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SCIENCE POLITIQUE
3ème année

Is Feminism (still) a Critical Approach ?

Critical approaches

Definition

Feminism
Bell Hooks « Feminism is a movement to end sexism and sexist exploitation and oppression »

Here is the paradox :

On the one hand, very few would be publicly in favor of discriminations against women ; on the other, feminism is accused of becoming more and more radical.

-> The British suffragettes were very radical in a sense because it was terrorism. What is new now, is rather the fact that there is now a widespread form of feminism that is called liberal feminism (or civilizational / white feminism) by critical feminists.


Is feminism critical ? Of course it can be so ! But it implies that we must distinguish diverse feminist approaches.

This approach is focusing on the structure, rather than on the individuals = Two consequences : 

  • Men can be feminists too?
  • « Females can be just as sexist as men » (Feminism is for Everybody)


Liberal feminism is accused of 2 things :

  • Maintaining certain structures of domination (Validating the domination if it’s done by a woman).
  • Reproducing these structures of domination amongst woman.

Ex of abortion : Fight for legal abortion but abortion is not affordable and accessible for poor women. ?


In sum, a critical approach to feminism is paying attention to how sexism is articulated with other forms of domination.

-> Concept of intersectionality (Kimberlé Crenshaw)

-> Françoise Vergès - Focus on colonisation as a matrix to think about feminism.

-> Arruzza & alii start from an analysis of capitalism. Capitalism is based on the production of value through labour power. To maintain itself, capitalism also requires the reproduction of this labour power - Feminists used marxist notion of social reproduction to refer to all the activities that are needed for the capitalist society to reproduce itself. Capitalism undervalues women’s labour, both as paid and underpaid.





A retenir :

As neoliberalism is attacking the welfare system (health system, education, pensions, housing), that is to say, the part of society dedicated to social reproduction, it is a strategic moment for women to start a feminist movement and to lead the anticapitalist struggle.
SCIENCE POLITIQUE
3ème année

Is Feminism (still) a Critical Approach ?

Critical approaches

Definition

Feminism
Bell Hooks « Feminism is a movement to end sexism and sexist exploitation and oppression »

Here is the paradox :

On the one hand, very few would be publicly in favor of discriminations against women ; on the other, feminism is accused of becoming more and more radical.

-> The British suffragettes were very radical in a sense because it was terrorism. What is new now, is rather the fact that there is now a widespread form of feminism that is called liberal feminism (or civilizational / white feminism) by critical feminists.


Is feminism critical ? Of course it can be so ! But it implies that we must distinguish diverse feminist approaches.

This approach is focusing on the structure, rather than on the individuals = Two consequences : 

  • Men can be feminists too?
  • « Females can be just as sexist as men » (Feminism is for Everybody)


Liberal feminism is accused of 2 things :

  • Maintaining certain structures of domination (Validating the domination if it’s done by a woman).
  • Reproducing these structures of domination amongst woman.

Ex of abortion : Fight for legal abortion but abortion is not affordable and accessible for poor women. ?


In sum, a critical approach to feminism is paying attention to how sexism is articulated with other forms of domination.

-> Concept of intersectionality (Kimberlé Crenshaw)

-> Françoise Vergès - Focus on colonisation as a matrix to think about feminism.

-> Arruzza & alii start from an analysis of capitalism. Capitalism is based on the production of value through labour power. To maintain itself, capitalism also requires the reproduction of this labour power - Feminists used marxist notion of social reproduction to refer to all the activities that are needed for the capitalist society to reproduce itself. Capitalism undervalues women’s labour, both as paid and underpaid.





A retenir :

As neoliberalism is attacking the welfare system (health system, education, pensions, housing), that is to say, the part of society dedicated to social reproduction, it is a strategic moment for women to start a feminist movement and to lead the anticapitalist struggle.
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