Feminist Legal Theory: A Primer

by Nancy Levit

Feminist legal theory is one of the most dynamic fields in the law, and it affects issues ranging from child custody to sexual harassment. Since its initial publication in 2006, Feminist Legal Theory: A Primer has received rave reviews. Now, in the completely updated second edition of this outstanding primer, Nancy Levit and Robert R.M. Verchick introduce the diverse strands of feminist legal theory and discuss an array of substantive legal topics, pulling in recent court decisions, new laws, and important shifts in culture and technology. The book centers on feminist legal theories, including equal treatment theory, cultural feminism, dominance theory, critical race feminism, lesbian feminism, postmodern feminism, and ecofeminism. Readers will find new material on women in politics, gender and globalization, and the promise and danger of expanding social media. Updated statistics and empirical analysis appear throughout. The authors, prominent experts in the field, also address feminist legal methods, such as consciousness-raising and storytelling. The primer offers an accessible and pragmatic approach to feminist legal theory. It demonstrates the ways feminist legal theory operates in real-life contexts, including domestic violence, reproductive rights, workplace discrimination, education, sports, pornography, and global issues of gender. The authors highlight a sweeping range of cutting-edge topics at the intersection of law and gender, such as single-sex schools, abortion, same-sex marriage, rape on college campuses, and international trafficking in women and girls. At its core, Feminist Legal Theory shows the importance of the roles of law and feminist legal theory in shaping contemporary gender issues.

Genres: Law, Legal, Feminism, Feminist Theory, Academic

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2006

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nancy Levit is one of my professors and I read this during some research assistant work this past summer. It's incredible to compare legal norms before and after the 1960's/70's.

[kacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm impressed by the thoroughness of this primer. Levit and Verchick cover so much: maternity leave, equal pay, the military's "don't ask don't tell" policy, same-sex education, athletics, abortion, child custody, rape, domestic violence, sex trafficking - just to name a few. For each issue discussed, the authors give brief legal and legislative histories, spell out current debates from all sorts of theoretical perspectives, and address the role of culture and the concerns of women at the intersection of race, class, sexual orientation, etc.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have been lucky enough to take several courses with nancy levit in law school. her book is considered the standard in feminist legal theory, and has challenged me, as a woman, to approach a hostile legal system with innovation and integrity.

she is one of the finest scholars i have had the privilege to study under.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this for class, but I read every word! And it didn't feel like any of it went over my head, which is a good sign!