Best Book For Feminist Law Student- Feminism is a simply a social , cultural and political movement that actively supports and fights for gender equality and women empowerment. A feminist is an individual who is an advocate of gender equality both socially, politically and economically. Feminists actively work towards destroying or changing structures that brings about gender inequality. For a law student with special interest in feminism, there are some books you need to study up to boost up your knowledge and also prepare for your career. In the following paragraphs, we would be discussing the best book for feminist law student.
Best Book For Feminist Law Student
The feminist legal theory is the best book for feminist law student.
About Feminist Legal Theory Book
Feminist legal theory is a rich and diverse field of study that seeks to promote gender justice and social change through a critical analysis of the law and legal systems. The book which was written by Nancy, E. Dowd and Michelle S. Jacobs reveals the intersection between feminist theory and legal theory. It talks about the relationship between gender and law. The study seeks to foster gender justice through the analysis of the law and legal systems. It is a valuable material for those that wants to understand the relationship between gender and the law.
Different topics were discussed in the book, some of which includes:
- Gender discrimination
- Women’s right
- Intersectionality
- Feminist legal methodologies
- Law and social change
Gender discrimination: the book explained how gender discrimination operates in legal system and its effect on the lives of women. Some of the issues include sexual harassment, gender pay gap and workplace discrimination.
Women’s right : The feminist legal theory is really keen about the recognition and protection of women’s right. Examples of these rights include the right to vote, reproductive rights, right to equal pay with male counterparts and liberation from gender-based violence.
Intersectionality: The feminist legal theory understands that the varying experiences of women are most times shaped by multiple identities e.g sexuality, race, class, disability. Intersectionality is another vital concept in feminist legal theory that reveals how multiple identities intersect to form varying and unique experiences of oppression.
Feminist legal methodologies: the topic consider ways that legal methodologies could be reformed in such a way that it would promote gender justice.
Law and social change: the theory argued that the law has the ability to promote social change and transform gender relations. Some of the strategies include use of the law to challenge discriminatory practices, creation of new legal frameworks to enhance gender inequality.
Other Books For Feminist Law Student
- “Feminist Legal Studies: Critical Concepts in Law” edited by Ruth Fletcher, Clare McGlynn, and Emily Grabham
- “Reconstructing Womanhood: The Emergence of the Afro-American Woman Novelist” by Hazel V. Carby
- “Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches” by Audre Lorde
- “Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity” by Judith Butler
- “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir
- “Women, Race, and Class” by Angela Y. Davis
- “Intersectionality and the Law: Discrimination, Equality, and Power” edited by Andrea J. Ritchie and Angela Y. Davis
- “Law and the Contradictions of the Disability Rights Movement” by Samuel R. Bagenstos
- “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America” by Richard Rothstein.
Feminist Legal Studies: Critical Concepts in Law
The book is a collection of essays and articles. This collection was done by Ruth Fletcher, a professor of Public law at Queen Mary University of London. These articles and essays were written by different scholars and practitioners from different fields such as political science, sociology, law and philosophy. The book which was first published in 2005 by Routledge gives an overview of the field of feminist legal studies.
The book is a great resource for those with special interest in feminist legal theory and its application to legal practice and social justice advocacy. It is divided into four volumes. Volume 1 talks about the history and development of feminist legal theory. Volume 2 highlights feminist legal methods and approaches. Volume 3 focusses on specific legal issues from the perspective of a feminist e.g violence against women, reproductive rights, discrimination, etc. The fourth volume talks about the intersectionality of feminist legal theory and other social movements e.g queer theory, disability studies and critical race theory.
Reconstructing Womanhood: The emergence of the Afro-American Woman Novelist
This book is another good book for feminist law student. It was published in 1987 and is a very important work in the field of African American literary studies.
The book highlights the contribution of great Afro-American women novelist most especially in the civil war era. How these women, who faced racial and gender discrimination, strove to create a new literary tradition that related their experience as black women in America.
The work of four writers were discussed in this boo k: Frances E. W. Harper, Jessie Fauset, Pauline E. Hopkins and Alice Dunbar-Nelson. These writers paved way for the voice of black women to be heard in the literary field. Restructuring womanhood is a valuable material for scholars of African American literature, American cultural history and women’s literature.
