Hegel and Feminism

Giulia Bernard, Bojana Jovicevic, Karen Koch

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2026
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781350508286
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Aesthetics in Philosophy

Whilst much previous writing on Hegel has focused on his social and political philosophy, this volume makes it clear that feminist issues are relevant to many, if not all, aspects of Hegel's system.

With innovative close readings that place Hegel's philosophy in dialogue with contemporary feminist debates and relevant issues such as: reproductive work, sexism, prejudice and discrimination against women, the essays in this collections reveal the gendered nature of Hegel's oeuvre. Beginning with three sections that analyse the theoretical and abstract parts of his philosophy, the authors explore sexual difference and its implications in Hegel's epistemology and logic, its relation to his mythology and aesthetics, as well as to social and political philosophy. Including examinations that focus, for example, on crime and punishment, and the notion of piety and the figure of the monarch, these articles delve into topics that have yet to be deeply discussed with regard to sexual difference. Concluding with a chapter that also outlines the practical ways in which this knowledge can be applied, Hegel and Feminism highlights the relevance of Hegel's conception of sexual difference to contemporary issues, including its implications for other feminist-related, but transdisciplinary fields such as politics, education, and activism.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Series
• Title
• Contents
• Notes on Abbreviations and References
• 1 Hegel and Feminism: An Introduction
• Part I Logic and Epistemology
• 2 Sex and Totality: On Sexual Difference and Its Relation to Metaphysics in Hegel
• 3 Hegel and the Woman Question: A Logic of Sexual Difference
• 4 On the Passivity of Knowledge in Hegel: Intelligence, Will, and Woman
• 5 Who Is Afraid of Women Learning Philosophy?: Hegel’s Concept of Philosophy to the Test
• Part II Mythology and Aesthetics
• 6 Hegel and Sexual Difference in Ethical Life: Broadening Horizons
• 7 Antigone, a Woman in History: Re-Reading the Beginning of the Section “Spirit”
• 8 The Spirit of Woman and Her Fate: Hegel on Beauty and Withdrawal
• Part III Social Philosophy and Politics
• 9 Hegel and Rahel Levin Varnhagen on Marriage and Women
• 10 Socialize All Labor: A Hegelian-Feminist Defense of Family Abolition
• Part IV Critical Praxis and Agency
• 11 Beyond Opposition: Hegel, Irigaray, and Sexual Difference as Radical Difference
• 12 Readings of Sexual Difference in Hegel and Collin: Definition, Division, and Praxis
• 13 Hegel Post-#MeToo: Responsibility, Dissent, and Feminist Justice
• Notes
• References
• Index
• Notes on Contributors
• Copyright