Sex, Culture, and Justice: The Limits of Choice

SEX,

CULTURE, AND JUSTICE

THE LIMITS OF CHOICE

SEX, CULTURE, AND JUSTICE

SEX,

CULTURE, AND JUSTICE

THE LIMITS OF CHOICE

CLARE CHAMBERS

T
HE
P
ENNSYLVANIA
S
TAT E
U
NIVERSITY
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NIVERSITY
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ENNSYLVANIA

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Chambers, Clare.

S
ex, culture, and justice : the limits of choice / Clare Chambers.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index. I
S
BN 978–0-271–03301–3 (cloth : alk. paper)

1. Feminist theory.
   

2. S
   ex role–Philosophy.
   

3. Feminine beauty (Aesthetics)–
   S
   ocial aspects.
   

4. Body, Human—
   S
   ocial aspects.
   

5. S
   ocial norms.
   

6. Autonomy (Philosophy).
   

7. Liberalism—Philosophy.
   

I. Title.

HQ1190.C43 2007 306.4’613—dc22

2007025808

Copyright
©
2008 The Pennsylvania
S
tate University

All rights reserved

Printed in the United
S
tates of America Published by The Pennsylvania
S
tate University Press,

University Park, PA 16802–1003

The Pennsylvania
S
tate University Press

is a member of the Association of American University Presses.

It is the policy of The Pennsylvania
S
tate University Press to use acid-free paper. This book is printed on Natures Natural, containing 50% post-consumer waste, and meets minimum requirements of American National
S
tandard for Information
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ciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Material, AN
S
I Z39.48–1992.

Acknowledgments
vii

Introduction
1

part one
:
theories of social construction

1. Creativity, Cultural Practice, and the Body: Foucault and
   

   Three Problems with the Liberal Focus on Choice 21
   

2. Masculine Domination, Radical Feminism, and Change 45
   

3. Social Construction, Normativity, and Difference 81
   

   part two
   :
   liberalism
   ,
   culture
   ,
   and autonomy
   

4. All Must Have Prizes: The Liberal Case for Interference in
   

   Cultural Practices 117
   

5. Two Orders of Autonomy and Political Liberalism: Breast
   

   Implants Versus Female Genital Mutilation 159
   

6. Paternalism and Autonomy 203
   

7. Liberal Perfectionism and the Autonomy of Restricted Lives 233
   

Although writing a book can be a lonely experience, it cannot be done alone. I have relied on a great many people and places while writing this book, and I am profoundly grateful to all of them.

Some chapters of
Sex, Culture, and Justice
have been previously pub- lished elsewhere, although in each case the version that appears here has been revised or extended. An earlier version of Chapter 2 appeared as ‘‘Masculine Domination, Radical Feminism and Change,’’ in
Femi- nist Theory
6, no. 3 (December 2005). It is reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., all rights reserved. An earlier version of Chapter 4 appeared as ‘‘All Must Have Prizes: The Liberal Case for Interference in Cultural Practices,’’ in
Multiculturalism Reconsidered:
Culture and Equality
and Its Critics
(Polity Press, 2002), edited by Paul Kelly, and is reprinted here by permission of Polity Press. An earlier version of Chapter 5 appeared as ‘‘Are Breast Implants Better Than Female Geni- tal Mutilation? Autonomy, Gender Equality and Nussbaum’s Political Liberalism,’’ in
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philos- ophy
7, no. 3 (Autumn 2004), and is reprinted here by permission of Taylor & Francis Ltd. I should like to thank the editors and publishers for permission to use those works here. I should also like to thank the staff at Penn State University Press. In particular, Sandy Thatcher was enthusiastic about the book from the start and supportive at every stage. Cherene Holland kept everything running smoothly and to schedule, and Andrew Lewis provided excellent copyediting and edito- rial suggestions.

My work on
Sex, Culture, and Justice
began while I was a graduate student at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. During that time I was very fortunate to have research funding from the UK Economic and Social Research Council (
esrc
), for which I am very grateful. I am also grateful to the other members of Nuffield College—fellows, students, and staff—for the excellent practical, intellectual, and emo- tional resources they shared with me during the sometimes challeng- ing doctoral process.

I was also fortunate to have two wonderful supervisors, Lois McNay and David Miller, who spanned what sometimes seemed like a concep- tual void between Continental and analytical political philosophy. Hav- ing two such different supervisors offered great rewards. But it also brought the difficulty that, if one of them liked a piece of work, the other usually wouldn’t. I never decided quite how best to resolve this problem, but hope that at least parts of
Sex, Culture, and Justice
please both of them, for they each contributed an enormous amount. David and Lois continue to offer support and advice, and I am indebted to them both.

