Women’s Work as Political Art: Weaving and Dialectical Politics in Homer, Aristophanes, and Plato

Women’s Work as Political Art traces the evolution of weaving as metaphor in Homer’s Odyssey, Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, and Plato’s Statesman and Phaedo. This figurative technique represents a dialectical approach to politics that combines disparate individuals within a greater community through philosophic inquiry. Expanding on feminist theorists such as Martha Nussbaum, Lisa Pace Vetter argues that in these works, the metaphor of the traditionally feminine art of weaving conveys complex and inclusive teachings that address the concerns of women more effectively than commonly believed. This book offers valuable insight to scholars of political theory, gender studies, and classics alike.