Books by Sarah LaChance Adams
Our amorous and erotic experiences do not simply bring us pleasure; they shape our very identitie... more Our amorous and erotic experiences do not simply bring us pleasure; they shape our very identities, our ways of relating to ourselves, each other and our shared world. This volume challenges some of our most prevalent assumptions relating to identity, the body, monogamy, libido, sexual identity, seduction, fidelity, orgasm, and more. In twelve original and philosophically thought-provoking essays, the authors reflect on the broader meanings of love and sex: what their shifting historical meanings entail for us in the present; how they are constrained by social conventions; the ambiguous juxtaposition of agency and passivity that they reveal; how they shape and are formed by political institutions; the opportunities they present to resist the confines of gender and sexual orientation; how cultural artefacts can become incorporated into the body; and how love and sex both form and justify our ethical world views. Ideal for students both in philosophy and gender studies, this highly readable book takes us to the very heart of two of the most important dimensions of human experience and meaning-making: to the seductive and alluring, confusing and frustrating, realms of love and sex. " From a new reading of Plato's understanding of erotic love to a scientific criticism of clichéd gender roles in heterosexual relationships, from a defence of polyamory to a discussion of the failed medicalization of feminine sexuality, there's something in here for everyone: a refreshingly varied collection of essays on philosophical topics in sex and love. " – Carol Hay, Associate Professor of Philosophy
http://www.rowmaninternational.com/books/new-philosophies-of-love-and-sex
Our amorous and erotic ... more http://www.rowmaninternational.com/books/new-philosophies-of-love-and-sex
Our amorous and erotic experiences do not simply bring us pleasure; they shape our very identities, our ways of relating to ourselves, each other and our shared world. This volume reflects on some of our most prevalent assumptions relating to identity, the body, monogamy, libido, sexual identity, seduction, fidelity, orgasm, and more.The book covers common conflicts and confusions and includes work by established scholars and innovative new thinkers. Philosophically challenging but highly readable, the volume is ideal for a wide range of courses on love and sex, including those taught in philosophy and gender studies.
Mad mother, bad mothers and what a good mother would do: the ethics of ambivalence
Chapter 1: Int... more Mad mother, bad mothers and what a good mother would do: the ethics of ambivalence
Chapter 1: Introduction and Chapter 6: Maternity as Negotiating Mutual Transcendence in the Philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir
Coming to Life does what too few scholarly works have dared to attempt: It takes seriously the ph... more Coming to Life does what too few scholarly works have dared to attempt: It takes seriously the philosophical significance of women's lived experience. Every woman, regardless of her own reproductive story, is touched by the beliefs and norms governing discourses about pregnancy, childbirth, and mothering.
The volume's contributors engage in sustained reflection on women's experiences and on the beliefs, customs, and political institutions by which they are informed. They think beyond the traditional pro-choice/pro-life dichotomy, speak to the manifold nature of mothering by considering the experiences of adoptive mothers and birthmothers, and upend the belief that childrearing practices must be uniform, despite psychosexual differences in children. Many chapters reveal the radical shortcomings of conventional philosophical wisdom by placing trenchant assumptions about subjectivity, gender, power and virtue in dialogue with women's experience.
Papers by Sarah LaChance Adams
Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews
While the existence of maternal ambivalence has been evident for centuries, it has only recently ... more While the existence of maternal ambivalence has been evident for centuries, it has only recently been recognized as central to the lived experience of mothering. This accessible, yet intellectually rigorous, interdisciplinary collection demonstrates its presence and meaning in relation to numerous topics such as pregnancy, birth, Caesarean sections, sleep, self-estrangement, helicopter parenting, poverty, environmental degradation, depression, anxiety, queer mothering, disability, neglect, filicide and war rape. Its authors deny the assumption that mothers who experience ambivalence are bad, evil, unnatural, or insane. Moreover, historical records and cross-cultural narratives indicate that maternal ambivalence appears in a wide range of circumstances; but that it becomes unmanageable in circumstances of inequity, deprivation and violence. From this premise, the authors in this collection raise imperative ethical, social, and political questions, suggesting possibilities for vital cultural transformations. These candid explorations demand we rethink our basic assumptions about how mothering is experienced in everyday life
Hypatia reviews online, 2015
In Feminism, Psychoanalysis, and Maternal Subjectivity, Alison Stone considers the idea that the ... more In Feminism, Psychoanalysis, and Maternal Subjectivity, Alison Stone considers the idea that the rejection of the maternal is integral to the development of subjectivity. She argues that to become a modern subject has meant to be an autonomous, independent agent, largely free of dependency on others, and therefore separated from one\\u27s mother. This means that maternal subjectivity has arisen in the paradoxical position of needing to both create and reject a maternal identity. Her analysis is situated within the contemporary context, considering the impact that culture has on psyche. She draws primarily from psychoanalytic theory, from the classical to the contemporary feminist
APA Newsletter on Feminism and Philosophy, 2015
