Becoming a Woman

Megan Burke is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Sonoma State University and the author of When Time Warps.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Trans Antagonisms and BeauvoirChapter One: Becoming a WomanChapter Two: On Females and WomenChapter Three: An Ethics of Gender AffirmationConclusion: Bad Faith and FeminismGlossaryReferences

"gripping"LGBTQ Nation"A timely and provocative intervention"Signs"[A] timely and eminently readable intervention"French Studies"A careful, urgent book about the violence of gender norms and trans-exclusionary ideologies. As much a contribution to feminist theory as it is to trans studies, this slim volume calls us to grapple with gender ambiguity and its essential role in the practice of freedom. Becoming a Woman is astonishingly accessible and chock-full of world-shifting insights. I couldn't put it down!"Perry Zurn, Provost Associate Professor of Philosophy, American University, and Visiting Associate Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Cornell University"In this remarkably clear and pedagogical book, Megan Burke manages the tour de force of providing a very convincing case against gender-critical arguments, a clear-cut introduction to philosophical debates on trans issues, and a brilliant analysis of Beauvoir's work. Far from a manifesto, this book is a very well-written demonstration that Beauvoir's philosophy can provide a path to think about womanhood and trans issues outside of the dominating metaphysical framework and rather as a question pertaining to moral philosophy, human existence, and embodiment."Manon Garcia, Junior Professor in Practical Philosophy, Freie Universität Berlin, and author of The Joy of Consent