I continued work on the book during a two-year lectureship in the Government Department of the London School of Economics and a further two years as Mary Somerville Junior Research Fellow at Somer- ville College, University of Oxford. In both places I enjoyed the help and intellectual stimulation of excellent colleagues, for which I am very grateful. I should also like to thank my new colleagues in the Philoso- phy Faculty and Jesus College, University of Cambridge, for their wel- come and encouragement.

Parts of
Sex, Culture, and Justice
have been presented at various aca- demic events: the Nuffield Political Theory Workshop, the Oxford Polit- ical Theory Seminar, the London Political Theory Group, the
lse
Politi- cal Philosophy Research Seminar, the
lse
Philosophy Department annual conference at Cumberland Lodge, a roundtable on Brian Barry’s
Culture and Equality
at Birkbeck College, a one-day conference organized by the Royal Institute of Philosophy and the Open Univer- sity, the Political Studies Association annual conference in Leicester, and the European Consortium for Political Research annual confer- ence at Marburg. Comments raised and questions asked at these events have been enormously helpful, and I should like to thank all the partici- pants.

Sex, Culture, and Justice
has also been explicitly shaped—and, I think, improved—by comments from a great many individuals who have been kind enough to provide them. I have hugely appreciated the comments and support of Ruth Abbey, Mike Aronson, Michael Bacon, Brian Barry, Andrea Baumeister, Richard Bellamy, Thomas Christiano, Jerry Cohen, Phil Cook, Liz Frazer, Michael Freeden, Miranda Gill, Geoff Harcourt, Andy Harrop, David Held, Kimberley Hutchings, Ben Jackson, Stevi Jackson, Paul Kelly, Ce´cile Laborde, Gerry Mackie, Martin McIvor, Derek Matravers, Matt Matravers, Steve May, Tariq

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix

Modood, Monica Mookherjee, Michael Otsuka, Avia Pasternak, Anne Phillips, Oonagh Reitman, Jonathan Seglow, Birte Siim, Judith Squires, Marc Stears and Stuart White. Dan Butt deserves a special mention for liking an early version of Chapter 5 so much that he came to hear me present it twice, and for insisting that it is sometimes desir- able purposely to limit one’s own autonomy. I don’t think I would have finished this book if I hadn’t applied Dan’s principle when writing it.

Some people have been kind enough to read the entire manuscript at one time or another, and I should like to give them special thanks. Lois McNay and David Miller did so several times during its doctoral incarnation, and Sue Mendus and Adam Swift were rigorous and con- structive examiners. Ce´cile Fabre provided characteristically detailed and challenging comments while being unfailingly supportive. Kather- ine Eddy and Zofia Stemplowska responded to my plea for readers to see whether the manuscript made sense after rearranging some chap- ters; Katherine did so with great speed, and Zofia did so in great detail: a perfect combination. Ruth Abbey and Avigail Eisenberg were anony- mous (at the time) reviewers of the manuscript. Each gave comments that were far more detailed and useful than anyone is entitled to expect of anonymous reviewers. In particular both Ruth and Avigail made suggestions about the structure of the book that helped to deal with problems I had previously identified but been unable to see how to solve, and responding to their more specific challenges was a real plea- sure. Finally, Ann Cudd was one of the last to read the manuscript, and her comments were interesting, encouraging, and helpful. At- tempting to respond to all these critics has been sometimes difficult but always exciting and never unpleasant, and I hope I have managed to resolve some of their concerns (I know I have not resolved all of them).

Since this is my first book, I have accrued a great many personal debts. I shall not attempt to list them all, but will mention two catego- ries. First, many former teachers have helped me develop a love of political philosophy and of academic life. I should like to thank them all, and particularly Nigel Bowles, Mark Evans, Marc Stears, and Tony Ward. Second, many people gave me great emotional help while I was writing this book. In particular, Lu Harley, Jennie Parvin, and John Parvin have been constantly understanding, tolerant, and generous. My father, Keith Chambers, was always available with tea and crumpets, practical advice on everything from car ownership to travel deals, and

a groan-inducing pun if times got rough. My mother, Jose´ Chambers, has been an enormous influence and inspiration, and an unfailing source of support. I am hugely thankful to both my parents.

Finally, I must thank Phil Parvin. Phil has helped me through innu- merable intellectual and emotional crises, and has also brought me great happiness. Phil is an excellent political philosopher, and his ideas shaped many of those of
Sex, Culture and Justice.
Not least, it was Phil who first encouraged me to consider theories of multiculturalism, and this book would have been very different if he had not. Phil insists, against my occasional assertions to the contrary, that I would have finished the book without him. He may be right, but I am extremely glad that I did not have to try.