Feminism / Theory in the World (PDF)

Lamasis a refreshing, incisive voice and the history she charts is a welcome and informative one.The English translation of Feminism poses questions and problems that remain points of contention in feminist work across institutions and social spaces. This will be a timely and useful resource for students and scholars interested in learning more about theoretical and political tensions that shaped late twentieth-century Mexican feminism." - Rosemary Hennessy, Director, Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality and Professor, Department of English, Rice University

"Three main scholarly heritages - anthropology, feminism, and Marxism - overlap and inspire Lamas's approach in this veritable tour de force. This book takes up from the early days of women's consciousness-raising, to today's global feminist commitment, to human rights and a democratic praxis founded on inclusionary politics. A feminist in the trenches since the 1970s, Lamas offers new generations of students and scholars a highly accessible text that will persist, undoubtedly, as a required reference for years to come. This is a book you want to read, teach, and keep at hand." - Norma Klahn, Professor of Literature, University of California, Santa Cruz

"Lamas gives us new forms of feminist theory and politics from the perspective of her own long-standing engagement with Mexican feminism. Here, we learn how terms like 'feminism,''gender,' 'sexual difference,' and 'essentialism' have been historically and locally inflected bymujerismo, sectarian discord, and Zapatista feminism, as well as by common struggles against the Catholic Church,the machismo of workers' parties, indigenismo movements on the left,and habits of political corruption that have encouraged rape and abuse.A profound reflection on the place of 'theory' in future iterations of feminist theory and political activism rounds out the work's compass. Lamas's ground-breaking book, like others in this important series, reminds us that theory is nota Eurocentric affair, but rather a multi-sited thinking in and of the world." - Emily Apter, Professor of French and Comparative Literature, New York University and series editor of Translation/Transnation

"Marta Lamas is an extraordinary thinker and writer. Her work is path-breaking and original. This book will bring her and the history of Mexican feminism to a broad audience. As theory and history it is an indispensable read." - Joan W. Scott, Harold F. Linder Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study

"Lamas's essays span three decades of intellectual and political leadership in Mexico's feminist movement. Among the challenges they throw down, two stand out: politics will go nowhere without theory, and feminism must overcome dogmatism and 'arrogant' sectarianism if it is to develop a viable political base. The Theory in the World series is an ideal setting for the transmission of Lamas's work." - Mary Louise Pratt, Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures, New York University