ABSTRACT

Feminist standpoint epistemology goes beyond feminist empiricism in its account of knowledge creation. It seeks to give due weight not only to experience but also to the epistemic roles played by both social location and political commitment. It aims to develop an alternative to neopositivist objectivism, on the one hand, and to relativism, on the other. Feminist standpoint theory is sometimes traced back to Dorothy Smith’s classic 1974 article, “Women’s Perspective as a Radical Critique of Sociology,” reprinted in this volume. However, the first explicit  formulation was provided by political theorist Nancy Hartsock (1983). The theory has received  its fullest development in the work of Sandra Harding (1991, 2004).