Universal Difference: Feminism and the Liberal Undecidability of 'Women'

by Kate Nash

Against those who see liberalism as exclusionary of women's specificity, the author argues that the ambivalent relationship between liberalism and feminism has been productive. She discusses variations in liberalism and its use as a resource for feminists. Although the study looks at texts, the aim is to examine liberalism in practice rather than as a set of ideas. Topics include the critique of liberalism as masculinist, ambivalent anti-patriarchalism, the democratization of liberalism, post-war liberal-democracy and the undecidability of women, and feminist decisions. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

170 pages, Hardcover

First published October 29, 1997