description Katharine MacKinnon Overview
Catharine MacKinnon is an American legal scholar and academic specializing in feminist jurisprudence. She is widely recognized for her foundational work in developing the legal framework for sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination. In the 1980s, she collaborated with feminist writer Andrea Dworkin to draft civil rights ordinances that framed pornography as a violation of women's civil rights.
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How did Catharine MacKinnon change sexual-harassment law?
MacKinnon argued that workplace sexual harassment should be treated as sex discrimination rather than merely personal misconduct. She developed that position in Sexual Harassment of Working Women, published in 1979.
What did MacKinnon and Andrea Dworkin propose about pornography?
They drafted ordinances in the 1980s that defined pornography as a civil-rights injury and offered affected women a route to civil action. The approach generated major First Amendment disputes and was not adopted as settled US constitutional law.
Which court case is associated with MacKinnon's international work?
MacKinnon represented Bosnian women in Kadic v. Karadzic, litigation concerning genocidal sexual violence. The case produced a $745 million damages award in 2000.
Where has Catharine MacKinnon taught law?
She is professor emerita at the University of Michigan Law School and has held a long-term visiting appointment at Harvard. Her teaching career has also included Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia, and institutions outside the United States.
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