Purple Brains : Feminisms at the Limits of Philosophy

Abstract

Feminist philosophy seems to always exceed its own limits – it is dynamic, shifting, and in dialogue with other academic disciplines. The adjective “feminist” marks not so much a specific subfield of philosophy or topic that is studied, but a political sensibility, an engagement in practicing philosophy. The playful title ‘Purple Brains’ indicates a thinking that goes beyond established binaries, notably the gender binary signified by the colors pink and blue. As feminists, we face the challenge of finding our own place and inventing ways to understand and overcome discrimination and exclusion. Situated within a world we want to change, feminists cannot afford to reject unlikely interlocutors out of hand, but must instead engage in interdisciplinary, intergenerational and cross-fertilizing dialogues. This volume brings together 19 articles that practice feminist philosophy through an engagement with the work of Dutch philosopher Veronica Vasterling. As one of the pioneering women philosophers active in Dutch academia since the mid-1980s, Vasterling explicitly expanded her outlook to embrace feminist themes and authors. She stands out as a prominent figure in the exploration of the boundaries of feminism through critical dialogue across multiple perspectives. Her work not only explores neuropsychology through a feminist lens but also extends into domains such as critical phenomenology of gender and race, critical hermeneutics, and subjects including sexual difference, the philosophical oeuvre of Hannah Arendt, and that of Judith Butler.