New French Feminisms

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Since 1968, feminist theory has been the subject of much serious intellectual inquiry in France. While the French are familiar with American feminist texts, the opposite is not true - American knowledge of French feminist writing is often limited to Simone de Beauvoir's "The Second Sex," published in 1949. This anthology of NEW FRENCH FEMINISMS is an attempt to bridge that gap. The editors have included over fifty selections of recent French feminist writing, most of which have never before been translated into English, and some of which have never been published in either French or English. The selections reflect the wide spectrum of theories comprising the French feminist movement. These theories complement the more pragmatic and empirical approach of American feminists, for they emphasize dialectical thought, psychoanalytic and linguistic theory, and the politics of language and culture. The editors provide introductory essays that discuss the history of French discourses on feminism and analyze the post-1968 developments. They also supply a chronological table outlining both the major events of French history and those of the French feminist movement, as well as a bio/bibliography and a bibliography.