Feminist studies: A guide to intersectional theory, methodology, and writing

This book is a rigorous and timely mapping of the field of feminist studies (FS), which critically charts its different epistemologies, theoretical lenses, methodological approaches and ethical concerns. It convincingly argues that FS are able to claim the academic authority of a discipline while keeping up a ‘transversal openness and dialogic approach to all academic disciplines ’ (p. 8). It is an expanded version of the book Nina Lykke published in Danish (2008) and in Swedish (2009), and it has been produced through the analysis of mainly references to Anglophone scholars. Aware of the exclusions this focus may entail, Lykke argues that English is the lingua franca of FS, and consequently the works of Anglophone scholars configure the nodal points in cross-national epistemologi-cal, theoretical and methodological debates in this field. Regarding the choice of the epithet FS, the author asserts that it should be ‘understood as a shorthand for Feminist/Gender/Women’s Studies ’ (p. 11; emphasis in the original). Aware of the historical and political nature of these different names, Lykke prefers the expression FS because it avoids some of problems related to the other labels, such as fixing the ‘ “proper ” objects ’ (p. 12) (women or gender). Unlike the name ‘women’