Women And Children First: Feminism, Rhetoric, And Public Policy (Suny Series in Gender Theory) [Paperback]

Sharon M. Meagher (Editor), Patrice Diquinzio (Editor)

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (August 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791465403
• ISBN-13: 978-0791465400
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,430,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sharon M. Meagher (pronounced "Marr') is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Latin American Studies and Women's Studies at the University of Scranton, Scranton, PA USA, 18510.

Both Dr. Meagher's teaching and research focus on interdisciplinary connections in three areas: 1) philosophy and the city; 2) philosophy and literature; 3) contemporary social and political philosophy, with particular emphasis on feminist theory. What integrates these studies is a focus on ethics, public policy and social justice. While her work is grounded strongly in the history of philosophy, her research and courses tend to focus on contemporary social issues.

In her work away from the University, Dr. Meagher also has focused on public policy and social justice issues. From 1999-2001, she worked as Director of Education at The Union Institute's Office for Social Responsibility in Washington, DC, an academically based public policy center. There she worked on issues concerning university social responsibility, nonprofit organizations and democratic values, and women's issues. Dr. Meagher has been very active in theScranton community, serving as the founding president of Mulberry Central Neighborhood Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to coordinating services and development activities in the city's hill section.

As advocate for the public relevance of philosophy, Dr. Meagher currently serves on the board of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and was a founding member of the American Philosophical Association's Committee on Public Philosophy.

Dr. Meagher published a book on feminist analyses of public policy (Women and Children First, Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 2005). Her anthology that collects the history of Western philosophical writings on the city is in press and will be available in January 2008; it is entitled Philosophy and the City: Classic to Contemporary Writings (Albany: SUNY Press). She is currently completing a monograph that entails her philosophical analysis of the relationship between Western philosophy and the city.

She regularly teaches Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, various feminist philosophy courses, "Women and Development in Latin America," "Philosophy and the City," Philosophy of Education. Dr. Meagher is also the co-facilitator of The University of Scranton's faculty sustainability workshop, a project that assists faculty in integrating sustainability issues in courses across the curriculum.

Meagher maintains a large website in support of her text PHILOSOPHY AND THE CITY, which can be found at: http://www.philosophyandthecity.org

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from the editor, January 18, 2006

By 

Sharon M. Meagher (Waverly, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Women And Children First: Feminism, Rhetoric, And Public Policy (Suny Series in Gender Theory) (Paperback)

I am not going to review my own books (but this format requires the assignment of stars), but I thought that it might be helpful for readers to learn more about the book. Here are the public relations materials from SUNY Press:

A critique of public policy rhetoric from multiple feminist perspectives.

This diverse collection explores the rhetoric of a wide range of public policies that propose "to put women and children first," including homeland security, school violence, gun control, medical intervention of intersex infants, and policies that aim to distinguish "good" from "bad" mothers. Using various feminist philosophical analyses, the contributors uncover a logic of paternalistic treatment of women and children that purports to protect them but almost always also disempowers them and sometimes harms them. This logic is widespread in contemporary popular policy discourse and affects the way that people understand and respond to social and political issues. Contributors rethink basic philosophical assumptions concerning subjectivity, difference, and dualistic logic in order to read the rhetoric of contemporary public policy discourse and develop new ways of talking and acting in the policy domain.

"It is indeed important, as the editors claim, that social philosophers join the fray as public intellectuals, participating in policy discussions and recommending policy changes. This book does a nice job conveying that `politics matter,' and feminist ethicists and political philosophers will turn to it to receive guidance. Many of us will no doubt use it in our courses because the controversial topics covered will make for great classroom discussion." - Mechthild Nagel, coeditor of Race, Class, and Community Identity

"This volume offers a highly interesting and provocative look at the complex, often contradictory, relationship of women and public policy. The essays, including an excellent introduction by the editors, reveal the dilemmas inherent in past feminist approaches to this topic and suggest new ways to approach it. Particularly valuable is the book's discussion of `security' in the post-9/11 world, as an element that now enters such debates." - Carole E. Joffe, University of California at Davis

Contributors include Norma L. Buydens, Sonya Charles, Patrice DiQuinzio, Ellen K. Feder, Kirsten Isgro, Tina Managhan, Sharon M. Meagher, Kelly Oliver, Elizabeth F. Randol, Jennifer A. Reich, Sally J. Scholz, and Tricha Shivas.