The cultural imagery of women is deeply ingrained in our consciousness. So deply, in fact, that feminists see this as a fundamental threat to female autonomy because it enshrines procreative heterosexuality as well as the relations of domination and subordination between men and women. Diana Meyers' book is about this cultural imagery - and how, once it is internalized, it shapes perception, reflection, judgement, and desire. These intergral images have a deep impact not only on the individual psyche, but also on the social, political, and cultural syntax of society as a whole. Meyer's argues for the necessity of crafting a dissident, empowering, and "emancipatory counter-imagery" for women. Rigorous, well written, and accessible, the reach of Gender in the mirror is arguably catholic, and addresses the interests or readers across an impressive range of intellectual disciplines.
Reviews
Gender in the Mirror is a monograph in the theory of action or epistemology; as such it will be of most interest to scholars and students (of any gender) wanting to consider the ways in which feminist philosophy contributes to these fields and to the current literature on self-knowledge and on freedom of the will. * Hypathia *
A superb interdisciplinary study that successfully integrates a lush prose, emphasizing metaphors of mirror and voice, with philosophical rigo? * Choice *
Gender in the Mirror is a brilliant, comprehensive, account of the many ways in which androcentric images of the feminine undermine women's self-esteem and block our capacity for self-definition. Meyers argues with some urgency that a culture so hostile to women's self-development must be radically transformed; more than this, she develops a theory of female agency that would allow each of us in her own way to create narratives of our past, our present, and more importantly, of our future. * Sandra Bartky, Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago *
Ground-breaking, well-written, and accessible....Gender in the Mirror will be read by feminist theorists, gerontologists, psychoanalysts, and literary studies scholars as well as by a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate students in Women's Studies and Gender Studies programs. I also think Meyers's work will be widely discussed by non-feminist and feminist philosophers interested in the concept of autonomy. * Rosemarie Tong, Distinguished Professor in Health Care Ethics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte es *
Gender in the Mirror is a monograph in the theory of action or epistemology; as such it will be of most interest to scholars and students (of any gender) wanting to consider the ways in which feminist philosophy contributes to these fields and to the current literature on self-knowledge and on freedom of the will. * Hypathia *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195140415
Author Diana Tietjens Meyers
Format Paperback
Page Count 244
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 359g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 156mm * 17mm