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saskiac'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.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.
I first read The Second Sex when I was in graduate school, and one thing that puzzled me slightly about the book was the definition of other. I understand that the other was, for the most part in the work, a woman, but outside of that I didn’t know. Defining the other as simply a woman didn’t quite fit.
This is corrected or made clearer by Delphy’s work.
In part a work of feminism, in part a look at race and media, Delphy’s book will make you think. The primary focus is the place of Muslim immigrants, mostly from Africa in France. Delphy’s introduction was written after the Charlie Hebdo attacks and is one point where I disagree with her – it seems, if the covers are any indication, that Charlie Hebdo was out to get everyone (did you see the Christ, God, and Holy Ghost cover).
That aside, what is particularly interesting is when Delphy writes about the veil law. She ties it into more of an attack on the other than on women in general. Some of the best written parts are where she demolishes the arguments of those who support the banning of the veil law. (And wasn’t there a fuss about banning all religious grab in French public schools?)
But her comments about the other in French society – be it queer, female, or of dark skin – are interesting and give a different perspective to how the news reports what happens in France.
I first read The Second Sex when I was in graduate school, and one thing that puzzled me slightly about the book was the definition of other. I understand that the other was, for the most part in the work, a woman, but outside of that I didn’t know. Defining the other as simply a woman didn’t quite fit.
This is corrected or made clearer by Delphy’s work.
In part a work of feminism, in part a look at race and media, Delphy’s book will make you think. The primary focus is the place of Muslim immigrants, mostly from Africa in France. Delphy’s introduction was written after the Charlie Hebdo attacks and is one point where I disagree with her – it seems, if the covers are any indication, that Charlie Hebdo was out to get everyone (did you see the Christ, God, and Holy Ghost cover).
That aside, what is particularly interesting is when Delphy writes about the veil law. She ties it into more of an attack on the other than on women in general. Some of the best written parts are where she demolishes the arguments of those who support the banning of the veil law. (And wasn’t there a fuss about banning all religious grab in French public schools?)
But her comments about the other in French society – be it queer, female, or of dark skin – are interesting and give a different perspective to how the news reports what happens in France.