Barbara Richmond 1940 Professor in the Humanities, Philosophy
Dewey Hall 1; (413)585-3646
espelman@email.smith.edu

B.A., Wellesley College
Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University

Much of my teaching and research has fallen roughly into three areas. My interest in what has come to be called critical race feminism is perhaps most thoroughly represented in Inessential Woman: Problems of Exclusion in Feminist Thought (Beacon Press, 1988). In it and related articles I explore the meaning of the intersection or intertwining of ‘racial,’ gender and other aspects of women’s identities. Another sustained focus of inquiry has been the ways in which our emotions are shaped by and give shape to political dimensions of human relationships. In Fruits of Sorrow: Framing Our Attention to Suffering (Beacon, 1997), I examine the positive and negative implications of regarding sufferers as tragic figures, or objects of compassion, or bearers of experiences from which others can learn or otherwise profit. Most recently, in Repair: The Impulse to Restore in a Fragile World (Beacon, 2002), I explore the ubiquity and variety of repair activities humans engage in – from fixing cars to mending friendships to repairing the larger social and political fabric. My current research expands upon some Repair - related topics: one project focuses on the restoration of degraded environments and buildings, another on the movement for reparations for U.S. slavery and its legacy.