Customer Reviews

The Second Wave: A Reader in Feminist Theory

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This superb collection of seminal texts from the so-called "second wave" of feminism is perhpas the best introduction to feminist thought I've come across. From Simone DeBeauvoir's famous statement "one is not born a woman..." to Gayatri Spivak's ruminations on "strategic essentialism" and Third World representation in American academia, literally every text is exceptional. The reader will find (almost) everything, from revolutionary African-American and Latina responses to the purported Eurocentrism in early feminist studies, to French feminists' (Irigaray and Wittig, specifically) provocative interrogations of the phallocentric culture, to mention a few. My only complaint is Nicholson's introductions to each section-- they could be a bit longer and more comprehensive; readers with a cursory knowledge of feminist thought should consider reading a basic introduction, not the texts themselves, before delving into this collection. Regardless, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in women's studies/feminism.

I got this book for my Feminist Theory class, taught by one of the contributors, Uma Narayan, and have found it to be an excellent representation of the diversity of feminist theory: Radical Lesbian Feminists, Marxist Feminists, Liberal Feminists, Third-World Feminists and more all contribute powerful pieces. It really is a great way to expand your knowledge of feminism... you learn it's a complicated and controversial topic--many of the essays disagree with each other. I highly recommend this book for a diverse array of accounts in feminist history.