Suchergebnisse

"Courts and Same-Sex Marriage in Latin America" published on by Oxford University Press.

Established & stereotypical attitudes about women's relation to war are examined. Statements opining the relatively abstract or relational bent of male & female thinking are cited. Links between thinking types & warmongering are drawn. Quotes & opinions from the work of Burguieres, Carroll, Harris, Ruddick, & Steihm are used to inspect narrow views of women, men, & armed conflict. The feminist theoretical challenge for a rethinking of the meaning of power & its use in various contexts is enhanced by quotes from Weber & Foucault. The "women & peace" stereotype is considered in relation to male pacifists such as Gandhi & Tolstoy, & with regard to war as a pursuit of abstract ideals. Conclusions focus on the discrepancies belying hidebound notions of women & peace. Reworking of responsibility through powerful institutions & societal networks is advocated. M. C. Leary

The gender stereotypes produced in Russian children's literature are examined in a review of 300+ preschool stories including Russian folktales, foreign traditional folktales, modern books by Soviet & post-Soviet authors, & modern books by foreign authors. Based on the assumption that gender identification is established in the early years of childhood, it is argued that preschool literature may strongly affect the gender identities & stereotypes of future adults. Traditional folktales by foreign authors are characterized by a clear separation between strong, dominating men & passive, dependent women, while Russian folktales often present a matriarchal stereotype marked by emotionally & materially independent female characters & weak men. In the modern stories, gender stereotypes are played out through interactions between children & parents. The Soviet literature portrays a traditional division of male & female family roles combined with a quasi-egalitarian role division in the sphere of work. Modern egalitarian literature evidences a more flexible division of family & work responsibilities, thereby promoting visions of a gender-free society. 44 References. T. Sevier

The gender implications of the emerging field of psychoanalysis in post-Soviet Russia are discussed, based on interviews with 1 male & 8 female professional psychoanalysts in St. Petersburg & Moscow. The recent revival of psychoanalysis in Russia is characterized by (1) assimilation of individualizing, middle-class, Western influences into Russian culture; (2) theoretization & redfinition of gender roles; & (3) reliance on classical Freudian psychoanalysis in the absence of Russian translations of more recent Western feminist critiques & alternative theories. The utilization of traditional psychoanalysis has created a conflict for female professionals between the gender stereotypes advocated by the Freudian perspective & the Western-inspired drive for personal growth & professional achievement among both genders. This paradox has been resolved by defining psychoanalysis as a professional sphere separate from the male-dominated public spheres of employment. Although psychoanalysis has promoted discussion of previously overlooked sexual & personal relations, its current form reinforces bourgeois stereotypes of women as passive, intellectually inferior, & unsuited for employment. T. Sevier

Smith asserts that reviews of gender issues in politics inevitably collide with essentialist categorization & mobilization. Explanation of essentialism follows examples of its use by Robert Dole & Helen Caldicott. The practice is criticized for producing or backing views that may be overly simplistic, antiintellectual, or muddy. There are arguments against pigeonholing, rigidity, & lack of room for ambiguity or evolution in studies of human identity & behavior. Citations of theories backing or refuting essentialism are included. The lure of single identities is discussed, with Lord's "mythical norm" opinion given. Two components of essentialist politics' appeal & use are identified. Exceptions to simplistic delineation of male & female wartime roles & identities are considered. A listing of errors in essentialist discourse precedes warnings of deleterious impacts. Other philosophical approaches are advocated. M. C. Leary

An examination of hero worship in India draws on two songs sung by women on special occasions: a song contained in the oral epic Pabuji, & a ratijaga, or "night-wake" song. It is hoped that investigating gender representations & women's tradition of hero veneration in different genres will alter a misleading understanding of Indian hero worship based almost exclusively on epics. Data were gathered during field research conducted in 1984/85 & 1990. Although hero cults are dominated by men, it is contended that women's songs about heroes represent women & women's interests in unique ways. A description & interpretation of the two songs sheds light on how men & women appropriate & transform the heroic scenarios that make ancestors worthy of worship. Special attention is given to "moments of decision," described as points in dialogue when a genre predominantly performed by women, & one performed by men, affect, edit, & transform each other's ideas/images. These instances illustrate very different understandings of what is important, good, & just about constructs like duty & identity. 33 References. J. Lindroth

