Catharine MacKinnon
Overview
Catharine Alice MacKinnon (born October 7, 1946) is an American
feminist
, scholar, lawyer
, teacher
and activist.
MacKinnon was born in Minnesota. Her mother is Elizabeth Valentine Davis; her father, George E. MacKinnon
was a lawyer, congressman (1946 to 1949), and judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
(1969 to 1995). She also has two younger brothers.
MacKinnon became the third generation of her family to attend her mother's alma mater, Smith College
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
, scholar, lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and activist.
MacKinnon was born in Minnesota. Her mother is Elizabeth Valentine Davis; her father, George E. MacKinnon
George MacKinnon
George Edward MacKinnon was appointed by President Nixon to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in May 1969, where he served until his death in 1995. Judge MacKinnon is also the father of feminist legal scholar Catharine MacKinnon.According to Judge Harry T...
was a lawyer, congressman (1946 to 1949), and judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...
(1969 to 1995). She also has two younger brothers.
MacKinnon became the third generation of her family to attend her mother's alma mater, Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
.
Quotations
In my opinion, no feminism worthy of the name is not methodologically post-marxist.
"Desire and Power: A Feminist Perspective", in Cary Nelson|Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg|Lawrence Grossberg (eds.) Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture (1988) p. 115
In all these situations, there was not enough violence against them to take it beyond the category of 'sex'; they were not coerced enough.
Feminism Unmodified: Discourses on Life and Law (1987) p. 88
To be a prisoner means to be defined as a member of a group for whom the rules of what can be done to you, of what is seen as abuse of you, are reduced as part of the definition of your status.
"Pornography, Civil Rights, and Speech", in Laura L O'Toole and Jessica R Schiffman (eds.) Gender Violence:Interdisciplinary Perspectives (1997) p. 401. (Reprint from Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 20 (1985))