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asunnybooknook's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent!!! Read basically all of this on the subway, Delphy absolutely devoured with this. Articulating French women’s situation and realities of Islamophobia and state terror and feminist approaches to philosophy and politics, this essay collection is powerful and pointed
drbjjcarpenter's review
4.0
A fine collection of essays concerning a variety of social oppressive structures: institutionalised sexism, racism and homophobia. Interestingly, and this is new to me, it focused primarily on the situation in France, though compared heavily to America. Certainly a worthy read.
saskiacb's review against another edition
4.0
Laïcité is such BS. Wow. I’ve known for a while but I didn’t know the intricacies of it all, namely the criminalisation of one religion and the tiresome call for the “liberation” of “third world women” to justify a insidious attack and Othering of Arab and Muslim populations. This all based on many ideas that produce a dichotomy between “us” and “them”: one being that in the West women are “free” and that sexism doesn’t exist—which is laughable.
audreyvm's review against another edition
5.0
Christine Delphy, author of Separate and Dominate (translated by David Broder) is apparently one of France’s leading feminists. Now, I’m the first to admit that I am not as well versed in feminist thinking as I would like to be – or as this book has inspired me to become – but I was surprised that someone would be a leading thinker in the field without my ever having heard their name. A quick Google, however, shows that she is little known in the Anglophone world, as she works primarily in French. That’s a pity, her work is certainly worth the read.
Separate and Dominate has 10 chapters, but the book could be split further into three parts; first establishing Delphy’s underlying hypothesis on the origins and structural nature of discrimination; next looking at racism in the war on terror and the abuse of feminist ideals as retrofitted justification of the war in Afghanistan; and finally turning back to France specifically to grapple with the big picture of racism and sexism through the controversial decision to ban the wearing of the veil in schools.
This was a fascinating read and, with the exception of the central portion on the War on Terror, can easily be extrapolated from its specific French context to a more global one. The conversations which this book stimulates are timely and highly relevant ones, despite the fact that this was originally published several years ago. As Muslim communities in Europe face increasing prejudice the problems which she talks about will only be exacerbated. In South Africa, where white feminists are the minority but often have the loudest voices, this should be compulsory reading. I will be thinking about the questions this raised in my brain for months to come, if not more.
Full review available at http://goodbyetoallthis.com/separate-and-dominate/
Separate and Dominate has 10 chapters, but the book could be split further into three parts; first establishing Delphy’s underlying hypothesis on the origins and structural nature of discrimination; next looking at racism in the war on terror and the abuse of feminist ideals as retrofitted justification of the war in Afghanistan; and finally turning back to France specifically to grapple with the big picture of racism and sexism through the controversial decision to ban the wearing of the veil in schools.
This was a fascinating read and, with the exception of the central portion on the War on Terror, can easily be extrapolated from its specific French context to a more global one. The conversations which this book stimulates are timely and highly relevant ones, despite the fact that this was originally published several years ago. As Muslim communities in Europe face increasing prejudice the problems which she talks about will only be exacerbated. In South Africa, where white feminists are the minority but often have the loudest voices, this should be compulsory reading. I will be thinking about the questions this raised in my brain for months to come, if not more.
Full review available at http://goodbyetoallthis.com/separate-and-dominate/
simlish's review against another edition
3.0
I always find theory difficult and this was on the easier end of the "have to think painfully hard" scale. Not as immediately understandable as Dworkin, but not much harder. And getting the French perspective was interesting.
nocomplex1986's review against another edition
3.0
Feminist sociologist Christine Delphy has been a major figure in French culture since the seventies, when she began participating in social movements such as the Mouvement de libération des femmes (Women’s Liberation Movement), and collaborating with other feminists on major projects, such as the founding of the feminist magazine Nouvelles questions féministes (NQF) with Simone de Beauvoir. In her collection of essays, Separate and Dominate: Feminism and Racism after the War on Terror, Delphy argues that the highly controversial loi Stasi, or Stasi law, banning the wearing of the veil in public schools, was the inevitable institutionalisation of already socially accepted discrimination, namely based on race and gender. Using a predominantly materialist approach, Delphy persuasively argues that all forms of domination are socially constructed, dividing the group concerned into two: the Ones (i.e. the dominant class that sets the rules of the game), and the Others (i.e. the dominated), ultimately applying the resulting racist and sexist hierarchies to the situation of Muslim women during the Stasi law. The key concept to be explored in Delphy’s collection of essays is the social process by which the division between the One and the Others is created: how these discriminatory hierarchies are established, how several modes of domination can overlap and hence create an individual’s intersectional identity, and how these systems are institutionalised, taking the form of discriminatory laws. She brings this thesis to her homeland of France, and uses the Stasi law as her case study in order to highlight the neglect of intersectionality that was used in feminists’ arguments for the banning of the veil.
