Gendered Readings of Change: A Feminist-Pragmatist Approach [Paperback]

This book develops a unique theory of change by drawing on American philosophy and contemporary feminist thought. Via a select history of ancient Greek and Pragmatist philosophies of change, Fischer argues for a reconstruction of transformation that is inclusive of women's experiences and thought.PART I: GENEALOGICAL REFLECTIONS ON CHANGE 1. Women, Change, and the Birth of Philosophy 2. Change in Dewey's and Aristotle's Metaphysics 3. Change in Dewey's and Aristotle's Self PART II: FEMINIST-PRAGMATIST RECONSTRUCTION OF CHANGE 4. The Feminist-Pragmatist Self 5. Democracy and Change as Transaction

An original and compelling book. Fischer problematizes canonical theories of change through a feminist-pragmatist approach. She highlights John Dewey's transformation of Aristotle's philosophy to explicate a dynamic sense of self. This leads to a feminist-pragmatist self with the capacity to effect socio-political change. Gendered hierarchies distorting philosophy from its inception are swept away in this model of humans in transaction with their environments. This is a philosophy for our time. - Charlene Haddock Seigfried, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Purdue University, USA

In this ambitious book Fischer addresses an important topic - the nature of change - in the contemporary context of feminist politics. Ranging from ancient philosophy to literature to political theory, Fischer develops a pragmatist-feminist account of how selves can initiate and undergo change. This carefully crafted and scholarly work is at the cutting edge of current feminist thought. - Alison Stone, Professor of European Philosophy, Lancaster University, UK