Kantianism, Liberalism, and Feminism: Resisting Oppression

What does the philosophy of a bunch of dead white men have to tell us about oppression? Rather a lot, Hay argues.

This is a book about the harms of oppression, and about addressing these harms using the resources of liberalism and Kantianism. Its central thesis is that people who are oppressed are bound by the duty of self-respect to resist their own oppression.

Hay defends certain core ideals of the liberal tradition - specifically, the fundamental importance of autonomy and rationality, the intrinsic and inalienable dignity of the individual, and the duty of self-respect - making the case that these ideals are pivotal in both understanding and counteracting oppression. She argues that if we take these ideals seriously then it follows that people who are oppressed have an obligation to themselves to resist their own oppression.