Higher Ground : From Utopianism to Realism in American Feminist Thought and Theory

The University of Chicago Press

Higher GroundFrom Utopianism to Realism in American Feminist Thought and Theory\nAuthor(s): Sally L. Kitch\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: The University of Chicago Press, United States\nImprint: University of Chicago Press\nISBN-13: 9780226438573, 978-0226438573\nSynopsis\nMany feminists love a utopia - the idea of restarting humanity from scratch or transforming human nature in order to achieve a prescribed future based on feminist visions. Some scholars argue that feminist utopian fiction can be used as a template for creating such a future. However, Sally L. Kitch argues that associating feminist thought with utopianism is a mistake. Drawing on the history of utopian thought, as well as on her own research on utopian communities Kitch defines utopian thinking, explores the pitfalls of pursuing social change based on utopian ideas, and argues for a \""higher ground\"" - a contrasting approach she calls realism. Replacing utopianism with realism helps to eliminate self-defeating notio.