Readying this issue for the printer and, at the same time, preparing our display for the National Women's Studies Association conference in Atlanta, whose theme this year is “Weaving Women's Colors: A Decade of Empowerment,” has highlighted for me the centrality of the feminist struggle around differences, both in the NWSA and in feminist philosophy. María Lugones’ paper, which is “about cross-cultural and cross-racial loving,” beautifully expresses this theme. She describes the “weaving together” of two aspects of her life, as a daughter and as a woman-of-color, a weaving that reveals “the possibility and complexity of a pluralistic feminism.”
Difference is a theme running throughout this issue of Hypatia. Andrea Nye analyzes the “refusal to hear others” that underlies the traditional search by male philosophers for the unity of language. Her critique of the search for unity as authoritarian echoes Lugones, whose concept of “world-travelling” offers an epistemological alternative. Julien Murphy, like Lugones, draws on Marilyn Frye's concept of “arrogant perception,” in “The Look in Sartre and Rich,” where she develops an existential theory of oppression and liberation.
Several authors in this issue take controversial stances within feminism. Victoria Davion argues, against the “view widely held among feminists that nurturing and competition are incompatible,” that certain kinds of competition can help women recognize their differences while maintaining a sense of connection. Mary Mahowald develops an egalitarian model (parentalism) for the physician-other relationship to argue for the compatibility between feminist and medicine. H.E. Baber, in her paper, “How Bad is Rape?,” makes the argument that “the work that most women employed outside the home are compelled to do is more seriously harmful” than rape. Susan Wendell, in “A (Qualified) Defense of Liberal Feminism,” challenges the characterizations by feminist philosophers of feminism liberalism. Judith Hill proposes an alternative philosophical basis for a feminist attack on victim pornography.
In the spirit of feminist controversy, Hypatia devotes space in each general issue to comments on previously published articles, with replies invited from authors. As the current issue illustrates, this section of the journal is alive and well. This issue also contains the first publication of The Forum, a section, edited by Maria Lugones, that is designed to encourage philosophical dialogue on a single topic. To further that dialogue, The Forum editor will announce a new topic for The Forum for each general issue, and continue to invite contributions on topics on which we have already published short papers. The next topic will be Women and Poverty. Additional papers on the current topic of Celibacy are invited. Papers are also invited for the Special Issue on the History of Women in Philosophy, edited by Linda Lopez McAlister. The Special Issue on Feminist Perspectives on Science, edited by Nancy Tuana, has been expanded to two issues, and will appear as the Fall 1987, and Spring 1988 issues. For details on contributing papers for The Forum, for the Special Issue on the History of Women in Philosophy, or for general submission, please consult the Submission Guidelines.
We wish to thank all those readers who have subscribed to Hypatia in 1987. We also wish to acknowledge those readers who included a contribution with their subscription check. The expenses in beginning autonomous publication last year were considerable. They continue to grow as we begin publishing three issues this year. We urge those readers who have not yet subscribed for 1987 to do so as soon as possible. Subscribing to Hypatia is the best way to follow developments in feminist philosophy, join in our dialogue, and receive our Special Issues immediately upon publication. Editors from other, long-established journals report that it takes an average of four renewal notices before a subscriber renews a subscription. We can ill afford the time and expense required to run such a renewal campaign. Please take this opportunity to subscribe using the attached subscription card. Thank you again for your support for Hypatia.
