Just Methods: An Interdisciplinary Feminist Reader

by Alison M. Jaggar

Feminist research is a growing tradition of inquiry that aims to produce knowledge that is not biased by inequitable assumptions about gender and related categories such as class, race, religion, sexuality, and nationality.Just Methods is designed for upper level undergraduate and graduate students in a range of disciplines. Rather than being concerned with particular techniques of inquiry, the interdisciplinary readings in this book address broad questions of research methodology. They are designed to help researchers think critically and constructively about the epistemological and ethical implications of various approaches to research selection and research design, evidence-gathering techniques, and publication of results.A key theme running through the readings is the complex inter-relationship between social power and inequality, on the one hand, and the production of knowledge, on the other. A second and related theme is the inseparability of research projects and methodologies from ethical and political values.

Genres: Feminism, Academic, Nonfiction, Grad School

528 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Alison M. Jaggar is a College Professor of Distinction in the Philosophy and Women and Gender Studies departments at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She is also a Research Coordinator at the Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature, University of Oslo, Norway. Jaggar was one of the first people to introduce feminist concerns in to philosophy. She is a founding member of the Society for Women in Philosophy, was instrumental in the creation of the field of feminist studies, and taught what she believes to have been the first feminist philosophy course ever offered.

Jaggar's work has been hugely influential, with Rosemarie Tong and Nancy Williams suggesting in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy that "If ethics is about human beings' liberation, then Alison Jaggar's summary of the fourfold function of feminist ethics cannot be improved upon in any significant way" and Jaggar's texts being considered classics.

Jaggar received a bachelor's in philosophy at Bedford College, University of London in 1964. She received a master's in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh in 1967, and her doctorate in philosophy from the State University of New York, Buffalo in 1970. During her career, Jaggar has held appointments at SUNY Buffalo, Miami University of Ohio, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of California, Los Angeles, Rutgers University, Victoria University of Wellington, and the University of Oslo.

Jaggar has authored a large number of widely cited papers, most notably Love and knowledge: Emotion in feminist epistemology, published in 1989 and cited by at least 800 other peer-reviewed papers as of August, 2013. Jaggar has also acted as co-editor for the first issue of Telos, and was an associate editor of Hypatia from 2006-2008.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection is okay, not great. The selection of articles does not really delve into feminist method as much as it should and actually excludes many areas. I thought the literary studies section was lame at best. Also, these articles are severely edited, often in places that disallowed a firm understanding of the articles. That said, there is some good stuff here. I especially enjoyed Diana Strassman's discussion of feminist economics. This collection did present me with a new understanding of what methodology is and how one can approach methodology for whatever discipline as feminist. However, there really was no information about how to apply feminist methodology to literary studies. The only thing they address is the canon, which is not exactly an original thought.

As I said, this book is good, but not great. I recommend a different reader if you want a thorough introduction to feminist methodology. If you just want to know what feminist methodology is, this reader does have a very broad (at times too broad) overview of methodology, but no specific methods.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the text assigned for my course on feminist research methodology and inquirary. Who knew I'd love Methods so much? Jaggar's book is a fantastic compliation of important feminist articles surrounding issues of ethical research and how to go about conducting such. This book reminded me of the infinite possibilities that feminist research holds as well as the responsibilities I have to conduct the best research possible. Invigorating and inspiring.

YAY RESEARCH METHODS!