Lesbian Philosophy: Explorations

by Jeffner Allen

Outrageous, sensitive, critical, poetic lesbian theory. Reflections on violence against women, motherhood, friendship and more.

Genres: Lesbian, Feminism, LGBT, Queer, Philosophy

119 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1991

Reviews

[fausto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is a very short book, but truly A-mazing. Allen address in the two first essays the politics of man-hating and the re-membering of the lesbian self, in some ways you can see this two essays as a more philosophical view of some of the subjects of Valerie Solana's SCUM Manifesto, the description of her rape by a black man is really fierce and heartbreaking.

The third essay address motherhood and its relation with the construction of women's onthology under patriarchy, in some way is kind of response to Monique Wittig's essay of the straight mind. The last essay is on female friendship and is by far the most scholarly of the whole book, basically address the radical possibilities of friendship and love between women in contrast with the ancient Greek-constructed ethics of male bonding. Mary Daly's Gyn/Ecology is probably the main inspiration, and Daly's book shape the contents of the four essays.
A must read! Specially for the uniqueness of her address of man-hating politics as a response to male sexual violence!