Continuing Debates About 'French' Feminist Theory

Abstract

This article analyses attempts to write the ‘herstory’ of feminism, and the tendency to use the vocabulary of ‘generation’ (in particular Julia Kristeva, Toril Moi, Kelly Oliver and Lisa Walsh). It concludes that the issues raised by ‘earlier generations’ are still alive, and that important questions that now seem to be given greater prominence such as ‘intersex’ or cultural difference do not necessarily involve any methodological shift. Examples (including recent publications) are drawn mostly from the work of Kristeva and Luce Irigaray, with some reference to Michele Le Dœuff.