Sister Outsider
Sister Outsider is a collection of 15 essays and speeches written by Audre Lorde. The book which was first published in 1984 has become a seminar work in feminist and queer literature. The collection discusses different issues like sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, etc.
Some of the popular essays in this collection include: Uses of the erotic; The Erotic as Power and The Master’s Tools will Never Dismantle The Master’s House. The writer, Audre Lorde placed much emphasis on the significance of self-expression, self –care and community building. She makes it clear that these three factors are tools for resistance and survival in the face of systemic oppression.
Sister Outsider is a book that challenges its readers to critical thinking about power, privilege and liberation.
Gender Trouble
Gender trouble was written by Judith Butler, a philosopher and gender theorist. The book was published in 1990 and has now become a foundational text in feminist theory and queer theory. It is great book for feminist law student.
The main argument in the book is that gender is not a stable or natural phenomenon. Judith stated that gender is not what we have, but rather what we do. She also argued about the binary view of gender, the fact that it is fundamentally flawed. She believes that there is no relationship between biological sex and gender identity.
Women, Race and Class
It was written by Angela Y. Davis, a prominent scholar and activist. The book which is being seen as a ground breaking work in feminist and anti-racist literature was published in 1981. The book expantiate on the intersectionality of gender, race and class. She discussed on how these factors when combined shapes the experiences of women of color in the U.S.
The book is an important resource for anyone that want to understand the ways in which race, gender and class interconnect to shape the experience of the marginalized in the United States. The book is a vital tool in shaping the anti-racist and feminist theory and is popularly cited in academic and activist circles.
Intersectionality and the Law: Discrimination, Equality and Power
The book is also a collection of essays. It was edited by Andrea J.Ritchie and Angela Y. Davis, two famous scholars in the field of gender, race and social justice.
The concept of intersectionality was discussed explicitly in the book. Intersectionality believes that individuals have multiple and overlapping identities e.g gender, race, sexuality that shapes people’s experiences of power, inequality and discrimination.
The book is sectioned into three parts: the first division is an introduction to intersectionality and its significance to the law. The second division discusses the experiences of the marginalized e.g women of color, the disabled , queer and trans people. The third division explores different legal strategies for handling intersectional discrimination and enhancing equality such as human rights laws, affirmative action and social movement activism.
Law and the contradictions of the Disability Rights Movement
Law and the contradictions of the Disability Rights Movement is a book that brilliantly analyze the challenges being faced by the disability rights movement and also suggest the way forward to having a more inclusive society.
The book written by Samuel R. Bagentos examines the history and present state of disability rights in the United States. In the book, Bagentos argued that even though the disability rights movement have made impressive progress in the legal and policy arenas, there are still issues to be addressed. The two major issues include: the tension between the aspiration for autonomy and why support is important. The second issue is the tension between disability rights and civil rights generally.
Bargentos argues in the book that these issues arise partly because of the way the American society defines disability. Disability is mostly seen as a medical challenge that needs fixing, instead of a social issue that needs changes to social , political and economic structures of the society.
Last Word
The feminist legal theory is the best book for feminist law student. However, there are also other books that are great for feminist law student. Some of these books include: Reconstructing Womanhood, Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches, Women, Race, and Class, and others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the different types of feminism law?
They include Liberal feminism, Radical feminism and socialist feminism. Liberal feminism believe that men and women should be equal both in the eyes of the law, the workplace and the society at large. Radical feminism is a kind of feminism that demands a re-ordering of the society where every form of male supremacy is eliminated . Social feminism advocates for social rights and special preferences for women.
What themes are in feminist legal theory?
There are four themes in feminist legal theory and they include:
Difference
Dominance
Domesticity
Denial
Who founded feminism?
Mary Wollstonecraft was termed the founder of feminism after she published a book in 1792 titled: A vindication of the rights of woman. In the book, she argued that women has equal rights as the men, and that there should be no discrimination whatsoever of women.
Who coined the word: feminism?
The word feminism was coined in 1837 by French philosopher, Charles Fourier
What is the goal of feminism?
Feminism is a movement that seeks for gender equality. It calls for an end to sexism, exploitation and oppression of women.
References
- www. wikipedia. com- Feminism
- www. encyclopedia. com- Feminist Legal Theory
- www. routledge. com- Feminist Legal Studies