Review by Choice Review
Hare-Mustin and Marecek, along with Bernice Lott, Rhoda K. Unger, and Jill G. Morawski, have authored a series of six chapters devoted to what gender means, how feminist scholarship is advanced (and impeded), and strategies for feminist-based inquiry. All of the authors raise extremely important questions of how or if feminist research can or should be integrated into, be superordinate to, or coexist with current psychological theory and research. Hare-Mustin and Maracek introduce useful vantage points for this debate and successfully argue for newer empirical language, including alpha and beta bias, which are tendencies to exaggerate or minimize research differences, respectively. Although mainstream psychologists and graduate students have historically closed off or minimized input from feminist scholars, this book deserves to be read, and reread, especially by those most resistant to feminist thought and ideology. Earlier texts such as those by S.G. Harding, The Science Question in Feminism (CH, Dec'86) and A.H. Eagly, Sex Differences in Social Behavior (CH, Oct'87) raised similar, but preliminary questions. However, the present book easily surpasses those earlier works. The gauge of genuine scholarship is the ability of a work to generate critical and empirical debate and to foster change. This new book does so, clearly and with power. -A. C. Downs, University of Houston--Clear Lake
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
