Feminism and Evolutionary Biology: Boundaries, Intersections, and Frontiers

Have evolutionary biologists worked largely or strictly within a masculine paradigm, seeing males as evolving and females as merely reacting passively or carried along with the tide? Is there any such thing as a "feminist science" or "feminist methodology"? These are just two of the many vital questions examined in this up-to-date primary source, exploring the boundaries, intersections, and frontiers between evolutionary biology and feminism, particularly as they relate to Darwinian process. Offering empirical and theoretical works of feminist evolutionary biologists, this topical volume examines old and new issues of interest to feminist scientists, providing a primer of ideas in the debates about genetic determinism and Darwinism. The material presented applies to modern studies of behavioral ecology in humans and non-human animals. In addition, the book contains descriptions of the potential influence of feminist thought on Darwinian science, first by drawing conclusions from Darwin's hypotheses on evolutionary biology and secondly, by providing evolutionary hypotheses formulated by feminist scientists. Topics in the book range from parity issues to feminist epistemologies in evolutionary science and the construction of evolutionary science not inconsistent with feminism.