Otherwise Than the Binary: New Feminist Readings in Ancient Philosophy and Culture

Otherwise Than the Binary: New Feminist Readings in Ancient Philosophy and Culture
ISBN-10
1438488815
ISBN-13
9781438488813
Category
History
Pages
441
Language
English
Published
2022-07-01
Publisher
State University of New York Press
Authors
Jessica Elbert Decker, Danielle A. Layne, Monica Vilhauer

Description

Otherwise Than the Binary approaches canonical texts and concepts in Ancient Greek philosophy and culture that have traditionally been understood as examples of binary thinking, particularly concerning sexual difference. In contrast to such patriarchal logic, the essays within this volume explore how many of these seemingly strict binaries in ancient culture and thought were far more permeable and philosophically nuanced. Each contribution asks if there are ways of thinking of antiquity differently—namely, to examine canonical works through a lens that expounds and even celebrates philosophies of difference so as to discover instances where authors of antiquity valorize and uphold the necessity of what has been seen as feminine, foreign, and/or irrational. As contemporary thinkers turn toward new ways of reading antiquity, these selected studies will inspire other readings of ancient texts through new feminist methodologies and critical vantage points. When examining the philosophers and notable figures of antiquity alongside their overt patriarchal and masculinist agendas, readers are invited to rethink their current biases while also questioning how particular ideas and texts are received and read.

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