Complex Feminist Conversations

I have the pleasure of introducing this volume, Feminism in the Law. I begin, as will other contributors, by sharing some of the history of feminists in the law. When I started teaching law in the 1970s, a senior colleague on my faculty gave me a warning. He said: Be careful. Don\u27t teach in any area associated with \u27women\u27s issues.\u27 Don\u27t teach family law, don\u27t teach sex discrimination, don\u27t teach about wills. If I want to be taken seriously by my colleagues, he said: Teach the \u27real\u27 stuff—torts, contracts, procedure, property. And don\u27t be visibly involved in women\u27s issues. At that time, I was in the midst of work on procedure, on adjudication, on habeas corpus, and on the rights of women in prison. I pursued these interests; I taught courses on procedure, federal courts, and prisoners\u27 rights