feminism - international politics
why 'feminism' and not 'human rights'?
- feminism is part of human rights in general-- human rights is vague and used to deny the specific
problem of gender
- it would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have suffered for centuries.
- the problem is not about being human; but about being a female human
what is gender?
a social construct
the social construction of gender: 'throwing like a girl'
- According to feminist theorists, these binary oppositions (like 'throwing like a girl') structure most
social, political, and economic meanings
- The opposition is not simply symmetrical but is also hierarchical
- masculinity is encoded as privileged and positive; femininity is encoded as subordinate and negative
- feminists argue that these hierarchical binaries function as ahistorical and fixed, and they are
presumed to be self-evident and universal
- this constrains understanding of the construction of differences, which cannot be reduced to the
simple opposition of men versus women, b/c these binaries are falsely taken to explain differences
what is feminism?
it's fundamentally rooted in an analysis of the global subordination of women -- which can occur
economically, politically, physically, and socially -- and is dedicated to its elimination
it promotes equality and justice for all women, so that women's expectations and opportunities in life
aren't unfairly taken away b/c they're women
feminism is an analysis of power and its effects
in doing so, feminists have tried to understand what women are saying and doing, rather than relying on
what men are saying about, and doing to, women
why 'feminism' and not 'human rights'?
- feminism is part of human rights in general-- human rights is vague and used to deny the specific
problem of gender
- it would be a way of pretending that it was not women who have suffered for centuries.
- the problem is not about being human; but about being a female human
what is gender?
a social construct
the social construction of gender: 'throwing like a girl'
- According to feminist theorists, these binary oppositions (like 'throwing like a girl') structure most
social, political, and economic meanings
- The opposition is not simply symmetrical but is also hierarchical
- masculinity is encoded as privileged and positive; femininity is encoded as subordinate and negative
- feminists argue that these hierarchical binaries function as ahistorical and fixed, and they are
presumed to be self-evident and universal
- this constrains understanding of the construction of differences, which cannot be reduced to the
simple opposition of men versus women, b/c these binaries are falsely taken to explain differences
what is feminism?
it's fundamentally rooted in an analysis of the global subordination of women -- which can occur
economically, politically, physically, and socially -- and is dedicated to its elimination
it promotes equality and justice for all women, so that women's expectations and opportunities in life
aren't unfairly taken away b/c they're women
feminism is an analysis of power and its effects
in doing so, feminists have tried to understand what women are saying and doing, rather than relying on
what men are saying about, and doing to, women
