Traveling theorists. On biographical border crossing and feminist imagination

Samenvatting

The figure of the "stranger" has played an important role in sociology as well as in women's studies, where women have been conceived of as the prototypical Other. Many scholars who write about "strangers" have also had experiences leaving their country of origin, living in exile, or wandering from place to place as intellectual nomads. In this article, we explore the interconnections between biography and theory, using three well-known feminist "traveling theorists" as case in point. Each has developed metaphors for thinking about migration, and each has herself undergone multiple border crossings, which she draws on, more or less explicitly, in her work. By exploring the interconnections between the life and work of these traveling theorists, we seek not only to show how biographical analysis can help make sense of critical social theory, but also to discuss what is at stake, more generally, in theorizing about strangers. 39 References. Adapted from the source document.