Date: Thu, 18 Nov 1999 07:58:22 +1100
From: Bronwyn Winter <bronwyn.winter-AT-french.usyd.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Evolutionary Theory


Dear Allison and list
I know of critiques of sociobiology/ the idea of "nature" which are closely
related to evolutionary theory.  Colette Guillaumin has done some work on this
in relation to both racism and male domination:  see the collection of her
articles entitled Racism, Sexism, Power and Ideology (Routledge 1995), or if
you read French, Sexe, race et pratique du pouvoir (cote-femmes 1992):  not
quite the same collection but there is considerable overlap between the 2. 
She talks about wifery and motherhood esp. in the two articles on the idea of
"nature" (first published in Questions feministes in 1978-79).  
There's also la construction sociale de l'inégalité des sexes by Paola Tabet
(L'Harmattan 1998) where she talks about the construction of motherhood and
critiques evolutionary theories.
Some good articles on sociobiology also appear in Deborah Rhodes (ed)
Theoretical Perspectiveson Sexual difference.  Forget publisher, date is circa
1990-92.  Should be easy to find as published in US. 
More generally on marriage and motherhood, esp. concerning these as "work",
see Delphy & Leonard, Familiar Exploitation.  Polity 1992. 
hope this is useful
Bronwyn 

Allison Mackey wrote:
> 
> Greetings,
> I am working on an honours thesis on essentialism/anti-essentialism
> debates within feminism, especially as they concern (physiological,
> psychological and social experiences of) motherhood.  While it is
> perhaps not directly related to my thesis, in the course of my (not
> particularly feminist) readings about mother-child bonding, etc. I am
> discovering an implicit use of evolutionary theory.  I am just wondering
> 
> if anyone out there knows of any feminist critiques of Darwin's theory
> of evolution, or evolutionary theories in general, and about thier
> relationship to feminism? Any other suggestions would also be greatly
> appreciated!
> Thank you,
> Allison Mackey
> aem00251-AT-student1.unipissing.ca
> Nipissing University
> 
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