Care and Danger: Feminism and Therapy Culture

Abstract

From the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, several prominent feminist legal scholars made a case for “difference feminism.” Inspired by psychologist Carol Gilligan’s classic text, In a Different Voice, these scholars argued that social relationships, caring, and the emotions should be recognized as important to jurisprudence and legal regulation. Today, difference feminism is no longer a dominant movement within legal scholarship, but reformers are bringing “mindfulness,” “emotional intelligence,” and attention to relationships into law and business – a development dubbed “therapy culture” by its critics. This essay describes some of the manifestations of therapy culture in law and argues for more feminist engagement.

Citation

Harris, A.P. (2016), "Care and Danger: Feminism and Therapy Culture", Special Issue: Feminist Legal Theory (Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, Vol. 69), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 113-140. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1059-433720160000069005