‘Total War on Spiritual Issues’: English feminists, Christian national identity and gender equality in wartime Britain
In: Fighting for Britain?
In: Fighting for Britain?
Introduces a Vol of nine Chpts (each abstracted) by providing a theoretical & political context for issues raised by recent changes in & challenges to the political project of feminism. The central idea of a shared oppression uniting women in their struggle for liberation informed second-wave feminism of the 1960s & 1970s, which tended to concentrate on social structures that universally disadvantaged women, regardless of class, race, or sexual differences. This ignorance of difference eventually led to the assertion of radical difference in postmodernist & poststructuralist feminist thought. These new strands of theory were anchored in a wider challenge to Western philosophical thought that revealed the gendered nature of the dichotomies that structure it. Two particular claims were stressed by poststructural feminists: that all knowledge was partial & relative to the social construction of experience. Thus, recent feminist work is described as emphasizing the local & cultural variability of gender in all its forms. Others have focused on the nature of power as ambivalent & negotiated rather than imposed from one group onto another. With a focus on identity issues in the context of practicing feminism, contributions address the significance of women's agency & sense of active subjectivity as well as notions of identity construction in power relations. 85 References. D. M. Smith
Considers feminist studies of religion as existing on the borderlands of debates over the appropriate methods & objects of scholarly religious investigations. Since the 1980s, there has been a dramatic increase in feminist writings on questions of gender & the variety of world religions. These writings have challenged Christian orthodoxy, called attention to issues of global & cultural diversity, & constructed a notion of women's centered spirituality. Much of this work has interrogated the mythic structures of the Judeo-Christian tradition & has sought to retrieve women's role in the history of the church. Part of this effort has been dedicated to exposing the misogyny endemic to traditional religious practices, but another part of it has been to innovate new spiritual & mystical discourses. It is suggested that, for feminist religious thought to achieve its goals, it must become more scholarly, rigorous, & committed to translate its theories into social practice. 42 References. D. M. Ryfe
Discusses the feminist-informed anthropological intervention in a 1983-1985 study of gender discourses & relations in contemporary Greece to show how this approach developed as a response to issues surrounding debates in 1970s-early 1980s feminism. The formation of this research agenda is situated in the context of Greek society poised at a critical historical moment of social reform in which legal constructions of gender difference were undergoing radical transformation. It is argued that the dual presence of feminism in the fieldwork -- as a theoretical perspective & a symbol & social movement constituting the field of investigation -- deeply unsettled the conventional separation between self & Other usually erected in anthropological discourses. It is suggested that this destabilization opened the possibility of a dynamic dialogue between theory & data, researcher & researched, & feminist self-knowledge & knowledge of gendered Others. Issues of similarity & difference are discussed in terms of shifting social & political meanings. 31 References. D. M. Smith
Presents personal reflections on editing a special journal issue of Feminism and Psychology (1992, 2, 3) which sought to thematize heterosexuality not as a given for women, but as an interrogative focus of research. Focus is on social constructionist work that investigates the coercive nature of heterosexuality, heterosexual identification, & the relationship between heterosexual sexual behavior & sexual identity. It is suggested that sophisticated treatment of these issues promises to reveal all the ways in which heterosexuality is a social construct rather than a biological given. Moreover, investigation of these themes is taken to represent an ideal case for the social construction of normative behavior & identity formation. It is concluded that analysis of the meanings & functions of heterosexuality is important for laying the groundwork of a lesbian feminism that can confront, resist, & undermine it. 84 References. D. M. Smith
An examination of the health care/scientific community's response to breast cancer argues that many practices do as much, or more, harm than good. Specifics highlighted include the initial lack of interest in women's health in the US; the failure to include survivor input in either research or practice; & the skewing of research data in favor of pharmacological remedies. It is noted that the activism of multiple groups/organizations made women's health a priority in the 1990s & significantly increased funding for breast cancer research. The story of a breast cancer survivor's efforts to establish a grassroots group devoted to support, education, & advocacy illustrates the complex relationship of science, politics, & feminism that surrounds the issue of breast cancer. Characteristics of a feminist analysis of science are examined to show the ability of feminist perspectives to reveal conceptual errors & dubious value judgments in biology that negatively affect finding solutions to problems. Medical research/practice & social change issues related to breast cancer that need to be addressed by feminist scientists are discussed. 30 References. J. Lindroth
In: Violence against Women and Ethnicity: Commonalities and Differences across Europe, S. 170-185
Investigates the relation of African American women to contemporary feminist issues & organizing, drawing on interviews with 30 such women who have been involved in African American organizations. Results indicate that these women are hesitant to embrace the identity of feminist. Although they engage in feminist activities, they tend to view feminism in the popular 1970s sense of the term as antimale & middle-class white. A number perceive their exclusion from the women's movement as reason to resist the feminist label, while others believe that racial issues are more important than gender issues. Efforts to construct a new vernacular for African American female political activism, such as womanism or black feminism, are taken to indicate the negative effect of the women's movement on African American women. To develop better collaboration between African American women & feminism, it is suggested that women's groups must do better in understanding the construction of African American gendered identities & goals. 30 References. D. Ryfe
In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies
"UN, Gender, and Women" published on by Oxford University Press.
