Gender and Agency (PDF)

This book reassesses theories of agency and gender identity against
the backdrop of changing relations between men and women in
contemporary societies. McNay argues that recent thought on the
formation of the modern subject offers a one-sided or negative
account of agency, which underplays the creative dimension present
in the responses of individuals to changing social relations. An
understanding of this creative element is central to a theory of
autonomous agency, and also to an explanation of the ways in which
women and men negotiate changes within gender relations.

In exploring the implications of this idea of agency for a theory
of gender identity, McNay brings together the work of leading
feminist theorists - such as Judith Butler and Nancy Fraser - with
the work of key continental social theorists. In particular, she
examines the work of Pierre Bourdieu, Paul Ricoeur and Cornelius
Castoriadis, each of whom has explored different aspects of the
idea of the creativity of action. McNay argues that their thought
has interesting implications for feminist ideas of gender, but
these have been relatively neglected partly because of the huge
influence of the work of Michel Foucault and Jacques Lacan in this
area. She argues that, despite its suggestive nature, feminist
theory must move away from the ideas of Foucault and Lacan if a
more substantive account of agency is to be introduced into ideas
of gender identity.

This book will appeal to students and scholars in the areas of
social theory, gender studies and feminist theory.