Inclusive Feminism

A Third Wave Theory of Women's Commonality

By (author) Naomi Zack Lehman College, CUNY

Publication date:

11 March 2005

Length of book:

208 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Dimensions:

238x159mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780742542983

Second Wave feminism collapsed in the early 1980s when a universal definition of women was abandoned. At the same time, as a reaction to the narcissism of white middle class feminism, 'intersectionality' led to many different feminisms according to race, sexual preference and class. These ongoing segregations make it impossible for women to unite politically and they have not ended exclusion and discrimination among women, especially in the academy. In Inclusisve Feminism, Naomi Zack provides a universal, relational definition of women, critically engages both Anglo and French feminists and shows how women can become a united historical force, with the political goal of ruling in place of men.
This timely—indeed overdue—book incisively addresses the central concern of Western feminists for the past quarter century. Challenging the orthodoxy of intersectionality, Zack proposes a relational essentialism that explains women's commonality without denying diversity or inequality. Her book is clear, bold, erudite—and fun to read.