Overview

Illuminating a significant moment in the development of both American and feminist philosophical history, this book explores the pioneering thought of the women in the early American Idealist movement and outgrowths of it in the late-nineteenth century. Dorothy Rogers specifically examines the ideas of women who entered philosophical discourse through education and social activism. She begins by discussing innovative educators, some of whom were members of the influential Idealist movement in St. Louis, Missouri in the eighteen-sixties and seventies. She then looks at the ideas and impact of women who were independent scholars and social and political activists. Throughout the volume, Rogers explores how Idealist thought developed, matured, and was transformed over time – across lines of race, culture, and socio-economic class. Several of the women discussed were ardent feminists and activists: Mary Church Terrell, Anna C. Brackett, Grace C. Bibb, Ana Roqué, Ellen M. Mitchell, Lucia Ames Mead, Jane Addams, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Luisa Capetillo. By providing exciting new insights into the work of these early women philosophers and introducing the next generation of women who shared the same ideals and influences, Rogers deftly elucidates the genealogy of women’s thought as it developed across North America.

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9781350070592

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Reviews

This text illuminates the truth that the 'mainstream' of intellectual thought is only one of the streams . It broadens and deepens the philosophical canon of North America by introducing women and diversity hitherto neglected and importantly provides the possibility for the current canon to become more comprehensive and more accurate as a reflection of the philosophical thinking in the early American Idealist movement. * Therese Boos Dykeman, Independent Scholar of Fairfield, USA, and author of American Women Philosophers 1650- 1930: Six Exemplary Thinkers * Rogers' book is, among other things, a provocative and compelling attempt to answer the question 'Who can be called a philosopher?' Through the lives of these women she charts a close connection between genre and opportunity, specialism and exclusion. In doing so she challenges those of use who seek to 'diversify the cannon' to reflect more deeply on what philosophy is and can be, and what the life of a practicing philosopher might look like. * Rachael Wiseman, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Liverpool, UK *

Author Information

Dorothy Rogers is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion, Montclair State University, USA. She is a member of MSU's Women's & Gender Studies Advisory Board and MSU's President's Commission on Affirmative Action. She also participates in the GLBTQ support program, Safe Space.

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