to can be intimidating, but learning the names and how they use them can be potentially radical, as long as we are sharing those definitions with our communities.
well put. i wish i could afford the book. then i could further understand what's being furthered.
i really like your proactive second comment. thank god people are doing just that, decoding. i don't doubt that the material is incredibly important. i think you're very nice to the field, too. i'm in psychology and people publish stuff with made-up words all the time. so, like, not even stuff that a dictionary can help...
I guess I'd like stuff to be more accessible.
Margaret Mead:"If one can not state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent 12 year old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls of the university and laboratory until one gets a better grasp of one's subject matter."
I just happened to have that quote handy cuz I was discussing text-book writing with someone recently. And, i don't know if it accurately pertains to the book (damn the price tag!), but i think loftiness is generally scary and pervasive. i am being very critical, though. again, that book may be clear and masterfully written. however, i hope the nonacademics kick the academics butt in clarity! that would be awesome! please keep me updated.
you can request it from your library, but it may take a while
Post a Comment