[Revised entry by Ellen June Anderson, Cynthia Willett, and Diana Meyers on May 6, 2025.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography, bib.html]
The topic of the self has long been salient in feminist philosophy, for it is pivotal to questions about personal identity, the body, sociality, and agency that feminism must address. Simone de Beauvoir’s provocative declaration, “He is the Subject, he is the Absolute – she is the Other”, signals the central importance of the self for feminism. To be the Other is to be a non-subject, a non-agent – in short, a mere thing. Women’s selfhood has been systematically subordinated or even outright denied…

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