Sara Ruddick (born Sara Elizabeth Loop; February 17, 1935 – March 20, 2011) was a feminist philosopher and the author of ''Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace''.

Education and career

Ruddick earned an A.B. at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

in 1957 and a Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

in 1964. She taught philosophy and women's studies at the New School of Social Research for forty years. She was awarded the Distinguished Woman Philosopher of the Year Award by the Society for Women in Philosophy in 2002. A panel celebrating her work was held at the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarl ...

meeting in San Diego in 2012. She participated in the oral history project,
Feminist Philosophers: In Their Own Words
'' which provides interviews with important feminist philosophers involved in the

Women's Movement The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and women. Such issues are women's ...

during the 1960s and 1970s.

Research and publications

Ruddick is best known for her analysis of the practices of thinking that emerge from the care of children. She argued that mothering is a conscious activity that calls for choices, daily decisions and a continuing, alert reflectiveness. Lisa Baraitser describes her contribution: "Along with

Adrienne Rich Adrienne Cecile Rich ( ; May 16, 1929 – March 27, 2012) was an American poet, essayist and feminist. She was called "one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century", and was credited with bringing "the ...

, Ruddick was probably the most important philosophical thinker to address the issue of mothering and motherhood since second-wave feminism, and in a similar spirit to that of Grace Paley, to extend her analysis of mothering under patriarchy to the development of the values necessary to oppose militarism and war."

References

Bibliography

* Polly F. Radosh, "Sara Ruddick's Theory of Maternal Thinking Applied To Traditional Irish Mothering," ''Journal of Family History'', 33,3 (2008), 304–315. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruddick, Sara 1935 births 2011 deaths Scholars of feminist philosophy 21st-century American philosophers American women philosophers Postmodern feminists Harvard University alumni Vassar College alumni 21st-century American women