Monday, March 09, 2009

History Matters, part 2

History Matters, part 2



Hi folks -- after getting off to a great start at Notorious, PhD's place last Monday, the discussion of Judith Bennett's History Matters: Patriarchy and the Challenge of Feminism has moved to over to Historiann's blog. Come and join in the fun. Even if you haven't read the book, there's a lot of good discussion. And don't forget, next week, the conversation continues at Tenured Radical, and then here the week after!

2 comments:

Magistra said...

I've been reading Bennett's book and will probably do several blog posts on it, but having had a quick look at the two discussions, I'm not terribly willing to get involved there. I don't see the point in going and getting denounced because I don't entirely hold by the True Feminist Line (US Women's Studies version). (One of the good things about Bennett's book is that even though she makes her own views clear she tries to avoid denouncing those with different views or calling Lawrence Stone 'a tool').

Another Damned Medievalist said...

Rachel --

Each of us involved in hosting has her own blog rules and her own blog style. I can tell you that we've come to a more mutual decision on what should be considered trolling -- something I don't think anybody really expected much of at the beginning of this exercise, or that we expected to come from the corners it has. Anyway, I hope you;ll come to TR's place and here for the discussion.

In re whether Stone is, or should be called, a tool ... well, as someone who regularly calls Stanley Fish a tool, I can't really complain. I can't speak for Historiann, but I have to say that for me, "It's wrong and immature to use such language" is not really an effective objection to the characterization. Susan did a very nice job of showing that Stone may have had some views as a scholar that were objectionable, but was himself a nice person who deserves better. And others, Bennett included, do show that his work, even though some has now been revisited and questioned since, did help to give legitimacy to studying things like women and families (although how annoying is it that it's only legitimate if men are doing it, too?).

So I encourage you to join in, at Historiann's, and in the next three discussions. I honestly do believe that it will be no scarier and as much fun as any other academic discussion between people of differing viewpoints over a few beers.