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

Examines women's role in contemporary racist movements & the impact of their growing membership on organized racism, drawing on observational, documentary, & interview data; in particular, unstructured life-history interviews were conducted with 34 female members, ages 16-90, of US racist groups in the mid-1990s to examine their level of racist identification & commitment. Familial, social, & operative roles of women are detailed. Tensions concomitant with the introduction of women into the racist movement are then discussed in terms of conflicts within racist groups & personal relationships. In this light, the problematic nature of gender inclusion in racist groups is evident. J. Zendejas

Draws upon theoretical insights of the French Regulation School to examine changes imposed on European states by recent globalization forces. The focus is on the reconfiguration of gender regimes in the new "network societies" & how women can be included in an increasingly borderless global market. It is contended that the decline of industrial capitalism has been followed by the emergence of an "informational capitalism" characterized by new network structures. European states have shifted their focus from ensuring the welfare of citizens to competing in the global economy, & the change has had a deleterious effect on citizens, especially women & children, who had benefited from such social safety nets as health & child care. An exploration of the connection between recent periods of capitalist accumulation & gender orders focuses on how & why globalization has undermined Fordist gender regimes. The complex link between the transformation from the Fordist regime of accumulation & the construction of new "flexible" gender orders is examined, & the importance of these changes for feminist state theory/practice is discussed. J. Lindroth

Data obtained 1983-1985 via interviews with 30 retired male career athletes, ages 21-48, are drawn on to examine the development of masculine gender identity, focusing on the nature of friendships between males, the role of intimacy in such relationships, & how these contribute to males' conceptions of their sexual identity & roles. Ways that these men seek to avoid emotional intimacy are described, including their engagement in stereotypical masculine activities & encouragement of homophobia. It is shown how sexist attitudes toward women are also encouraged in this culture & reinforced by various discursive strategies & behaviors in the locker room, during training, & on the playing field. Implications for the development of true intimacy in opposite sex relationships are discussed. K. Hyatt Stewart

Taking direction from a feminist & poststructuralist position on self & identity, explored here is masculinity & male sex role identity in the context of changing gender relations. It is argued that men can only break free of stereotypical ideas & practices regarding their identity if they first transform their subjective perceptions of what it means to be male. Such self-reflection is discussed within the context of gendered epistemology & ontology, & its potential for effecting both personal & political/social change is described. Interview data from a larger study of male & female managers in the UK are presented to document changes in the gendered nature of contemporary work cultures. 67 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Skjelsbaek attempts to enlarge the study of international conflicts by including consideration of gender identity construction, focusing on the construction of femininity in war & peace. There is discussion of social identity conceptualization through essentialist or social constructionist lenses. Exploration of female war experience is taken from the statements of women in Yugoslavia, Vietnam, & El Salvador. Review of the Yugoslav conflict includes figures on women's victimization as well as anecdotal experiences. Quotes by Ardilia preface data on Salvadoran female combatants & revolutionary leaders. Details of the conflict's evolution include historical facts & personal emotions & interpretations. A tracing of the Vietnam War from 1945 reveals women's militant participation. M. C. Leary

Explores how gender identity penetrates the process of reconciling social with personal identities in the context of the mature undergraduate, drawing on participant observation, personal experience as a mature student, & unstructured interviews with 58 British men & women, ages 23+. It is found that most men explained their attendance at college in terms of careers, while women tended to stress their need for involvement, interest, & identity separate from the family. This is taken to indicate that issues of identity were more paramount for mature women entering into higher education. Further, women tended to experience confusion in their efforts to reconcile various elements of their social identities & to blame themselves for failing to do so adequately. This pronounced identity confusion among the women is addressed in terms of their different location in the social structure, particularly their roles as mothers. Postgraduation interviews indicate that the expression of a new identity gained through college was frustrated when women returned to their everyday lives at home, largely because of practical, material, & structural factors. 11 References. D. M. Smith

An introductory chapter notes that the aim of the book is to incorporate gender analysis into a critical study of the processes of globalization & democratization. Robert Connell's (1987) concept of gender as an active process that creates divisions of labor, power, emotions, identity, behavior, & dress is used to show how economic aspects of 20th-century globalization have impacted gender relations. "Full" democracy is described as one in which institutionalized gender regimes are truly egalitarian. The complex relationship between globalization & democratization is discussed to contend that globalization represents economic forces that change both the division of labor between the sexes & the nature of the state. The contributors give considerable attention to tensions that exist between gender regimes that determine work relations & those that operate within the family. The interdisciplinary essays offer regional perspectives on varied characteristics of globalization & address contradictions generated by the link between globalization & democratization as social movements. Case studies from around the world assess the prospects for gender regime change & increased democratization. J. Lindroth