Law, Crime and Sexuality : Essays in Feminism

In Law, Crime and Sexuality leading feminist theorist Carol Smart brings together a selection of her work specifically compiled for the needs of students to help them understand the law in conceptual terms, whilst enabling them to become fully aware of the extent to which the law is part of our everyday lives. The book is divided into three sections, each prefaced by a specifically written introduction, which examine the major trends in contemporary thought including: the shift from criminology to the sociology of law; the identification of law as a site of struggle rather than as a tool of reform; the recognition of the contested nature of `woman' as a category; and the significance of the developing situation where feminists must debate about values and epistemologies without fearing the demise of feminist politics. The final chapter includes Carol Smart's most recent thoughts which develop her challenging work on the gendering and sexing of the body, the survival of sociological feminism and the development of new ways of thinking about women and the law.