Retrieving Materialism

The Continued Relevance of Dorothy Smith

Bibliographic Data

ID2364022
AuthorsRebecca Lund (0000-0002-7068-6090, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume41
Issue4
Pages301-313
Publication date2023-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Theory (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0735-2751 • E-ISSN: 1467-9558
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/07352751231198129
OpenAlexW4387055969
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited51

In this article, I argue that Smith's continued relevance coincides with more recent retrievals of Marx-inspired materialism. This materialism and the associated understanding of human beings-the social, language, and world people share in common-certainly do not capture all there is to say about Smith's eclectic and expansive social theory. However, the material dimension distinguishes her work from many other feminist sociologies and results in her continued relevance as a thinker who brings to the table another way of doing feminist sociology. I illustrate this by showing how Smith's Marx-inspired materialism and its associated understanding of language offer a productive and timely alternative to the feminist social theory of anti-categorical intersectional theory and new materialist theory

Epistemology · Historical materialism · Marxist philosophy · Materialism · Politics · Relevance (law · Social science · Social theory · Sociology · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice · Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy

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