Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression (Thinking Gender) [Paperback]

Sandra Lee Bartky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 1990 | ISBN-10: 0415901863 | ISBN-13: 978-0415901864 | Edition: 1

Bartky draws on the experience of daily life to unmask the many disguises by which intimations of inferiority are visited upon women. She critiques both the male bias of current theory and the debilitating dominion held by notions of "proper femininity" over women and their bodies in patriarchal culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In seven lucid, incisive essays written over a 15-year period, Bartky confronts some of the ways in which women can be disempowered by the society they nonetheless support. With uncompromising logic, she shows how feminism can be integrated into philosophy. "On Psychological Oppression" explores the reality of such oppression and the resulting alienation of the oppressed, and the similarities between the effects of sexism and those of racism and colonialism. "Feeding Egos and Tending Wounds" maintains that traditional heterosexual relationships keep women subservient through unequal exchange of women's emotional support for men's economic support. Women's acquiescence to their own sexual objectification and the inevitable failure of their efforts to match mass-marketed standards of beauty is discussed in terms of Marx's concept of alienation in "Narcissism, Femininity, and Alienation." Other pieces consider the complexities of "politically correct sexuality" and how Michel Foucault's perspectives can be brought into feminist dialogue. Bartky teaches philosophy at the University of Illinois.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Sandra Lee Bartky is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois, Chicago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (November 20, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415901863
• ISBN-13: 978-0415901864
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Nonfiction > Philosophy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a way of looking at how we're socialized for trouble, May 9, 2000

By 

Ame Hunter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression (Thinking Gender) (Paperback)

There's nothing worse than forced femininity and how it limits a woman's life.This book gets you beyond all the gender bias non-sense and leads you to understand how we got in this mess in the first place and how to change,because humans ARE capable of change and do not have to stay in boundaries which bind their talents,aspirations and individual make up.

Within all humans,there are different degrees of femininity and masculinity and the masculine based way that men are raised,has allowed them not only greater freedom in the world but also greater freedom within,to think strong and be strong,whilst women have been given a limited recipe for life which binds them to a femininity which may not be part of a particular woman's physical or emotional make up..I get the message that women are taught to play a role of false femininity which suffocates their true natures as individuals.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an essential read to help understand human relations, March 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression (Thinking Gender) (Paperback)

though i first read this book for a class, i have since turned to it many times. ms. bartky has a clear grasp on the dynamics of relations between men and women not only on the basic level of how we treat eachother, but on the intimate level of how we treat ourselves. this is a must read not only for feminists, but for anyone who has ever wondered why men and women are treated differently in our society... why we ARE different, and how we can change or overcome our seeming differences. it may be a bit thick at times on philosophical and sociological language, but the messages come through loud and clear enough so that you don't need to be schooled in either discipline to enjoy it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars gender masterpiece, January 24, 2011

By 

Aaron Summers Effler (South Bend, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Femininity and Domination: Studies in the Phenomenology of Oppression (Thinking Gender) (Paperback)

The overly defensive review that was written by a male does a complete disservice to the brilliance of Bartky's work. Not only has Bartky covered important new territory in understanding gender dynamics, she has done so in a style that is extremely readable. This accessibility is particularly apparent when comparing Bartky's work to Judith Butler's work. Both transformed the way that people understand gender dynamics, but Bartky articulates her insights in a far more accessible way. In closing, I would say that if one wants a useful evaluation of Bartky's work, one should ask a woman about how Bartky's work captures or fails to capture her experience of the world, not a male who's reactionary when confronted with the realities of gender privilege.