Developing a new approach to the public sphere, democratic politics and feminism. Includes a re-interpretation of the work of Jurgen Habermas, Hannah Arendt and recent feminist debates about the relevance of their work. Aimed at second and third year undergraduates in feminist theory, philosophy, sociology, literary theory and history.

Taking stock of contemporary feminist writings in social science, history, literature, jurisprudence and philosophy, she suggests that they can be viewed not only as empirical accounts of injustices but as cultural narratives that have transformed women's particular identities even as they have expanded universal moral claims in a revolutionary way.

Introduction.
Part One. From the Aesthetic to the Moral Sphere.
1. Autobiographies and Biographies: the Construction of Women's Identity.
2. Communicative Rationality: Between Spheres of Validity.
3. Feminism as an Illocutionary Model.
4. Autonomy and Authenticity as Textures of the Moral Subject.
5. Narrative Cultural Interweavings: Between Facts and Fiction.
Part Two. From the Moral to the Political Sphere.
6. Justice and Solidarity: Women in the Public Sphere.
7. The Moral Foundation of Recognition: A Critical Revision of Three Models.
8. Feminist Models of Recognition: Problems of Multiculturalism.
Conclusion.
Notes.
Index.