2003 Articles

Gender, Sexuality, and Power: Is Feminist Theory

Cossman, Brenda; Danielsen, Dan; Halley, Janet; Higgins, Tracey

What are the boundaries of feminism? What is the relationship between feminism and non-feminism?
In the following dialogue, four a uthors critically examine how to describe feminism and what it can and cannot do, particularly with regard to sexuality. The authors use the Texas Supreme Court case Twyman v. Twyman,’ involving divorce, sadomasochistic sex, and a claim of emotional distress, as a focal point to explore how feminism deals with gender, sexuality, and power, and whether it does so sufficiently. The roundtable discussion revolves around Janet Halley’s radical suggestion that not only is feminism not enough, but that we should “Take a Break” from it in order to see the issues feminism does not address as well as the effects of a feminist perspective.