Lesbian Philosophies and Cultures

by Jeffner Allen (Editor)

The lesbians who have contributed to this book are theorists and activists who write as members of diverse lesbian cultures. Each lesbian has her ways of knowing, her voices, approaches, methodologies, languages. Each lesbian reflects, directly and indirectly, her relations to her own and to other ethnicities, races, social classes, physical abilities, ages, and nationalities. Each lesbian has distinctive perspectives on lesbian existence, friendships and sexualities, separatism and coalition building, theories of knowledge and ethics, language and writing. Lesbian Philosophies and Cultures is a hybrid site for discussion of, work on, and delight in this sometimes uneasy, sometimes painful, sometimes surprising and wonderful, lesbian pluralism.

For this collection, some of the contributors have chosen to write in essay style, and some have chosen to write in fiction, autobiography, poetic prose and experimental forms. The contributors, all of whom live currently in the u.s.a. or quebec, are: Joyce Trebilcot, Vivienne Louise, Kitty Tsui, Ann Ferguson, Julia Penelope, Marthe Rosenfeld, Claudia Card, Anna Lee, Maria Lugones, Edwina Franchild, Caryatis Cardea, Baba Copper, Bette S. Tallen, Michele Causse, Sarah Lucia Hoagland, Nett Hart, Marilyn Frye, Kim Hall, Jacquelyn N. Zita, Monique Wittig, Nicole Brossard, Gloria E. Anzaldua, Jeffner Allen.

Genres: Lesbian, Nonfiction, LGBT, Philosophy, Theory, Feminism

410 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1990

Reviews

[Racy-tay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book to finally read Marilyn Frye's Lesbian "Sex". I also read Claudia Card, Anna Lee, and Sarah Lucia Hoagland (the last in my opinion the best). Although I value feminist theory so very much, there comes a point in almost each and every essay when I get frustrated at the unnecessarily obtuse language, where an otherwise brilliant piece of writing devolves into something inaccessible even for someone familiar with reading critical theory. It stumps me how critical legal studies can be written so much more clearly than feminist theory! Very frustrating. Ah well, I love it anyway.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME place to start with lesbian thinking

[l · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection though I had no time at all for the French theorists (Brossard, Wittig, Causse). Loved Maria Lugones' essay. Sarah Lucia Hoagland's response to Carol Gilligan was great as well.