33.1, 2008
www.msvu.ca/atlantis
Feminist Philosophy and The Problem of Evil, Robin May Schott, editor. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2007; 325 pages; ISBN 978-0-25321901-5; $27.95US (paper).
Robin May Schott has assembled an eclectic collection of essays approaching varying conceptions of "evil" from a feminist perspective. In their tracing of meanings and reactions to evil, the authors wrestle with religion, politics, ethics, and morality usually grounded in discussions of terrorist attacks, genocide, and other instances of people enforcing intolerable suffering on others. The definition of terrorism is confronted in writings solicited both before and after 9/11. George W. Bush’s "axis of evil" speech is taken up by a majority of theorists present here, and undoubtedly provided a lot of inspiration for the latter half of this collection that was 10 years in the making. A strong argument is made for the similarities between terrorism and rape (197). The "systemic devaluation and degradation of women" (24) throughout a myriad of cultures is interrogated and its complicated relationship to evil and terrorism explored. Not surprisingly, references to Hannah Arendt's work can be found throughout the collection as well as that of Julia Kristeva, Mary Douglas, and Luce Irigaray.
The treatment of survivors of evil found throughout this anthology is complex. Geddes questions whether we can ever understand survivor testimony of atrocious war crimes whereas Razack posits that the narrative of trauma stories gets warped and becomes not about the traumatic event at all. This collection gives the reader many entry points into thinking about evil; few of the essays, however, suggest ways to cope with the problem of evil, or how to embody a stand against it. This was not necessarily the aim of the book but would have been a welcome addition to what is included within it.
Mary Shearman Simon Fraser University