Beyond Feminism - Towards a Dialogue on Difference (Paperback)

The discussion in this study of the relations between men and women is launched from a crucial premise: that the struggle for equal rights for women has reached a point where collaboration rather than confrontation between the sexes is necessary for continued progress. In order to attain true equality, women and men must recognize their legitimate differences and act together under circumstances in which their distinctive contributions are freely and reciprocally acknowledged. Reflecting on these differences in a series of interwoven essays, Cornelius F. Murphy seeks to open a constructive dialogue between the sexes. Reconciliation is his overarching concern. Recent books such as Robert Bly's Iron John and Sam Keen's Fire in the Belly have explored the influence of distinctive masculine qualities on men's attitudes toward the meaning and purpose of their lives. And many feminists, while struggling to overcome sexual discrimination, also have insisted upon the recognition of important differences between the sexes. Neither sex, it seems, is satisfied with an androgynous conception of what it means to be fully human. Murphy begins his study with an exploration of sexual oppression through the ages and its effects on both sexes. He discusses subtle and fundamental differences between masculine and feminine disposition, reasoning, and ways of knowing. He addresses the distinctions that traditionally have been drawn between public and private life and efforts of modern women to overcome them. It is suggested that uncomplimentary, though fact-based, assessments of the masculine record in history, together with prevailing stereotypes of men, leave an incomplete picture of male identity and contribute to mistrust between the sexes. In response, Murphy investigates various ways of imagining a more elevated manhood. He extends his analysis to the subject of equality within the home, the opportunities and demands of married love, and the tensions and joys of procreation. As the first full-length interdisciplinary study to attempt a reasoned reconciliation of the aspirations of feminism with those of a renewed ideal of manhood, Beyond Feminism will appeal to scholars and students in philosophy, theology, women's and gender studies, ethics, political theory, and law. Cornelius F. Murphy, Jr. is professor of law at Duquesne University. He has written extensively in the fields of jurisprudence, legal process, and public international law.