A Mind of Her Own by Anne Campbell
Theories of human evolution portray ancestral men as active individuals who shaped future generations by testosterone-driven competition, creating a critical gulf between reproductive winners and losers. But what role is left for women within such evolutionary thinking? Their role has been constricted to mere consumers of the fruits of male competition accepting the winning male genes to pass to their children. Allegedly devoid of the need and capacity for competition amongst themselves, women could be neither winners nor losers in the reproductive stakes and so could contribute nothing to the genetic variability that drives selection. Is it any wonder that feminists are dismissive of such evolutionary approaches? That many have sought to ignore the contribution that evolutionary theory can make to our understanding of women? But have women really just been bit part actors in the whole story of evolution? Have they not played their own role in ensuring their reproductive success? In this highly accessible and thought provoking new book, Anne Campbell challenges this passive role of women in evolutionary theory, and redresses the current bias within evolutionary writing. Guiding us through the basics of evolutionary theory, she proposes that women have forged their own strategic way forward, acting through their own forms of competition, rivalry, aggression, and sexuality, to shape their own destiny. Throwing down a challenge to feminist theories, Campbell argues that evolutionary theory can indeed teach us plenty about the development of the female mind - we just need to get it right. This is an important book that will force others to re-evaluate their own assumptions about the evolution of the female mind.
In her readable and thought-provoking account, Campbell argues that there are profound differences between women, and that this is both a cause and a consequence of directional selection on female psychology.. Campbell provides an excellent taxonomy of nine classes of feminism This book will stimulate an important debate and ensure that evolution cannot be ignored. Anne Magurran, Times Literary Supplement A Mind of Her Own is a well-organized, well-written, up-to-date textbook on evolutionary psychology, which stands out from the pack. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Vol 6, No 6
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780198504986 |
| ISBN 10 | 0198504985 |
| Title | A Mind of Her Own |
| Author | Anne Campbell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Year published | 2002-02-14 |
| Number of pages | 402 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |