Worlds of Knowing: Global Feminist Epistemologies
Jane Duran's Worlds of Knowing begins to fill an enormous gap in the literature of feminist epistemology: a wide-ranging, cross-cultural primer on worldviews and epistemologies of various cultures and their appropriations by indigenous feminist movements in those cultures. It is the much needed epistemological counterpart to work on cross-cultural feminist social and political philosophy. This project is absolutely breath-taking in scope, yet a manageable read for anyone with some background...
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Jane Duran's Worlds of Knowing begins to fill an enormous gap in the literature of feminist epistemology: a wide-ranging, cross-cultural primer on worldviews and epistemologies of various cultures and their appropriations by indigenous feminist movements in those cultures. It is the much needed epistemological counterpart to work on cross-cultural feminist social and political philosophy. This project is absolutely breath-taking in scope, yet a manageable read for anyone with some background in feminist theory, history, or anthropology. Duran draws many comparisons and connections to Western philosophical and feminist ideas, yet avoids facile or imperialistic over-universalization. Her book is powerful, comprehensive, and brave. It will prove an enormously useful resource for scholars in women's studies, philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, and history.
PrefaceAcknowledgmentsCh. 1Knowledges/Foci3Examining the Poststructuralist Challenge5Postcolonialism and Its Impact on Theorizing8Knowledge, the Epistemic, and Frames of Categorization11Women's Appropriation of Knowledge14The View from Everywhere17Ch. 2Northern India and Its Cultures23Androcentrism and Its Manifestations26The Strands of the Feminine29An Historical View of Women33Women of Northern India Today37The Women's Movement in Northern India40Feminist Retrievals of Knowledge Traditions44Recapitulating the Northern Indian View47Ch. 3Dravidian India and Its Cultures51Masculinism and Its Concomitants54Searching for the Gynocentric57An Historical Trajectory60Contemporary Women of the South64Feminism in the South68Reappropriating the Tradition71An Overview of the Dravidian Regions75Ch. 4Bangladesh and Islam79The Male-Centered Point of View82Realms of the Feminine85The History of Bengali Women89The Current Status of Women in Bangladesh92A Nascent Feminist Movement96Feminist Reconstitutions of the View100Summarizing the Bangladeshi Situation103Ch. 5Nepal and the Himalayan Societies107Articulating the Male-Oriented View110Female-Centering within the View113The Nepalese Women's History117The Nepali Woman: A Contemporary Look120Feminist Beginnings in Nepal124Women and the Knowledge Path128The Nepalese View131Ch. 6Mexico and the Mestizaje137Macho, Male-Centeredness, and Dominance140Female-Centeredness and Its Focal Points143Searching for the Historical Roots147Mexican Women Now150The Mexican Feminisms154Mexican Feminist Reconstructions of Knowledge158Recounting the Mexican Worldview161Ch. 7Guatemala and the Indigenous165The Androcentric Outlook168The Gynocentric and the Traditional Culture171Historical Tie-ins and Their Importance175The Contemporary Guatemalan Woman178Feminisms of Guatemala182Reconstituting Knowledge186The Mayan Mythos189Ch. 8Chicana/os193The Masculine and the Chicano196A Women-Centered View199History and the Chicana/o202The Chicana Today206A Chicana Feminist Outlook210Reconstructing Ways of Knowing214The Chicana/o Trajectory217Ch. 9The African Diaspora in the United States221Tracing the Androcentric224Unraveling the Gynocentric227Black Women's Histories and Their Impacts231Contemporary Black Women234A Womanist/Feminist Response238Black Women's Rebuilding of Knowledge242The African Diaspora in the New World245Ch. 10Retrievals/Outcomes251Redefining Essentialisms254With Broad Strokes and Grosgrain257Knowledge, Knowing, and Working260Sexualities and Categories263Conclusions, Wished-for and Actual266Notes271Index297