Shelley Park’s Mothering Queerly, Queering Motherhood brings some critical new insights to philos... more Shelley Park’s Mothering Queerly, Queering Motherhood brings some critical new insights to philosophical scholarship on maternity. Her central concern is to challenge the notion that a child will have only one “real” mother. She takes us through a variety of social phenomena where we see this assumption manifested: custody battles, adoption policies, children’s literature, and, most personally, her struggles with her eldest adopted daughter. She further demonstrates how the “ideological doctrine” of monomaternalism is a joint manifestation of patriarchy, heteronormativity, capitalism, and Eurocentrism (7). Park’s argument is bolstered by turning our attention to non-normative maternal practices in adoptive, lesbian, blended, and polygamous families. This adds important new dimensions to a phenomenology of motherhood and strengthens the feminist critique of biological essentialism, demonstrating that some mothers will be more or less capable at different times
New Perspectives on Sartre, 2010
Hypatia
Manifestations of misogyny have proliferated over time, reshaping and diversifying in response to... more Manifestations of misogyny have proliferated over time, reshaping and diversifying in response to increasing gender inclusivity and the progression of women's rights. Although some forms of gender-based exploitation are painfully blatant and obviously express a sexist ideology, other forms are more ambiguous, hiding in the collective shadows of the masculinist psyche and public discourse. These covert forms of misogyny are not necessarily less devastating to those who experience them than are the more widely recognized overt forms, especially when they occur within intimate relationships. 1 Indeed, their very elusiveness leaves victims prone to torturous self-doubt, threatening their confidence and self-trust and corroding their agency. Within romantic or intimate relationships, even subtle misogyny contravenes the mutual respect and vulnerability that loving intimacy requires. The articles in this cluster illuminate moments on a continuum of misogyny in the context of relationships, from overt, consciously sexist, and violent expressions to covert, sometimes indeliberate expressions. They also highlight the ambiguities and ambivalences at play in at least some of its manifestations. Our hope is that entertaining the notion of a continuum of misogyny can illuminate some of its subtle behavioral expressions, while contributing to a growing understanding of its logic. This may clarify the affective dissonance that agents experience when they sense, yet doubt, that they are experiencing misogyny. The articles in this cluster, and the analysis we offer here, is part of a larger attempt in contemporary feminist theory to demystify the bewilderingly expansive range of misogynistic behavior by identifying, naming, and making sense of its novel or previously obscured expressions to pave the way for healthier and more ethical relationships. Kate Manne's Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny offers a novel and ameliorative structure for understanding and responding to misogyny, one that helps to frame the articles in this cluster. Of particular use are Manne's distinction between sexism and misogyny, and her insistence that misogyny need not involve the hatred of women. Manne understands sexism as "the branch of patriarchal ideology that justifies and rationalizes a patriarchal social order" (Manne 2018, 20). Misogyny, by contrast, is "the system that polices and enforces its governing norms and expectations" (20). Manne's characterization of misogyny contrasts with the popular notion that it is primarily a property of hate-filled individuals, who are hostile to any and every woman (32). As such, it represents an important contribution to the feminist project of decoding misogyny because it better explains lived experience (31).
Choice Reviews Online, 2014
Mad Mothers, Bad Mothers, and What a "Good" Mother Would Do
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Books by Sarah LaChance Adams
Our amorous and erotic experiences do not simply bring us pleasure; they shape our very identities, our ways of relating to ourselves, each other and our shared world. This volume reflects on some of our most prevalent assumptions relating to identity, the body, monogamy, libido, sexual identity, seduction, fidelity, orgasm, and more.The book covers common conflicts and confusions and includes work by established scholars and innovative new thinkers. Philosophically challenging but highly readable, the volume is ideal for a wide range of courses on love and sex, including those taught in philosophy and gender studies.
Chapter 1: Introduction and Chapter 6: Maternity as Negotiating Mutual Transcendence in the Philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir
The volume's contributors engage in sustained reflection on women's experiences and on the beliefs, customs, and political institutions by which they are informed. They think beyond the traditional pro-choice/pro-life dichotomy, speak to the manifold nature of mothering by considering the experiences of adoptive mothers and birthmothers, and upend the belief that childrearing practices must be uniform, despite psychosexual differences in children. Many chapters reveal the radical shortcomings of conventional philosophical wisdom by placing trenchant assumptions about subjectivity, gender, power and virtue in dialogue with women's experience.
Papers by Sarah LaChance Adams
Our amorous and erotic experiences do not simply bring us pleasure; they shape our very identities, our ways of relating to ourselves, each other and our shared world. This volume reflects on some of our most prevalent assumptions relating to identity, the body, monogamy, libido, sexual identity, seduction, fidelity, orgasm, and more.The book covers common conflicts and confusions and includes work by established scholars and innovative new thinkers. Philosophically challenging but highly readable, the volume is ideal for a wide range of courses on love and sex, including those taught in philosophy and gender studies.
Chapter 1: Introduction and Chapter 6: Maternity as Negotiating Mutual Transcendence in the Philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir
The volume's contributors engage in sustained reflection on women's experiences and on the beliefs, customs, and political institutions by which they are informed. They think beyond the traditional pro-choice/pro-life dichotomy, speak to the manifold nature of mothering by considering the experiences of adoptive mothers and birthmothers, and upend the belief that childrearing practices must be uniform, despite psychosexual differences in children. Many chapters reveal the radical shortcomings of conventional philosophical wisdom by placing trenchant assumptions about subjectivity, gender, power and virtue in dialogue with women's experience.
and a review of and Mad Mothers, Bad Mothers, and What a 'Good' Mother Would Do by Sarah LaChance Adams (reviewed by Dana Belu)