Feminist Interpretations of John Dewey

332 Pages·2002·2.42 MB·English

by  Charlene Haddock Seigfried (ed.)

FEMINIST
INTERPRETATIONS
OF
John Dewey
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r e - r e a d i n g t h e c a n o n
NANCYTUANA,GENERALEDITOR
Thisseriesconsistsofeditedcollectionsofessays,someoriginalandsome
previouslypublished,offeringfeministre-interpretationsofthewritingsof
majorfiguresintheWesternphilosophicaltradition.Devotedtothework
ofasinglephilosopher,eachvolumecontainsessayscoveringthefullrange
ofthephilosopher’sthoughtandrepresentingthediversityofapproaches
nowbeingusedbyfeministcritics.
Alreadypublished:
NancyTuana,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofPlato(1994)
MargaretSimons,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofSimonedeBeauvoir(1995)
BonnieHonig,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofHannahArendt(1995)
PatriciaJagentowiczMills,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofG.W.F.Hegel
(1996)
MariaJ.Falco,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofMaryWollstonecraft(1996)
SusanJ.Hekman,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofMichelFoucault(1996)
NancyJ.Holland,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofJacquesDerrida(1997)
RobinMaySchott,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofImmanuelKant(1997)
CeleineLeonandSylviaWalsh,eds.,FeministInterpretationsofSøren
Kierkegaard(1997)
CynthiaFreeland,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofAristotle(1998)
KellyOliverandMarilynPearsall,eds.,FeministInterpretationsofFriedrich
Nietzsche(1998)
MimiReiselGladsteinandChrisMatthewSciabarra,eds.,Feminist
InterpretationsofAynRand(1999)
SusanBordo,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofRene´ Descartes(1999)
JulienS.Murphy,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofJean-PaulSartre(1999)
AnneJaapJacobson,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofDavidHume(2000)
SarahLuciaHoaglandandMarilynFrye,eds.,FeministInterpretationsof
MaryDaly(2000)
TinaChanter,ed.,FeministInterpretationsofEmmanuelLevinas(2001)
NancyJ.HollandandPatriciaHuntington,eds.,FeministInterpretationsof
MartinHeidegger(2001)
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F E M I N I ST
I N T E R P R E TAT I O N S
O F
John Dewey
EDITED BY Charlene Haddock Seigfried
The Pennsylvania State University Press
University Park, Pennsylvania
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
FeministinterpretationsofJohnDewey/editedbyCharleneHaddockSeigfried.
p. cm.—(Re-readingthecanon)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-271-02160-8(cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN0-271-02161-6(pbk.:alk.paper)
1. Dewey,John,1859–1952. 2. Feministtheory. 3. Pragmatism.
4. Education. 5. Democracy. I. Seigfried,CharleneHaddock,1943– II.Series.
HQ1190.F452 2002
305.42(cid:1)01—dc21 2001021546
Copyright(cid:1)2002ThePennsylvaniaStateUniversity
Allrightsreserved
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
PublishedbyThePennsylvaniaStateUniversityPress,
UniversityPark,PA16802-1003
ItisthepolicyofThePennsylvaniaStateUniversityPresstouseacid-freepaperforthe
firstprintingofallclothboundbooks.Publicationsonuncoatedstocksatisfythe
minimumrequirementsofAmericanNationalStandardforInformation
Sciences—PermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48–1992.
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In loving memory of my parents,
Charles and Allene Haddock
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Contents
Preface ix
NancyTuana
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Charlene HaddockSeigfried
I. A UsablePast
1 A Toastto JohnDewey 25
JaneAddams
2 Experimentingwith Education:John DeweyandEllaFlagg
YoungattheUniversity ofChicago 31
EllenCondliffeLagemann
3 JohnDewey’sPragmatistFeminism 47
Charlene HaddockSeigfried
4 FeminismandPragmatism:OntheArrivalofa‘‘Ministryof
Disturbance,aRegulatedSourceofAnnoyance;aDestroyer
of Routine,anUnderminer ofComplacency’’ 78
MarjorieC.Miller
II. DemocracyandEducation
5 Philosophy, Education,andtheAmericanTraditionof
Aspirational Democracy 95
Elizabeth KamarckMinnich
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viii Contents
6 Identity,FeministTeaching,andJohnDewey 113
AnaM. Mart´ınezAlema´n
III. Subjectivity
7 TheNeedforaPragmatistFeministSelf 133
ErinMcKenna
8 ReclaimingaSubject,orAViewfromHere 160
PaulaDroege
IV. ObjectivityandTruth
9 ThePragmaticEcologyof theObject:JohnDeweyand
DonnaHaraway onObjectivity 189
EugenieGatens-Robinson
10 TheNeedforTruth:TowardaPragmatist-Feminist
Standpoint Theory 210
ShannonSullivan
V. SocialandPoliticalPhilosophy
11 HowPracticalIsJohnDewey? 239
LisaHeldke
12 DeepeningDemocraticTransformation:Deweyan
IndividuationandPragmatistFeminism 260
JudithM.Green
13 Jane Addams’sCritique ofCapitalismasPatriarchal 278
Marilyn Fischer
SelectBibliography 297
Contributors 305
Index 307
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Preface
Nancy Tuana
Take into your hands any history of philosophy text. You will find com-
piled therein the ‘‘classics’’ of modern philosophy. Since these texts are
oftendesignedforuseinundergraduateclasses,theeditorislikelytooffer
an introduction in which the reader is informed that these selections
representtheperennialquestionsofphilosophy.Thestudentistoassume
that she or he is about to explore the timeless wisdom of the greatest
mindsofWesternphilosophy.Noonecallsattentiontothefactthatthe
philosophersareall men.
Although women are omitted from the canons of philosophy, these
texts inscribe the nature of woman. Sometimes the philosopher speaks
directly about woman, delineating her proper role, her abilities and in-
abilities, her desires. Other times the message is indirect—a passing re-
markhintingatwomen’semotionality,irrationality,unreliability.
This process of definition occurs in far more subtle ways when the
central concepts of philosophy—reason and justice, those characteristics
that are taken to define us as human—are associated with traits histori-
cally identified with masculinity. If the ‘‘man’’ of reason must learn to
control or overcome traits identified as feminine—the body, the emo-
tions, the passions—then the realm of rationality will be one reserved
primarily for men,1 with grudging entrance to those few women who are
capableof transcendingtheirfemininity.
Feminist philosophers have begun to look critically at the canonized
texts of philosophy and have concluded that the discourses of philoso-
phyarenotgender-neutral. Philosophicalnarratives do not offera uni-
versity perspective, but rather privilege some experiences and beliefs
over others. These experiences and beliefs permeate all philosophical
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