Legal Feminism

Book excerpt: The volume offers an overview of the theories and practices of Italian legal feminism, presenting both the main themes addressed and the main protagonists of Italian feminist legal theory. The book is divided into two parts. The first is dedicated to deepening crucial issues that directly concern women’s knowledge and lives from a feminist perspective, such as the interconnection between law, rights and justice; diversity, difference and equality; sex, sexuality and reproduction; citizenship and borders; deviance, criminal matters and security; and victims, victimology, and vulnerability. Each set of thematic issues is analysed by a current Italian feminist legal scholar, who engages with multiple feminist voices in order to emphasise the need for an interdisciplinary approach to law from a feminist perspective. The second part of the book is devoted to outlining the paths of study, research and practice of specific and renowned Italian legal scholars who have provided the foundation for legal feminism in Italy: Letizia Gianformaggio, Tamar Pitch, Silvia Niccolai, and Lia Cigarini. The book thereby offers, for the first time, a comprehensive account of the traditions and trajectories of Italian legal feminism, thus opening up a dialogue with other feminist approaches to law and justice. The book will appeal to scholars in legal theory, critical and sociolegal studies, sociology, gender studies, and critical criminology.