Spanning nearly two decades, from 1980 to 1996, this Reader investigates the debates which have best characterized feminist theory. Including such articles as Pornography and Fantasy, The Body and Cinema, Nature as Female, and A Manifesto for Cyborgs, the extracts examine thoughts on sexualtiy as a domain of exploration, the visual representation of women, what being a feminist means, and why feminists are increasingly involved in political struggles to negotiate the context and meaning of technological development.
With writings by bell hooks,...

Political interventions in pursuit of gender equality are currently high on the political agenda, but the transformative potential of women's policy agencies, gender quotas and gender mainstreaming is frequently compromised by the demands of neo-liberal governance on the one hand and essentialist assertions of group identity on the other. This book explores the potential of these strategies arguing that they need to be framed by considerations of democratic justice rather than technocratic utility and complex diversity rather than sexual difference.