{"id":96700,"date":"2026-01-21T04:00:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/?p=96700"},"modified":"2026-01-22T10:44:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T14:44:56","slug":"political-science-professor-authors-book-on-history-complexity-of-feminisms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/01_21_2026\/political-science-professor-authors-book-on-history-complexity-of-feminisms","title":{"rendered":"Political Science Professor Authors Book on History, Complexity of Feminisms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Challenging the idea that feminism can be reduced to a soundbite or political caricature, Dr. Renee Heberle has authored a book exploring the field\u2019s rich and often contested history.<\/p>\n<p>Heberle, a professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and co-director of the Program in Law and Social Thought, spent three years synthesizing decades of research in the recently published \u201cFeminisms: The Basics\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Feminisms-The-Basics\/Heberle\/p\/book\/9781032206813\">Routledge Press, $19.99<\/a>).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_96701\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-96701\" class=\"wp-image-96701\" src=\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RENEE-HEBERLE-01152026-2012.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Renee Heberle, a professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and co-director of the Program in Law and Social Thought, holds her recently published book, &quot;Feminisms: The Basics.&quot;\u00a0\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RENEE-HEBERLE-01152026-2012.jpg 748w, https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RENEE-HEBERLE-01152026-2012-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-96701\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Renee Heberle spent three years synthesizing decades of research in the recently published \u201cFeminisms: The Basics.&#8221;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The book is designed to offer an accessible yet comprehensive look at the vast range of ideas, history and policy preferences that have shaped feminist movements.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI chose to write \u2018Feminisms: The Basics\u2019 to challenge the caricatures of feminisms that come from many different ideological and political directions,\u201d Heberle said. \u201cThe spirit, politics and motivations of feminisms cannot be reduced to a one- or two-line description; nor are they the \u2018threat to civilization\u2019 some like to claim.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Heberle said the book investigates how feminists theorize gendered dynamics from many new perspectives while presenting the intense and productive debates feminists have engaged in about politics and policy. She said that her approach is distinct because she avoids defining what feminism is, opting instead to write about the field based on what self-identified feminists do and say.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFeminisms have a rich history and will not be pinned down,\u201d she said. \u201cI present feminisms as a rich field of critical discussion, concrete proposals and imagined possibilities for creating a better future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Intended for a broad audience including scholars, researchers and students, the writing process also offered Heberle a personal opportunity to refine her own perspective \u2014 a practice she champions in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs I wrote the book, I got a clearer sense of my own voice and perspective,\u201d Heberle said. \u201cThis is why I encourage students to write as much as possible about what they are learning or discovering. We learn by discussing with others, but also through the challenge of translating our thoughts into the written word.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<a href=\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/01_21_2026\/political-science-professor-authors-book-on-history-complexity-of-feminisms\"><img width=\"120\" height=\"120\" src=\"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/RENEE-HEBERLE-01152026-2012-150x150.jpg\" class=\"alignright tfe wp-post-image\" alt=\"Dr. Renee Heberle, a professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and co-director of the Program in Law and Social Thought, holds her recently published book, &quot;Feminisms: The Basics.&quot;\u00a0\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><p>&#8220;Feminisms: The Basics,&#8221; by Dr. Renee Heberle, challenges political caricatures and explores the vast range of ideas within the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":878,"featured_media":96701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,498,1,3,7],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96700"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/878"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96700"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96704,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96700\/revisions\/96704"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}