Feminists theorize the state Upplaga 2006

Feminists Theorize the State is the first single-authored research-led publication on feminist state theory. It draws on the contributions of Nordic and poststructural feminist theories of the state. The book's topicality is highlighted by the fact that it studies states in a multi-level governance framework by focusing on devolution in Scotland (substate) and the European Union (suprastate). These ideas are developed in the book through a comparative study of Finland and Britain that epitomizes the two positions that have informed feminist debates about the state: the costs and possibilities of acting within and outside the state. The key contribution of the book is to challenge this portrayal, to show empirically its untenable nature and to illustrate its costs for feminist struggles. The book focuses on two debates, domestic violence and childcare, as areas where feminists discursively construct the state.