Sex, culture, and justice : the limits of choice / Clare Chambers.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chambers, Clare.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Feminist theory.

Sex role--Philosophy.

Sex role.

Feminine beauty (Aesthetics)--Social aspects.

Feminine beauty (Aesthetics).

Human body--Social aspects.

Human body.

Social norms.

Autonomy (Philosophy).

Liberalism--Philosophy.

Liberalism.

Social aspects.

Physical Description:

x, 294 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, [2008]

Summary:

Autonomy is fundamental to liberalism. But autonomous individuals often choose to do things that harm themselves or undermine their equality. In particular, women often choose to participate in practices of sexual inequalitycosmetic surgery, gendered patterns of work and childcare, makeup, restrictive clothing, or the sexual subordination required by membership in certain religious groups. In this book, Clare Chambers argues that this predicament poses a fundamental challenge to many existing liberal and multicultural theories that dominate contemporary political philosophy. Chambers argues that a theory of justice cannot ignore the influence of culture and the role it plays in shaping choices. If cultures shape choices, it is problematic to use those choices as the measure of the justice of the culture. Drawing upon feminist critiques of gender inequality and poststructuralist theories of social construction.

Contents:

Introduction

Creativity, cultural practice, and the body : Foucault and three problems with the liberal focus on choice

Masculine domination, radical feminism, and change

Social construction, normativity, and difference

All must have prizes : the liberal case for interference in cultural practices

Two orders of autonomy and political liberalism : breast implants versus female genital mutilation

Paternalism and autonomy

Liberal perfectionism and the autonomy of restricted lives

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [267]-283) and index.

ISBN:

9780271033013

0271033010

OCLC:

153772741