Feminism
What is Feminism?
Feminism is about taking women seriously and
respectfully and wants to undo a historical tradition of
not taking women seriously. This behavior is called
misogyny. However, there is a larger piece of cultural
work being done which is to undo the culture that has
been created which is the practice of centering men while
underestimating women, which is called patriarchy.
Three waves of feminism:
First-wave feminism: This wave focused on getting women the right to own property
and the right to vote. Which occurred in Canada in 1918 (or 1960 if you were Native.)
Second-wave feminism: Much more of a cultural movement, focused on describing
and celebrating the distinctiveness, and specialness of women. This wave was focused more
about differentiating women from men and establishing their superiority.
Third-wave feminism: Rejected the second-wave and sought to build community and
focused on the variety of women, making a point to include women of all races and nations
(previously focused mostly on white women). It also seeks to undo the harmful effects of
patriarchy on both women and men and is inclusive of transgender women as women.
Feminist Criticism:
A feminist critic is looking to identify the ways women are:
- Excluded from the positions of
power
- Voyeurism (produced by
looking at another as an object)
- Suppressed in traditional
literature & film
- Narcissism (derived from
self-identification with the image)
- Exploited in literature & film by
sexist stereotypes
- The Male Gaze (male
fantasies projected onto
female characters, then
internalized by
readers/viewers)
- Subjected to:
When performing feminist criticism, you should:
- Examine relationships between
men and women in literature & film
- Analyze “the place” women hold in the
book/film
- Examine patriarchal society as it
is represented in literature & film
- Analyze social structure of the book/film,
focusing on gender
- Look for positive female role
models
Feminist Theorists:
- Look to establish a more inclusive
literature & film industry
- Oppose images of misogyny
- Analyze female characters
Mary Wollstonecraft - Virginia Woolf
Simone de Beauvoir - Michel Foucault
Audre Lorde
- Judith Butler