Asian and Feminist Philosophies in Dialogue

Jennifer McWeeny is associate professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Her research and teaching interests concern feminist philosophy, phenomenology, philosophy of mind, comparative methodology, decolonial theory, environmental philosophy, and Buddhism. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon and her M.A. from the University of Hawai'i, Manoa. Ashby Butnor teaches philosophy and religion at Metropolitan State University of Denver and serves as the faculty coordinator for Learning Communities and First Year Success. Her research focuses on ethics, feminist theory, phenomenology, Buddhism, East Asian philosophies, comparative methodologies, and philosophical pedagogy. She earned her doctorate from the University of Hawai'i, Manoa.

A serious yet creative examination of current feminist theories as they may be applied to or refined through Asian philosophical and religious perspectives. I know of no edited volume that considers such a wide range of Asian philosophies in a feminist light. -- Erica Fox Brindley, Pennsylvania State University McWeeny and Butnor introduce a set of essays that each in its own unique way argues for a capaciousness that rises above the exclusionary repressions and ignorings of our more familiar philosophical approaches. In its collaboration between the liberating practices of diverse Asian traditions and feminist philosophy, this methodology takes as its ultimate goal the philosophical flourishing needed to prevail over the suffering and oppression that continues to trouble our contemporary world. -- Roger Ames, University of Hawai'i This collection encourages introspection leading to self-correction and continued self-cultivation. The essays deftly straddle Asian and Western thought patterns, identifying ways of gaining important insights into the nature of ethics, human rights, and social and political improvement. -- Robert E. Carter, Professor Emeritus, Trent University This path-finding book exhibits a subtle awareness of a cross-fertilization between empowerment of gender and inclusion of diverse voices in philosophy. A valuable and meaningful resource for rediscovering our own intellectual landscape. -- Robin R Wang, Loyola Marymount University This collection performs in practice what numerous feminist philosophers have called for in theory-an exercise in world-traveling. Readers will find rich debates on multiple traditions and texts in Asian philosophy as well as innovative and wide-reaching essays on religion, epistemology, care ethics, free will, and subjectivity. A must read. -- Linda Martin Alcoff, Hunter College Lively and readable, this rich volume firmly establishes feminist comparative philosophy as an important field for inflecting gendered perspectives a crosscultural context. Above all, Asian and Feminist Philosophies in Dialogue makes Asian thought a significant player in that conversation. This is a dynamic collection in service of the highest aims of philosophia--gaining wisdom and giving voice to thoughts yet unheard. -- Anne Carolyn Klein (Rigzin Drolma), author of Meeting the Great Bliss Queen: Buddhists, Feminists, and the Art of the Self and Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse

• Foreword, by Eliot Deutsch Acknowledgments Feminist Comparative Philosophy: Performing Philosophy Differently, by Ashby Butnor and Jennifer McWeeny Part 1 Gender and Potentiality 1. Kamma, No-Self, and Social Construction: The Middle Way Between Determinism and Free Will, by Hsiao-Lan Hu 2. On the Transformative Potential of the "Dark Female Animal" in Daodejing, by Kyoo Lee 3. Confucian Family-State and Women: A Proposal for Confucian Feminism, by Ranjoo Seodu Herr Part 2 Raising Consciousness 4. Mindfulness, Anatman, and the Possibility of a Feminist Self-consciousness, by Keya Maitra 5. Liberating Anger, Embodying Knowledge: A Comparative Study of Maria Lugones and Zen Master Hakuin, by Jennifer McWeeny Part 3 Places of Knowing 6. What Would Zhuangzi Say to Harding? A Daoist Critique of Feminist Standpoint Epistemology, by Xinyan Jiang 7. "Epistemic Multiculturalism" and Objectivity: Rethinking Vandana Shiva's Ecospirituality, by Vrinda Dalmiya Part 4 Cultivating Ethical Selves 8. Confucian Care: A Hybrid Feminist Ethics, by Li-Hsiang Lisa Rosenlee 9. The Embodied Ethical Self: A Japanese and Feminist Account of Nondual Subjectivity, by Erin McCarthy 10. Dogen, Feminism, and the Embodied Practice of Care, by Ashby Butnor Part 5 Transforming Discourse 11. De-liberating Traditions: The Female Bodies of Sati and Slavery, by Namita Goswami Philosophy Uprising: The Feminist Afterword, by Chela Sandoval Feminist Comparative Philosophy and Associated Methodologies: A Bibliography Contributors Index