It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our friend
and colleague Professor Margaret Whitford who died on18 July, aged 64,
from ovarian cancer, after a long illness which she faced with great honesty
and
courage.



Margaret Whitford was a key founder member of the UK *Society for Women
in Philosophy*. Her energy and vision was pivotal to maintaining the group
as it grew. For many years she co-edited the *Women in Philosophy
Newsletter*which later became the *Women's Philosophy Review*. Her
editorship lasted from Issue 2 (1990) until
1997 when she became Books Review Editor, a position that she held until
2001.



Margaret Whitford's early work *Merleau-Ponty's Critique of
Sartre's Philosophy* remains a standard text. However, she is best known for
bringing to prominence in the English- speaking world the work of French
philosopher Luce Irigaray. She edited *The Irigaray Reader* (1991) and,
together with Carolyn Burke and Naomi
Schor, she co-edited *Engaging with Irigaray *(1994*)*. Her important
monograph *Luce Irigaray: Philosophy in the Feminine* came out in 1991, and
provided an entry point for readers into Irigaray's work, whilst also
rescuing that work from charges of essentialism and reductionism.



Margaret Whitford with Morwenna Griffiths co-edited the first book of papers
to come out of UK feminist philosophy, *Feminist Perspectives in Philosophy
**(1988). **Later with Kathleen Lennon, she co-edited
the first British collection on feminism epistemology, Knowing
the Difference.* Her work intertwined French Philosophy, feminism
and psychoanalysis in a way that provided an opening for much of the work in
feminist philosophy and feminist theory that followed. She always displayed
a willingness to engage with, rather than close off from, different factions
within academia. She qualified as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist at the
Lincoln Clinic and Centre for Psychotherapy, London and, on retirement from
her post as Professor of French at
Queen Mary, University of London, took on a number of private patients as
well as continuing with her translation work. She continued to be vigorously
interested in life generally and ideas in particular until the very last
days of her life.


Margaret was unstinting in her help and encouragement to younger
colleagues. She was loyal and generous to her friends, entertaining them
with rigorous discussions, her anarchic sense of humour, and sharing with
them outings to art exhibitions, as well as her passion for and knowledge of
contemporary art. One always left her company with fresh insights.

She will be very badly missed.

*Alison Assiter, Christine Battersby, Morwenna Griffiths, Kathleen Lennon,
Anne Seller*

-- 
_________________________________________________
Professor Jennifer Saul
Department of Philosophy
University of Sheffield
45 Victoria Street, Sheffield S3 7QB

Ph: 0114 222 0578
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
<http://www.shef.ac.uk/philosophy/staff/profiles/saul.html>