Sokthan Yeng – författare

Many political figures insist that their anti-immigration sentiments have nothing to do with race and racism. Americans seem largely unconvinced, which is why politicians must protest so loudly and often. In order to deflect accusations of racism, public figures evoke the neo-liberal principle that calls for protection of state health and resources. Yet contemporary philosophers such as Hanna Arendt, Michel Foucault, and Giorgio Agamben argue that neo-liberal ideology is racist. Sokthan Yeng applies their analysis to the debate over immigration policies to show that neo-liberalism not only recodes traditional racist rhetoric but also expands systemic racism. Politicians can say that their anti-immigration policies are meant to protect the nation’s economy and strength. It is no coincidence, however, that the populations most affected by these regulations are ethnic and cultural minorities such as Mexican and Muslim immigrants. The analysis presented in The Biopolitics of Race will be valuable to philosophers and other scholars or students interested in critical race theory, feminism, and queer theory. It also has implications for anyone working in public health, bioethics, or migration studies.

What is Buddhist Feminism? This book examines reasons why Buddhism and feminism may seem to be incompatible, and shows that Buddhist and feminist philosophies can work together to challenge patriarchal structures. Current scholarship usually compares Buddhism and feminism to judge their compatibility, rather than describing a Buddhist Feminist perspective or method. Sokthan Yeng instead looks for a pattern that connects Buddhist and feminist traditions. In particular, she explores possible exchanges between feminist and Buddhist philosophies which highlight how they each contribute to a more nuanced understanding of anger. Yeng explores how a Buddhist feminist approach would allow women’s anger to be transformed from that which is outside the bounds of philosophy into that which contributes to philosophical discourse in the East and West, and between the two.