Knowledge, Difference, And Power: Essays Inspired By Women's Ways Of Knowing [Paperback]

Mary Field Belenky (Author), Nancy Rule Goldberger (Author), Jill Mattuck Tarule (Author), Blythe Mcvicker Clinchy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 046503733X | ISBN-13: 978-0465037339 | Publication Date: April 11, 1998

An impressive and innovative follow up to Women’s Ways of Knowing, this book shows how the authors’ “ways of knowing” theory revolutionized the fields of law, education, psychology, and women’s studies, to name but a few. In essence, this dynamic collection poses the ultimate question: Can we come to understand and respect diverse ways of knowing? Features: 15 essays, all written exclusively for this volume the essays are by the original authors of Women’s Ways of Knowing and prominent contributors, including Sandra Harding, Aida Hurtado, Sara Ruddick, Michael Mahoney, and Patricinio Schweickart in separate chapters, the authors explore how their thinking has developed and changed since Women’s Ways of Knowing argument is expanded beyond gender and knowledge to address the factors of color, class, and culture.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the late 1980s, Women's Ways of Knowing blew through academia and psychology like a stiff wind. Based on a demographically diverse study of women, it shouldered aside theories crafted around men that often cast a dubious light on how women know and learn. This scholarly book sparked angry debate in many fields, from women's studies to philosophy, law, and culture studies.

The four original collaborators have convened with other contributors to revisit their theory, fill in some holes, and raise (or, in some cases, respond to) fierce challenges. Rather than reflexively defending the quartet's brainchild, lead author Nancy Goldberger paves the way toward expansion, stating that "theories are stories and authors of theories are storytellers." Coauthor Blythe McVicker Clinchy underscores this observation by taking the opportunity to clarify key distinctions between the twinned orientations of connected (empathic, receptive) and separate (critical, judgmental) ways of knowing. Also among the 14 essays is an incisive piece on how color and class differences that were routinely ignored by feminists and theorists might better be taken into account. --Francesca Coltrera

From Publishers Weekly

Ten years ago, the editors, all educators working in the field of psychology, published a theory of epistemology based on interviews with women that caused ripples in academic circles. This anniversary volume contains 15 articles, including one by each editor, that deal with the controversies that arose from the original work, Women's Ways of Knowing, and the ways in which the writers have since changed their thinking. Several pieces, including one by feminist Sara Ruddick, deal with the concept of "connected knowing," which, according to the authors, means acquiring knowledge by entering the belief world of another person; it has been criticized by some as contributing to a gender-determined system of learning. An interesting piece by social psychologist Aida Hurtado addresses the issues of race and class in relation to ways of knowing. These scholarly contributions will be of interest primarily to those already familiar with the original work.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (April 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 046503733X
• ISBN-13: 978-0465037339
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Women's Ways of Knowing Part II, September 15, 2008

By 

J. Williams "shakespearess" (Hazelwood, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Knowledge, Difference, And Power: Essays Inspired By Women's Ways Of Knowing (Paperback)

How do women learn? That question was first posed in the book "Women's Ways of Knowing". This book is a rebuttal. Many criticisms popped up after the publication of WWK and these concerns are addressed in "Knowledge, Difference, and Power". I like this book because it contains those criticisms, and if you read WWK, then you'll really appreciate that. What really needs to happen, besides the writing of these books, is that men and women acknowledge that the way women learn and understand things is just as valid as the way men do. We need equality in academia at all levels, as well as equal pay if women are to truly be equal.