Emancipatory for Whom? A Comment on Critical Realism

This essay is a comment on "Feminism, Realism and Universalism" by Tony Lawson (Feminist Economics, Vol. 5, No. 2, July 1999.) Lawson argues that critical realism will facilitate revelatory & emancipatory projects in feminist economics. The strength of Lawson's argument lies in its rejection of social atomism & methodological individualism. Societies are best understood as structurally connected systems rather than as atomistic aggregates. Its weakness lies in its reliance on a humanist conception of human agency, a conception that is increasingly questioned by some feminists. 17 References. Adapted from the source document.