Unspeakable : a feminist ethic of speech / Betty McLellan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McLellan, Betty, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Freedom of speech.

Feminist ethics.

Feminism.

Ethics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (274 p.)

Place of Publication:

Townsville, Queensland, Australia : OtherWise Publications, 2010.

Summary:

This is a book about speech and the silencing of speech; about who gets to speak and who does not; about who is listened to and who is ignored. In this down-to-earth analysis of the democratic principle of freedom of speech, Betty McLellan insists that, if this prized democratic principle is to have any continuing credibility, free speech must be free for all. Written from the perspective of feminist ethics, Unspeakable focuses on how women are silenced in every nation on earth: through violence, subordination and exclusion. The author's hope is that radical feminism will continue to be a "feminism of dissent" and that radical, political feminists will continue speaking against the silence.

Contents:

Intro

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

Feminist ethics

Current debates in feminist ethics

Care versus justice

Equality versus justice

Feminist ethics and international relations

Violence

Subordination

Exclusion

Major themes of the book

Defining feminism

Early definitions

Feminism today

Postmodern feminism

Transnational feminism

Political feminism

Radical feminism

Outline of the book

Part I FREE SPEECH versus FAIR SPEECH

1 FREE SPEECH

Three arguments

The argument for truth

Marketplace of ideas

Slippery slope

The argument for self-determination

The argument for equality

Granting free speech to all

Eliminating all subordinating speech and speech acts

Creating a more just society

Free speech and democracy

Democracy defined as rule by the people

Democracy defined as rule for the people

The national interest

National security

Mandate

Party solidarity

An example of "rule for the people"

Free speech and power

Collusion between governments and corporations

Increasing the stress on individuals and families

Dumbing-down of society

Lies and deceit

Ignoring the speech of the powerless

Free speech for all

2 FAIR SPEECH

The context for fair speech

Free trade

Free trade favours the powerful

Free trade fosters and entrenches inequality

Free trade focuses on the individual

Free trade ignores quality of life

Free speech

Fair trade and fair speech compared

Fair trade

The concept of fair speech

Feminist theory

Approaches to equality

Formal equality or gender-neutral approach

Differences approach

Subordination or dominance approach

Fair speech and the subordination approach to equality

The question of harm

Pornography as harmful practice.

Pornography subordinates

Pornography silences

Silenced by powerlessness

Silenced by being ignored

Silenced by disablement

Violence against women

Physical violence by an intimate partner

Sexual assault

Emotional and verbal abuse

Sexual harassment

Fundamentalism

Exclusion from power

Part II THE SILENCING OF WOMEN

3 SILENCING WOMEN'S VOICES

Tactics of silencing

Violence and threats of violence

Violence against heterosexual women

Violence against lesbians

Religious and cultural fundamentalism

Market fundamentalism

The use and abuse of women's bodies

Abuse of women by military personnel

Abuse of women as integral to men's sport

Pornography and prostitution

Men's exclusive hold on power

Men's use of token women

The exclusion of women in the name of war

The exclusion of women in the name of peace

The devastating effects of exclusion

Twenty-first-century tactics

International economic imperatives

Poverty

Migrant domestic workers

Sweatshop workers

The language of corporate governance

In the name of community and cultural solidarity

In the name of anti-racism and cultural inclusiveness

4 SILENCING DISSENTING VOICES

Systematic silencing

Propaganda

Set up (official or unofficial) arms of government to manage propaganda

The media

The Institute of Public Affairs

Repeat carefully selected terms till they become part of everyday vocabulary

Never admit a mistake

Perfect the art of diverting attention

Be prepared to lie and deceive

War on terror

Weapons of mass destruction

Other lies

Fear

Language

Language of war

Language of corporate governance

New class theory

Public choice theory

Language of postmodernism

Targeted silencing

Restricting non-government organisations.

Imposing strict accountability requirements

Managing consultation processes

Curbing the advocacy role

Weakening the union movement

Discrediting popular social movements

The feminist movement

Movements for the liberation of racial minorities

The peace movement

The environment movement

The anti-globalisation movement

5 WOMEN SILENCING WOMEN

Perceptions of silencing

Accusations of silencing

Actual silencing

Lesbian feminists

Lesbian chauvinism

Oppressive sex roles

Divisive to the women's movement

Radical feminists

The liberal emphasis on individual choice

The postmodern emphasis on gender

The Feminist Ordinance against Pornography (1983)

Test-Tube Women: What Future for Motherhood? (1984)

The Sexual Liberals and the Attack on Feminism (1990)

Radically Speaking: Feminism Reclaimed (1996)

Indigenous women

Excluding Indigenous women

Theorising about Indigenous women

Trying to fix the "problem"

Women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Part III SPEAKING THROUGH THE SILENCING

6 SPEAKING THE UNSPEAKABLE

Feminist speech rendered unspeakable

Ethical implications of continuing to speak

Implications for women in general

Improving the situation of women

Handing over women's issues to the mainstream

Exacerbating the violence perpetrated against women

Exacerbating the sexual subordination of women and girls

Challenging the speech of other women

Implications for the speaker

Fighting unwinnable battles

Standing in judgement of others

Ensuring one's speech is fair speech

Considering the cost of not speaking

7 FEMINIST SPEECH IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Feminism in non-Western settings

Feminism in Western countries

The current status of Western feminism

Backlash theory

Abeyance theory.

Underground operations theory

Diaspora theory

Virtual space theory

Feminist speech into the future

Non-radical feminist voices

Radical feminist voices

Total engagement

Appraisal and reflection

Definition of the problem

Historical data

Loyalties and pressures

Analysis of the roots of oppression

Protest

Action

Conclusion

REFERENCES

SELECTION OF RADICAL FEMINIST WEBSITES

INDEX.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [241]-255) and index.

OCLC:

615591030