Liberal Rights Theory and Social Inequality: A Feminist Critique
Author(s)
Schwartzman, Lisa
Abstract
Liberal rights theory can be used either to challenge or to support social hierarchies of power. Focusing on Ronald Dworkin’s theory of rights and Catharine MacKinnon’s feminist critique of liberalism, I identify a number of problems with the way that liberal theorists conceptualize rights. I argue that rights can be used to challenge oppressive practices and structures only if they are defined and employed with an awareness and critique of social relations of power.
