Social Science : Feminism & Feminist Theory

The bestselling classic that redefined our view of the relationship between beauty and female identity. In today's world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women's movement, however, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which, she argues, may prove just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife. It's the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty.". more...

Price: $11.99

This second edition of a highly successful core text contains new material on women and their relation to work, crime and the family. It is an excellent introduction to the feminist contribution to sociology. more...

Price: $51.95

While some see the Miss American Pageant as hokey vestige of another era, many remain enthralled by the annual Atlantic City event. And whether you love it or hate it, no one can deny the impact the contest has had on American popular culture-indeed, many reality television shows seem to have taken cues from the pageant. Founded in 1921, the Miss America Pageant has provided a fascinating glimpse into how American standards of femininity have been defined, projected, maintained, and challenged. At various times, it has been praised as a positive role model for young American women, protested as degrading to women by feminists, and shamed by scandals, such as the one caused by the Penthouse photos of Vanessa Williams in 1984. In this first interdisciplinary anthology to examine this uniquely American event, scholars defend, critique, and reflect on the pageant, grappling with themes like beauty, race, the body, identity, kitsch, and consumerism. ""There She Is, Miss America"" provides a fascinating examination of an enduring American icon. more...

Price: $75.00

Confronting the difficulties that white Western feminism has in balancing issues of gender with other forms of difference, such as race, ethnicity and nation, this study argues that feminist thought can begin to work "against purity" in order to develop more complex models of power, identity and the self. more...

Price: $44.95

Heather Merrill investigates how migrants and Northern Italians struggle over meanings and negotiate social and cultural identities. Using rich ethnographic material, Merrill traces the emergence of Alma MaterÑan anti-racist organization formed to address problems encountered by migrant women. Through this analysis, she reveals the dynamics of an alliance consisting of women from many countries of origin and religious and class backgrounds. more...

Price: $75.00