Mayberry, Maralee, Banu Subramaniam, and Lisa H. Weasel, eds. Feminist Science Studies: A New Generation. London: Routledge, 2001. 354 pp.

by Shelley K. Erickson

Picking up and reading an anthology will typically do one of two things: it will introduce you to a new topic and invite you to pursue it further through carefully chosen essays, or it will suggest that you have already read the most crucial works on a particular topic. The former, of course, is more exciting than the latter. Fortunately, this is what the editors of Feminist Science Studies: A New Generation have accomplished. Mayberry, Subramaniam, and Weasel offer a compilation that works as an introduction to feminist science studies while simultaneously providing readers already familiar with this area of study an opportunity to discover new scholars and activists. At the moment, this anthology fills a void, as there are no departments, disciplines, or even professional journals devoted to this field. Feminist science studies is "a field under construction" comprised of a growing number of scholars and activists who apply "feminist analyses to scientific ideas and practices" and explore "the intersections between race, class, gender, and science and technology" (5). Among this diverse group of people, there are common questions about interactions between natures and cultures, how such knowledge is produced, and what the consequences might be.