Introduction to Feminist Legal Theory

by Martha Chamallas

The leading text in the field, Introduction to Feminist Legal Theory was the first book that served as an introductory survey of feminist jurisprudence. Its historical view of feminist legal theory places issues in social context and thoroughly reviews the evolving paradigms of contemporary feminism from the 1970s through the present. The full range of legal issues affecting women are covered, including gender discrimination, rape, sexual harassment, motherhood, reproductive issues, and much more. Clear, energetic presentation keeps students engaged and involved with succinct overviews, intellectually stimulating material, and jargon-free prose.

The Third Edition features up-to-date theories and topics, such as the "autonomy" feminism and "masculinities" theory. Expansion of the current theory-based structure includes the "big three" feminisms described in the previous edition and the "new three" feminisms, which are expanded in the third edition. New applied areas are covered as well, such as transgender legal issues and sex trafficking. While the book remains U.S.-focused, important new material on global and comparative feminism has been added. Throughout the text, students will find discussion about changes in the law since 2003 on issues such as rape, pay equity, sex stereotyping, marriage equality, Title IX, and more.

Genres: Law, Feminism

430 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 1998

Reviews

[Mia Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally when I’m researching a topic, I just find the most relevant chapter of a book and read that. But when I started the introduction of this book I just knew the entire thing was going to be a bit of me. So I read the entire thing!!! So I’m adding it to my goodreads. If you’re remotely interested in feminism and how male dominance impacts our everyday lives, and has done throughout history, give it a read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

My most underlined and written-in textbook. This book does everything from explaining the different "forms" of feminism and their influences on feminist legal theory to giving specific examples of how feminist legal analysis has been applied to several landmark cases. A must-read for any feminist.

[Mills College Library]

340.11 C442i 2013