
The Contested Domain
Selected Writings on Marxism and Feminism
Lise Vogel(Author)
Kirstin Munro(Editor)
Pluto Press
Published on 20. November 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
272 pages
978-0-7453-5139-1 (ISBN)
Description
'A compelling critique of bourgeois society and women's oppression - a critique that not only advances theory, but also engages deeply with the historical and political conditions of social transformation' - Melda Yaman, Istanbul University
Lise Vogel is a unique voice in feminist theory. This book collects her best essays, opening a window into the last half-century of US socialist feminism.
A trailblazer in the 1970s, Vogel planted the seeds for contemporary Social Reproduction Theory with her 'unitary theory' of capitalist exploitation and the oppression of women. Along with others, she challenged established views within the academy and movement by insisting that Marxist theory can accommodate not only class, but also race and gender. Today, her work is more popular than ever, inspiring socialist feminists to develop inclusive liberatory ideas for the next generation.
Selected from five decades of Vogel's work, including long out-of-print material, this volume is a crucial resource for readers interested in the intellectual history of Marxist feminism and twentieth-century activism.
Lise Vogel is a unique voice in feminist theory. This book collects her best essays, opening a window into the last half-century of US socialist feminism.
A trailblazer in the 1970s, Vogel planted the seeds for contemporary Social Reproduction Theory with her 'unitary theory' of capitalist exploitation and the oppression of women. Along with others, she challenged established views within the academy and movement by insisting that Marxist theory can accommodate not only class, but also race and gender. Today, her work is more popular than ever, inspiring socialist feminists to develop inclusive liberatory ideas for the next generation.
Selected from five decades of Vogel's work, including long out-of-print material, this volume is a crucial resource for readers interested in the intellectual history of Marxist feminism and twentieth-century activism.
Reviews / Votes
'Drawing on Marxist theory and integrating a feminist perspective, Vogel offers a compelling critique of bourgeois society and women's oppression-a critique that not only advances theory, but also engages deeply with the historical and political conditions of social transformation' -- Melda Yaman, Istanbul UniversityMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Illustrations
2 b&w tables
Dimensions
Height: 214 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
290 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7453-5139-1 (9780745351391)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
11/2025
1st Edition
Pluto Press
€30.49
Available for download
Persons
Lise Vogel is a feminist sociologist from the United States. Growing up in a politically active family, she was heavily involved in the Civil Rights and women's liberation movements. She earned doctorates from Harvard University and Brandeis University, and is best known for developing our understanding of the relationship between Marxism and feminism. She is the author of many books, including Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Toward a Unitary Theory.
Kirstin Munro is an Assistant Professor of Economics at The New School for Social Research in New York. She is the author of The Production of Everyday Life in Eco-Conscious Households: Compromise, Conflict, and Complicity.
Paula Varela is a Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Buenos Aires and CONICET in Argentina in the areas of working-class studies and gender studies.
Kirstin Munro is an Assistant Professor of Economics at The New School for Social Research in New York. She is the author of The Production of Everyday Life in Eco-Conscious Households: Compromise, Conflict, and Complicity.
Paula Varela is a Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Buenos Aires and CONICET in Argentina in the areas of working-class studies and gender studies.
Content
Editor's Preface
Foreword by Paula Varela
1. Introduction to Woman Questions
2. The Earthly Family
3. Fine Arts and Feminism: The Awakening Consciousness
4. Class and Other Roots
5. The Contested Domain: A Note on The Family in the Transition to Capitalism
6. Questions on the Woman Question
7. Marxism and Feminism: Unhappy Marriage, Trial Separation or Something Else?
8. From the Woman Question to Women's Liberation
9. Engels's Origin: Legacy, Burden and Vision
10. Socialist Feminism
11. Telling Tales: Historians of Our Own Lives
12. Questioning Equality
13. Beyond Equality versus Difference
14. Beyond Intersectionality
15. "She Was My Kind of Scientist": Margaret Benston and the Political Economy of Women's Liberation
Sources
Index
Foreword by Paula Varela
1. Introduction to Woman Questions
2. The Earthly Family
3. Fine Arts and Feminism: The Awakening Consciousness
4. Class and Other Roots
5. The Contested Domain: A Note on The Family in the Transition to Capitalism
6. Questions on the Woman Question
7. Marxism and Feminism: Unhappy Marriage, Trial Separation or Something Else?
8. From the Woman Question to Women's Liberation
9. Engels's Origin: Legacy, Burden and Vision
10. Socialist Feminism
11. Telling Tales: Historians of Our Own Lives
12. Questioning Equality
13. Beyond Equality versus Difference
14. Beyond Intersectionality
15. "She Was My Kind of Scientist": Margaret Benston and the Political Economy of Women's Liberation
Sources
Index