Mary O'Brien was a renowned philosopher, feminist scholar and Professor in the Department of Sociology in Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Besides her academic duties, O'Brien was highly involved in the feminist movement in Canada and was one of the founders of the Feminist Party of Canada in 1979.
Reviews of the first publication: ‘Mary O’Brien’s critique of de Beauvoir, Millett, Rowbotham, Reed, Arendt, strikes me as eminently fair and relevant. She is convincing in her demonstration of the patriarchalism of male political theory to date and of the need for correcting it by including female experience on the basis of the interdisciplinary approach. The book is feminist but noy “feminine”. Its scholarship and erudition are impeccable.’ — Jessie Bernard ‘This book is a complex, illuminating and important contribution to feminist theory…O’ Brien’s work shows us the conceptual framework we need for a scientific feminism that will transcend patriarchal intellectual traditions.’ — Sandra Harding and Shakuntala Byaya, Signs ‘This volume is an eye-opener — quite unlike any other book I have read.’ — Wally Seccombe, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education