Overall, Separate and Dominate: Feminism and Racism after the War on Terror is an important contribution to the sociology of intersectionality. She disentangles false logic and persuasively argues her thesis, using a variety of logical and relevant current events. She not only wisely addresses her subject’s multi-faceted nature by mentioning all actors involved, such as the Stasi commission, the white feminists, etc., but also clearly connects these examples her original thesis regarding the division between the One and the Other. This work is also an invaluable contribution to the study of how racism and sexism can contribute to the kind of capital a community has, and how intersectional oppression can inhibit the expansion of said capital.
On the other hand, Delphy sadly fails to cite a variety of sources that could add further depth to her arguments, instead opting to repeatedly cite either her own previous works, or the same limited range of sources. It should also be mentioned that of the sources that are not hers, are all in support of her main arguments - further emphasising her failure to address any opposition that may be posed to her main arguments. In failing to do so, it can be argued that she did not develop her arguments as well as she could have.
Overall, Separate and Dominate: Feminism and Racism after the War on Terror is an important contribution to the sociology of intersectionality. She disentangles false logic and persuasively argues her thesis, using a variety of logical and relevant current events. She not only wisely addresses her subject’s multi-faceted nature by mentioning all actors involved, such as the Stasi commission, the white feminists, etc., but also clearly connects these examples her original thesis regarding the division between the One and the Other. This work is also an invaluable contribution to the study of how racism and sexism can contribute to the kind of capital a community has, and how intersectional oppression can inhibit the expansion of said capital.
On the other hand, Delphy sadly fails to cite a variety of sources that could add further depth to her arguments, instead opting to repeatedly cite either her own previous works, or the same limited range of sources. It should also be mentioned that of the sources that are not hers, are all in support of her main arguments - further emphasising her failure to address any opposition that may be posed to her main arguments. In failing to do so, it can be argued that she did not develop her arguments as well as she could have.
mckenzierichardson's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.A very deep and profound look at the intersections of racism and sexism, as well as a glimpse into classism and homophobia.While some of the chapters are a bit dense and take a while to get through, they are packed with information and in-depth explanations that give the reader a better understanding of the complexities of the issues discussed.The book focuses mainly on the ban of the Muslim veil, but also discusses Guantanamo Bay, affirmative action, and intersectionality, among other things. I really enjoyed Delphy's explanation of the importance of intersectionality and the impossibility of separating race and sex in issues such as the ban on the Muslim veil.Also, as an American who is fed American media every day, it was interesting and enlightening to read from a French perspective regarding various topics, dealing with specific American actions (Guantanamo Bay) and worldwide happenings.As stated previously, some of the chapters are little difficult to get through due to length and the depth of material, but the messages are definitely worth it.
h2oetry's review against another edition
5.0
Longer review upcoming.
The book deals with the oppression of all people commonly referred to as 'Others,' ie women, queer people, Guantanamo inmates, civilians bombed in Afghanistan by the forces of civilization, and 'Arab' women excluded from school by the same forces in France. Although there are differences of oppression in each group, they share traits through theoretical 'Other' lens (living under the thumb of the 'Ones'). Different societies use different mechanisms to frame some as 'Ones' and some as 'Others,' ultimately leading to a denial of equality, and abnormal or sub-human treatment. This instills negative beliefs about themselves, and deprives them of self-confidence, self-worth, and dignity. They doubt themselves. And to make matters worse, the political scene is solidly occupied by White men who give no sign of wanting to give up their positions. Et cetera.
Christine Delphy is a French writer, sociologist and theorist who co-founded Nouvelles Questions Féministes with Simone de Beauvoir.
The book deals with the oppression of all people commonly referred to as 'Others,' ie women, queer people, Guantanamo inmates, civilians bombed in Afghanistan by the forces of civilization, and 'Arab' women excluded from school by the same forces in France. Although there are differences of oppression in each group, they share traits through theoretical 'Other' lens (living under the thumb of the 'Ones'). Different societies use different mechanisms to frame some as 'Ones' and some as 'Others,' ultimately leading to a denial of equality, and abnormal or sub-human treatment. This instills negative beliefs about themselves, and deprives them of self-confidence, self-worth, and dignity. They doubt themselves. And to make matters worse, the political scene is solidly occupied by White men who give no sign of wanting to give up their positions. Et cetera.
Christine Delphy is a French writer, sociologist and theorist who co-founded Nouvelles Questions Féministes with Simone de Beauvoir.