Deconstructing Feminist Psychology
- Erica Burman - The University of Manchester, UK
This book critiques feminist practice within psychology, and reflects the diversity from across the globe of feminist struggles around psychology. An international group of key feminist psychologists explore the relations between feminist politics and psychological practices in: transitional and postcolonial contexts; the distinct European traditions of critical psychology and women's studies; and psychology's colonial `centre' in the United States. Issues of `race', class and sexuality figure centrally in the discussions around the politics of feminist practice in psychology.
`The book is a critical evaluation of feminist psychology, emphasising both its exclusions and its impact on mainstream psychology.... In contrast to many other feminist psychology publications, the majority of contributors live and work outside Britain and North America... While Western feminist psychologists are now in a position to examine feminist psychology's exclusion of difference , a number of the books contributor's highlight that, in other cultural contexts, feminist psychology itself has yet to impact on mainstream psychology in any significant way.... One aspect I particularly enjoyed was the (unusal) attemot to bridge the academic/practitioner divide by including contributions both from established academics and practitioners of psychology.... [the book] offers an insightful and accessible introduction to the subject in diverse geopollitical contexts outside the UK and the US. It is essential reading for those wishing to know more about feminist psychology across the globe' - The Psychologist