Differences That Matter

Feminist Theory and Postmodernism

Browse Return to Previous Page       Related Subjects All Subjects Feminist theory/Women's studies

by Sara Ahmed

Cambridge University Press

Due/Published January 1999, 260 pages, paper

ISBN 0521597617

Differences That Matter challenges theories of the relationship betweenfeminism and postmodernism that ask "is/should feminism be modern orpostmodern?" Pointing out how postmodernism has been allowed to dictate feministdebates, Sara Ahmed argues instead that feminism must itself ask questions ofpostmodernism; that feminist theorists speak (back) to postmodernism rather thansimply speak on (their relationship to) it. This "speaking back" involves arefusal to position postmodernism as a generalizable condition of the world,using close readings of postmodern constructions of rights, ethics, "woman,"subjectivity, authorship and film.

Contents: Introduction: speaking back; 1. Rights; 2. Ethics; 3. Woman; 4.Subjects; 5. Authorship; 6. (Meta)fictions; 7. Screens; Conclusion: events thatmove us.