The Seduction of the Female Body : Women's Rights in Need of a New Body Politics

If the first part of the title hints at a sensual book written by a young female scholar attempting to make 'male'-stream philosophy sexy again, the second evokes the repetitious feminist claim that women are the victims of an oppressive patriarchal structure. However, this book is neither a feminist manifesto nor a cleverly marketed erotic novel lacking in substance. Its aim is both more ambitious and provocative. Drawing on the ambiguous meaning of the notion of vulnerability, the book offers an innovative approach to the topic of the female body in relation to women's rights; going beyond the age-old dichotomy of casting women as either passive victims or conscious agents. Thanks to a profound confrontation with the works of Judith Butler and Adriana Cavarero on the concept of vulnerability, the book offers also a unique insight into the different feminist 'schools' to which these philosophers belong Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-6 Feminism: A Trouble Spot....Pages 7-45 The Adventures of the Body....Pages 46-75 The Problem of Human Vulnerability....Pages 76-115 Bodily Uniqueness and Symbolization....Pages 116-149 Contemporary Society and its Body Politics....Pages 150-171 Back Matter....Pages 172-191