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Waves of Feminist Psychology in the United States: Politics and Perspectives

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Handbook of International Feminisms

Part of the book series: International and Cultural Psychology ((ICUP))

Abstract

This chapter discusses the history and context of the rise of three waves of feminist activity in the United States and situates the development of feminist psychology within them. Forms of feminism (e.g., liberal, radical, socialist, cultural, womanist) and feminist theories (e.g., postmodern, standpoint, empiricism) are described, and their connection to psychological research and theory is examined. The formation and contributions of the Association for Women in Psychology (AWP), the APA’s Committee on Women in Psychology (CWP), and APA Division 35 – the Society for the Psychology of Women (SPW) are described. Trends in science and popular culture (e.g., backlash against feminism, medicalization of women’s bodies, the feminization of psychology) are discussed in terms of their connection to feminist psychology. Future directions of feminist psychology in the United States are suggested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Connecticut College, New London, CT, 06320, USA

    Joan C. Chrisler

  2. Department of Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA, USA

    Maureen C. McHugh

Authors
  1. Joan C. Chrisler
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  2. Maureen C. McHugh
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Correspondence to Joan C. Chrisler .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Psychology, York University, Keele Street 4700, Toronto, M3J 1P3, Ontario, Canada

    Alexandra Rutherford

  2. Faculty of Social Sciences, The Open University, Walton Hall,, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, United Kingdom

    Rose Capdevila

  3. College of Arts and Commerce, Department of Psychology and Parapsychol, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, 530 003, India

    Vindhya Undurti

  4. , African Centre for Migration and Society, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa

    Ingrid Palmary

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Chrisler, J.C., McHugh, M.C. (2011). Waves of Feminist Psychology in the United States: Politics and Perspectives. In: Rutherford, A., Capdevila, R., Undurti, V., Palmary, I. (eds) Handbook of International Feminisms. International and Cultural Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-9869-9_3

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