Enlightened Women

This is a bold and controversial feminist, philosophical critique of postmodernism. Whilst providing a brief and accessible introduction to postmodernist feminist thought, Enlightened Women is also a unique defence of realism and enlightenment philosophy. The first half of the book covers an analysis of some of the most influential postmodernist theorists, such as Luce Irigaray and Judith Butler. In the second half Alison Assiter advocates a return to modernism in feminism. She argues, against the current orthodoxy, that there can be a distinction between "sex" and "gender". For students trying to pick their way through the maze of literature in the area of postmodernist feminism, Enlightened Women is a concise guide to contemporary thought - as well as a radical contribution to the debate.

How are women transforming the practice of leadership in the 21st century? Enlightened Power is a first-of-a-kind book that answers this question--and forever changes the traditional notions involving women in leadership. The book features the accumulated wisdom of 40 influential men and women who represent the most compelling voices in the field, including: Dynamic business leaders such as Eileen Fisher (founder, Eileen Fisher, Inc.), Barbara Corcoran (founder and chairman, The Corcoran Group), and Pat Mitchell (president and CEO, PBS) Trailblazing women from other arenas such as politics (Ambassador Swanee Hunt), the military (Rear Admiral Deborah A. Loewer, USN), and sports (U.S. Olympian Marilyn King) Renowned thought leaders such as Riane Eisler, Rayona Sharpnack, Sally Helgesen, Peggy Klaus, Bruce Patton, Nancy J. Adler, and Gail Evans Leading-edge academics, activists, executives, entrepreneurs, and practitioners

Centering on five life stories by Chinese women activists born just after the turn of this century, this first history of Chinese May Fourth feminism disrupts the Chinese Communist Party's master narrative of Chinese women's liberation, reconfigures the history of the Chinese Enlightenment from a gender perspective, and addresses the question of how feminism engendered social change cross-culturally. In this multilayered book, the first-person narratives are complemented by a history of the discursive process and the author's sophisticated intertextual readings. Together, the parts form a fascinating historical portrait of how educated Chinese men and women actively deployed and appropriated ideologies from the West in their pursuit of national salvation and self-emancipation. As Wang demonstrates, feminism was embraced by men as instrumental to China's modernity and by women as pointing to a new way of life.

Being an Enlightened Woman is about embracing the freedom to just "be." The freedom to be completely confident in who you are and who you are becoming in the sacred and significant season of midlife. The midlife rite of passage is a reminder that you are a priceless masterpiece ready to live a life of meaning and fulfillment. There is both madness and magnificence in this season, and if you embrace the opportunity to evolve and expand, you will emerge with the grace to master it all. Dr. Hayes encourages women to rebuild and update their lives to find their joy. In the midlife season and beyond, it's vital that we don't give in to the crisis and chaos that abound when this inevitable transformation overtakes our psyches and bodies. You have two options: retreat from the upheaval or master it. Celebrate this opportunity for a radical reset to transform your midlife narrative. Your life is calling, waiting to be lived. It's time to enjoy the journey and rediscover the joy of being you!

"In the opening chapters of her book, Assiter provides a lucid exposition of contemporary postmodern feminism. She analyses the writings of some of its most influential theorists, and places them in the wider context of postmodern and post-structuralist theory as developed, for example, by Lyotard and Derrida. Assiter then develops a citique of the antirealist stance that unites postmodern thinkers and makes a powerful argument for epistemological realism." "In later chapters, Assiter goes on to outline a 'modernist' feminist epistemology based on communities rather than the individual; she asserts that a version of the humanist subject based on bodily identity can be defended against postmodernist deconstructions; and she demonstrates that we can indeed make claims about women that are universally true. Enlightened Women argues for retaining the distinction between sex and gender and concludes with an alternative reading of the theory of sexuality." "Enlightened Women provides a clear and concise overview of postmodernism and French feminist thought; at the same time it argues, against received opinion, for a partial return to modernist values."--Jacket.

Women, Enlightenment and Catholicism explores, for the first time, the uncharted territory of women’s religious Enlightenment. Each chapter offers a biographical insight into the social and cultural context of female Enlighteners and how Catholic women in Europe used the thought and values of Enlightenment to articulate their beliefs about how to live their faith in the world. The collection of portraits within this book offers a closer look into the new understanding of womanhood that emerged from Enlightenment culture and was conceived independently from marital relationships. They also highlight the distinctive contributions that women made to political and religious philosophy, spirituality and mysticism, and the efforts to bring scientific knowledge to the attention of other women. Guiding readers through the complex religious, intellectual and global connections influenced by the Enlightenment, Women, Enlightenment and Catholicism brings the achievements of Enlightenment women to the foreground and restores them to their rightful place in intellectual history. It is ideal reading for scholars and students of Enlightenment history, early modern religion and early modern women’s history.

A brilliant, impassioned, unflinching account of the firestorm of #MeToo, how we got there, and where we must now go. In Women, Men, and the Whole Damn Thing, author David Leser presents an essential and incisive investigation, unearthing the roots of misogyny, its inextricable links to the patriarchy, and how history brought us to the #MeToo movement and the wave of incandescent female rage that is sweeping the world. Crucially, he also interrogates his own psyche, privilege, and culpability as he bears witness to the “collective wound of the world” and asks how we can move towards healing and profound and permanent change. This book calls on men (yes, all men) to be accountable for their contribution to the continuing oppression of women by the patriarchal structures that have dominated our culture historically and through to the present. He argues that misogyny and female oppression is the greatest moral issue of our times and we are all responsible for dismantling the structures which cause such oppression. This book is his journey into how to grapple with both the personal and collective aftermath of #MeToo and the new future. Including interviews with Tina Brown, Zainab Salbi, Marlene Schiappa, and Helen Garner, among other globally recognized names, Women, Men, and the Whole Damn Thing is a bold, honest, and self-searching global overview of the cultural moment of misogyny that we exist in and, perhaps, a way to move forward.

Did women have an Enlightenment? This path-breaking volume of interdisciplinary essays by forty leading scholars provides a detailed picture of the controversial, innovative role played by women and gender issues in the age of light.