Background
Sevenhuijsen, Selma was born on August 23, 1948 in Haarlem, The Netherlands.
Sevenhuijsen, Selma was born on August 23, 1948 in Haarlem, The Netherlands.
1966-1976, Political Science and Political Theory and History in Amsterdam, PhD with a dissertation on the order of fatherhood.
1979-1989, Lecturer in Political Science. University of Amsterdam. Since 1989; Professor/ Chair of Comparative Women’s Studies, Social Faculty, University of Utrecht.
Director of an interdisciplinary research programme on ‘Gender and Morality as Social Practice’.
Selma Sevenhuijsen’s work is an example of concrete historical investigation of the legal and social situation of women and the philosophical insight to be won with the application of a critical feminist perspective. Her research into concepts such as family and fatherhood reveals underlying patriarchal presumptions in moral and political philosophy but does not neglect to point out the pitfalls of a 'romantic' admiration of women's qualities on the other hand. Selma Sevenhuijsen's work concentrates on feminist philosophy and feminist politics: the ethics and politics of care, reproductive technology and health care policies. She investigates traditional moral and political concept, such as equality, justice, autonomy and their gender dimensions. She describes her philosophical attitude as ‘a moderate version of postmodernism’.
Women and the welfare state. Motherhood and reproductive politics. The history and theory of women and family law.
Feminism and political theory. Especially liberal political theory. Women, ethics and moral theory.
History of feminism and children’s interests.
Feminist philosophers: Seyla Benhabib, Lorraine Code, Nancy Fraser, Sandra Harding. Alison Jaggar, Evelyn Fox Keller, Genevieve Lloyd, Carol Pateman. Val Plumwood. Adrienne Rich, Carol Smart and Iris M. Young. The protagonists of the ‘care as political issue’ debate: Jean B. Elshtain, Carol Gilligan, Virginia Held and Sara Ruddick. Political philosophers: Hannah Arendt, Michel Foucault and Joan Tronto.