Explores how science can accommodate feminist inquiry and how feminism can make use of science

How close is feminist psychology to contemporary feminism? How can feminist psychological practice address issues of `difference' between women in meaningful ways? What price has feminist psychology had to pay for attempting to engage with mainstream psychology to revise and improve it? This book critiques feminist practice within psychology, and reflects the diversity from across the globe of feminist struggles around psychology. An international group of key feminist psychologists explore the relations between feminist politics and psychological practices in: transitional and postcolonial contexts; the distinct European traditions of critical psychology and women's studies; and psychology's colonial `centre' in the United

This major book offers a comprehensive overview of key debates on subjectivity and the subject in psychological theory and practice. In addition to social construction's long engagement with social relations, this volume addresses questions of the body, technology, intersubjectivity, writing and investigative practices. The internationally renowned contributors explore the tensions and opposing viewpoints raised by these issues, and show how analyzing the psychological subject interrelates with reforming the practices of psychology. Drawing on perspectives that include feminism, dialogics, poststructuralism, hermeneutics, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and cultural or social studies of science, readers are guided through pivotal

Knowing Feminisms looks at feminism as a vital source of new knowledge and new ways of working throughout a range of disciplines. It also scrutinizes the sometimes highly problematic forms its presence within academia can take. The contributors, all well-known feminist academics, discuss the epistemological and ontological borderlands' that feminisms inhabit, which although within, still remain other' to, the academy. The book addresses fundamentally important questions such as: Should feminists work within traditional disciplines or abandon them in favour of Women's Studies? Is the idea of feminist pedagogy as empowerment' actually one which de-skills? Does the feminist transformation of some academic disciplines signify that these are no longer significant sites of knowledge and/or power? Do the essential organizational features of disciplines and institutions depend upon repressive means, or is it possible to transform these according to feminist principles? Are some disciplines and types of institutions particularly resistant to feminist ideas? Is an intellectual home' for feminism ever possible or desirable within academia, or is critical thinking best done from the margins? Can Women's Studies as an organizational presence within the university encompass dissenting positions on these foundational questions, or will it contain and control what can be said and by whom?

What are the best ways to do research on the psychology of women and gender? Within feminist psychology, there is a great deal of methodological creativity and diversity. This volume highlights how familiar methods such as focus groups can be brought to bear on feminist issues. It demonstrates less common methods, such as Q-sort, phenomenological analysis, concept mapping, and discourse analysis. Moreover, it explores the role of personal values, interpersonal dynamics, and sociopolitical influences on the research process. Over 60 international contributors share insights into adolescent girls and adult women s sexuality, violence and its prevention, life patterns and narratives, the teaching-research nexus, gender and race in clinical practice, and more. Included is a comprehensive resource guide for research, publication and teaching on methodological diversity.

Feminist psychology is vigorous, creative, and increasingly activist. This volume reflects women's diversity and incorporates strategies for social action and opportunities for political activism. It anticipates trends and developments in the psychology of women and feminist psychology. Chapters include those about women and self-esteem, leadership skills, welfare reform, spirituality, and domestic violence. The emphasis on social activism is unique. Unusual and cutting-edge research methodologies and techniques are also discussed. This book will be of interest to clinicians and scholars aiming to enhance their expertise and awareness in this field. The focus on contemporary research and future directions of the psychology of women will be a welcome, sophisticated addition to a syllabus for graduate courses in the psychology of women.

Feminist Reconstructions in Psychology introduces a distinctive new mode of doing psychology. This psychology is based on an increasingly popular range of ideas called social constructionism. Within the book, new forms of theory and methods of inquiry relating social constructionism to feminist topics are introduced. Each chapter highlights different topics of special concern within gender studies, especially the psychology of women. The first chapter outlines the purposes of the book and positions social constructionism in relation to the more traditional "feminist psychologies" empiricist and feminist standpoint. Given the trend toward social constructionism, [the author thinks] the broad audience of people doing gender work will be interested in becoming familiar with this approach to the field. The second and third chapters are focused on narrative methods as a means for studying gender differences in popular autobiographies. The discussions center on differences in stories of achievement, family, love, and embodiment. Quotations from well-known personalities, such as Donald Trump and Martina Navratilova, enrich the text. The fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters involve issues of menopause with a focus group methodology, a historical look at the "male gaze" as it is poised on the Naked Maja painting by Goya, and how relationships function within imaginal conversations. The two final chapters in the book are exemplars of a recent innovation in the field called performative psychology. One monologue is about aging in contemporary society and the other is a feminist critique of aspects of postmodernism itself. The book draws from the central tenets of postmodern inquiry, as played out in the positive framework of social constructionism. Emphasized are reflexivity, the social basis of reality making, the breakdown of traditional narrative forms, the loss of objectivity as a scientific standard, and the possibilities for new forms of doing research. In this respect, the book is unique and serves to provide a point of view on an intriguing movement that is gaining momentum across the social sciences and humanities. It is hoped that this book might serve as a catalyst for further innovative work in psychology. This text encourages such moves by its own irreverence for traditions and its overt efforts to break down resistances to creativity in the field.