Material Feminisms

This richly layered collection of essays explores materiality from the perspectives of an international group of feminist theorists. The editors categorize the essays into three sections: Material Theory, Material World, and Material Bodies. In the introduction, the editors argue that feminist theorists tend “to focus on the discursive at the expense of the material.” Rather than the concept of mind over matter, this work maintains that matter and mind are equal forces, and that there are real consequences to placing one above the other. After defining the theory, section two looks at nature, which the editors state is “entangled with the nature of philosophy, politics, literature, and popular culture.” The third section grounds the other two, giving body to the theories of material feminisms. It is in this last section that readers can see how feminist theory can embrace matter without hierarchy. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty.