(Re)Interpretations: The Shapes of Justice in Women's Experience

Product Description
Patriarchal institutions govern all aspects of womenâs lives: their minds, their bodies, and their souls. Additionally, they govern the ways in which women are perceived by others and the ways in which women perceive themselves. (Re) Interpretations: The Shapes of Justice in Womenâs Experience, is a collection of essays on language, religion, war, sex trafficking, and medicineâthe patriarchal structures that form the basis of western society and, thus, are in many ways inherently unjust. The essays illustrate the multitude of ways that women have found to work within and without these structures to create justice. Traditional theories of justice cast it as a cardinal virtue, unbiased and impartial. The essays in this book, however, remove justice from the abstract and return it to the specific: most of the essays use personal narratives to highlight the connections all people share. The women discussed here are challenging the authority of existing patriarchal narratives by telling their versions, and, thus, calling attention to and challenging their own political and social realities. Reflecting a focus on global connectedness and interdisciplinarity, the writers of these essays aim not only to raise questions, but also to show ways in which women are creating new pathways for themselves. Only by exploring solutions will women reclaim justice. From L.A. to Zimbwabe, women have stories to tell about their experiences of justice in the inherently patriarchal institutions of Language, Religion, War, Sex Trafficking, and Medicine. This relevant and thought-provoking collection captures the trials that women across the world face and the hope they create through their courageous actions. Through both personal narrative and factual overview, these essays emphasize that as people committed to justice, women must not simply raise the questions, but they must also explore solutions in order to reclaim justice for themselves, their daughters, their sisters, and their mothers. Contributors: Yifat Bitton, Stephany Ryan Cate, Jo Scott-Coe, Susan Dewey, Carmela Epright, Carmen Faymonville, Adam Gaynor, Pauline Greenhill, Denise Handlarski, Alison Jobe, Marc J.W. de Jong, Jodie M. Lawston, Jody Lisberger, Kristy Maher, Susan Maloney, Mickias Musiyiwa, Ruben Murillo, Annemarie Profanter, Natalie Wilson, and J. Carter Wood.
About the Author
Lisa Dresdner, Ph.D., English, is Professor of English and Chair of the English Department at Norwalk Community College. One of the co-founders of the Fairfield County Womenâs Center and Director for one year, she specializes in 20th century womenâs autobiographies and theories of space and place. Her publications include articles about autobiography, Nancy Mairs, Audre Lorde, and Dorothy Johnson. Having been involved in several leadership and strategy institutes, and also currently serving as a writing coordinator, many of her recent projects involve faculty development and the scholarship of teaching and learning; however, she is also currently focusing her attention on womenâs life-writings and their self-representational strategies. Laurel S. Peterson, M.A., Writing, Manhattanville College. Peterson is a Professor of English at Norwalk Community College and an adjunct in the graduate school at Manhattanville College. She co-founded the Fairfield County Womenâs Center and acted as Director in its inaugural year. She then started a womenâs studies program at the college, which she chaired for four years. Her writing career has included a newspaper column on local history and serving as editor of the literary journal Inkwell. Her poetry has been published in The Atlanta Review, The Baltimore Review, The Distillery, Poet Lore, SLAB, The Rio Grande Review, The Texas Review, Thin Air, Yankee, and others. She has a poetry chapbook, That's the Way the Music Sounds, forthcoming from Finishing Line Press (2009), and, in 2006, she was a finalist for the John Ciardi Prize in P