Introduces an edited Vol of 12 chapters (each abstracted) that develops a more politicized & accessible version of postmodernist feminist thought that might have relevance for women in the North & the South, & particularly for women of color. A literature review demonstrates that feminists have taken the postmodern challenge to stress the local, specific, & historically constructed by focusing particularly on the concept of difference. While the notion of difference has opened interesting theoretical avenues, a growing body of criticism has expressed an uneasiness with its political implications. In particular, feminists in the South have accused northern scholars of constructing a neocolonial discourse that relegates women in the South to the position of undifferentiated Other oppressed by both gender & Third World development. It is suggested that this challenge has opened new arenas of debate concerning the possible contribution of feminist postmodernism to issues of women's development. D. M. Smith
Offers a firsthand account of the antinuclear weapons demonstration encampment at the Seneca (NY) Army Depot in Aug 1983. The genesis of the encampment was the Global Feminist Disarmament Conference held in June 1982, at which US & Canadian feminists organized a peace camp. This conference inspired thousands of women to descend on the Seneca Army Depot, where they met more traditional townspeople who were suspicious of this overt breach of propriety in women's conduct. Of particular concern to townspeople was the role of lesbianism at the encampment. This suspicion led townspeople & policemen to engage in several skirmishes with demonstrators. Their efforts did not prevent the demonstration from becoming a landmark of the feminist peace movement, & Seneca a site of feminist political & cultural education. However, feminist activists are encouraged to consider more closely three issues raised by the Seneca encampment: divisions among activists; methods of organizing an ambivalent public; & the relationship between feminist antimilitarism & the international peace movement. D. Ryfe
Considers the marginal status of feminists on the borders of sociology in an alternating discussion of several personal episodes & theoretical vignettes. Personal episodes are intended to exemplify discussions of the marginality of women in academia, the nature of fragmented identity in an academic context, the role of race in feminist politics, & class issues in feminist theorizing. The evolution of the academy & feminism's place in it since the 1970s are highlighted. Though much has changed in the academic environment, caution is registered about how much change has occurred. Gatekeepers & other mechanisms of inclusion & exclusion continue to exist, even if various subaltern groups have made considerable headway in the discipline. Through these ruminations, it is shown that practices of exclusion are not particular to white men, but may be implemented by everyone in the effort to protect advantage. 14 References. D. M. Ryfe
Discusses the relationship of women's studies to the discipline of philosophy, drawing on personal experiece as a feminist philosopher. Traditionally, philosophy has been dominated by a male perspective that privileges a combative culture, a disembodied form of reason, & a preference for analysis of themes & issues pertinent to the public rather than private sphere. In this climate, feminism has been pushed to the margins of philosophy, forcing women to choose between success on the discipline's terms or migration to women's studies programs. In arguing that women philosophers should continue to inhabit the borderlands between philosophy & women's studies, three dangers in inhabiting this space are raised: the tendency to turn philosophy into an exercise in literary analysis; (2) the tendency to make feminist arguments inaccessible to educated readers; & (3) the tendency to base one's work solely on linguistic or psychoanalytic theories. It is concluded that feminists can continue to occupy the borderlands by maintaining a commitment both to political engagement & to critical scrutiny. 14 References. D. M. Ryfe
Discusses changes in the nature of personal engagement with a project on women's situations in Hungary that evolved from a 1984 dissertation thesis as a process of shifting borders & perspectives. During the research, male perceptions of Western feminism raised issues of power, gender, & culture that became a seminal aspect of the work. These issues also became salient during the writing of the dissertation, in the form of struggles over the use of women's voices as evidence in support of textual arguments. A gradual movement toward active political engagement, eg, publishing booklets on women's reproductive issues, created further distance between the academy & Corrin. Status as a lesbian intellectual created other kinds of borders between Corrin & the academy. Several episodes of crossing these various borders are recounted to demonstrate that, while they have often been costly, they have also represented enormous opportunities for learning. 12 References. D. M. Ryfe
An introductory essay reviews the history & current status of sociological theory & research on men & masculinity from an international perspective. Key concepts & emerging themes are presented, & the role of feminist theories in promoting the study of masculinity is discussed. The issues of "men's rights," the designation of the early 21st century as a "postfeminist" era, & the contention that contemporary males are "in crisis" are considered. The critical perspective employed by all contributors to this volume & its application to key questions in gender research are reviewed. 85 References. K. Hyatt Stewart