This article comments on Sylvia Walby’s critique of the politics of difference
and the relativist tendencies she sees represented in some contemporary feminist positions.
While the general direction of Walby’s intervention is not disputed, the
theoretical architecture of her text as well as the way she develops her argumentation are
critically assessed. Problems in the architecture of the text concern the unclear
interconnection between epistemological questions, questions of moral philosophy/political
theory and practical politics. The critique focuses on three aspects: on problems connected
with Walby’s use of the Habermasian notion of ‘argumentation’,
on difficulties related to an incoherent use of the notion of
‘difference’ and on the inadequate way in which she constructs
oppositions between theories. The article lays out some of the theoretical backgrounds of
the debates Walby refers to, in order to enhance a more specific comparison and critique of
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