An Analysis of The Concept of The Theory of Feminism And Historical Changing and Developments of Feminism PDF

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GÖTTINGEN GEORG-AUGUST UNIVERSITÄT AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF FEMINIST THEORY AND HISTORICAL CHANGING AND DEVELOPMENTS OF FEMINISM The Changing Roles of Women’s Movement in Balkans Since The 1980s Term Paper by Muhammed Burak Zembat Matriculation Number: 21607780 Winter Semester, 2017 GÖTTINGEN !...

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GÖTTINGEN GEORG-AUGUST UNIVERSITÄT

AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF FEMINIST THEORY AND HISTORICAL CHANGING AND DEVELOPMENTS OF FEMINISM

The Changing Roles of Women’s Movement in Balkans Since The 1980s Term Paper by Muhammed Burak Zembat Matriculation Number: 21607780

Winter Semester, 2017 GÖTTINGEN

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Table of Contents

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Introduction…………………………………………………………………….. 3

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Theory of Feminism……………………………………………………………. 4

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History of Feminism……………………………………………………………. 7 3.1. The First Wave Feminism…………………………….……………… 7 3.2. The Second Wave Feminism………………………………………… 9 3.3. The Third Wave Feminism…………………………………………. 10 3.4. The Fourth Wave Feminism………………………………………… 12

4. Conclusion……………………………………..………………………………… 13 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………… 14

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AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF FEMINIST THEORY AND HISTORICAL CHANGING AND DEVELOPMENTS OF FEMINISM Abstract Women have been suffering since the beginning of the history because of patriarchal order. Feminism is a clash of women against patriarchy. Suffering of women created the concept of feminism as a gender based political and social movement. In public and private sphere, women have been facing economic, political, cultural, legal, administrative and social inequalities. This problem directly hits the order of the society. So feminists struggle against every kind of gender based inequalities in everywhere of the public and private life. The historical process of feminism has started since 18th century and the movement has been growing and spreading for an indefinite number of successive days of the movement. Meanwhile the headway of the women movement in history, feminist ideology has not been stayed a fundamental, conservative theory. It has been branched in the views of different political, social and economic ideologies and it has became a complex sociological theory. As a result, today, we have different aproaches of feminism to analyse the society by the methods of feminist theory. In this study, the concept of the theory of feminism, the trends of the women movement, historical changings and developments of feminism were analysed.

Key Concepts: “Feminism”, “The Women Movement”, “Theory of Feminism”, “History of Feminism”

1.Introduction The concept of feminism has undergone epistemological transformations in the 1960s, during which the movement of women in the context of the liberation and emancipation of the patriarchal social structure has become a daily phenomenon. After 1960, essentially three changes that took place in the international conjuncture were influential on the feminist movement. The first of these; The feminist movement has expanded to include young people at the universal or local level. This enlargement brought the groups within feminist perception closer together and offered the opportunity to recognize each other. Latter; Feminism has its own self-critical position, and it has begun to deal with individual problems other than universal problems, and that gender, race, ethnicity, language, With the emergence of attitudes feminism has also undergone a transformation within itself. The third one; Feminist perception, paradoxical and dramatic processes in the societies formed by feminist groups. These three main effects are; Feminism has become a complex, problematic and complex situation. On the one hand, in general, feminism tries to explain a perception approach and political position. On the other hand, it expresses a certain way of thinking, a form of life. The feminist development process such as global and local changes have led to feminist development in different cultural norms, at different stages and at different times, due to the effects on political, social and social aspects. However, it seems that feminism expresses certain forms of identification and oppression of women at a certain social level, despite different sanctions against international norms, different political structures and practices. 3

The fundamental object of feminism is the feminine. The status of women in society, the roles of women in and out of their homes, the oppression and exploitation of women, gender differences, patriarchal society structure and male dominant power approaches and pressures are widely debated issues. It is possible to say that the subject matter is being discussed as it is in the past, as the related problems are continuing. When we look at it from this point of view, feminism has caused new discourses, actions, perceptions and theoretical approaches to emerge in itself as a result of existing debates about women, the fundamental object of feminism. Feminism first emerged as a social movement on the local level, and later on it became a social and political movement on the broader plane. However, feminism has brought a theoretical perspective within the disciplines such as international relations, sociology, economics, philosophy, law and politics. In this context, The concept of feminism has been tried to be explained by the intellectual references of expert researchers in different disciplines and fields and the historical processes of feminism have been examined. At the same time, different feminist approaches which are shaped by different theories in international relations and which contain many branches are also examined.

2. Theory of Feminism Feminism is a theory which examines gender inequality, women’s social roles, experiences, interests and chores on variety fields such as anthropology, sociology, communication, psychoanalysis, politics, home economics, literature and philosophy. The basic definition of feminism is that men and women should be equal politically, economically and socially.1 Feminism is such a widespread and complex theory, a lot feminists disagree on many things of the theory but many scholars of feminist theory agree on five basic principles.2 • Working to increase equality: Feminists wants to be in more action to struggle against political, economic and social inequalities in society to grow and increase the awareness of gender equality. • Expanding human choice: According to feminist both men and women should be free to develop their human interest, wishes and talents. Thus they advocate the equal opportunity principle for both genders. • Eliminating gender stratification: Feminists oppose cultural and traditional norms and laws which create gender inequality in social and economic areas. • Ending sexual violence and promoting sexual freedom: Women have been suffering physical pain since the beginning of the history. So feminists defend that women should control over their sexuality without any permissions and threats of any men. Patriarchy is a social order which is established and ruled by males. In patriarchy, males hold the primary power and predominate and fully control the social life. For instance, father figure holds the absolute authority over children and woman in a traditional family as a core of the family. So this situation directly reflects the social order and shapes the order according to the principle of male supremacy. Although the equal rights which are written on the law codes, in practice, society is not equal because of the patriarchal order.3

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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism

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http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-feminist-theory-definition-lesson-quiz.html

Lockard, Craig (2007). Societies, Networks, and Transitions: Volume 1. Cengage Learning. pp. 111–114. ISBN 9780547047669 3

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Feminism, as a struggle of women movement against patriarchy, fights against every every kind of gender inequality. However many feminists gaze out the different windows to find solutions for the problems of society. Thus feminist ideology can make different forms of definitions. Each definition of feminism depends on priorities and key concepts of the ideologies, history, culture and beliefs. • Radical Feminism: A perspective of feminism that calls for radical reordering of male supremacist society and eliminating the gender inequality in all social and economic context.4 According to Sheila Jeffreys ‘‘Radical feminist theorists do not seek to make gender a bit more flexible, but to eliminate it. They are gender abolitionists, and understand gender to provide the framework and rationale for male dominance. In the radical feminist approach, masculinity is the behaviour of the male ruling class and femininity is the behaviour of the subordinate class of women. Thus gender can have no place in the egalitarian future that feminism aims to create.” 5 Radical feminists want to free both men and women from the rigid gender roles that society has imposed upon them. It is this sex-gender system that has created oppression and radical feminist's mission is to overthrow this system by any possible means. Sometimes radical feminists believe that they must rage a war against men, patriarchy, and the gender system which confines them to rigid social roles. They completely reject these roles, all aspects of patriarchy, and in some cases, they reject men as well. The radical feminists have divided into two groups. 6 Radical-Libertarian Feminism: Radical-Libertarian feminists believe that femininity and reproduction limit women's capacity to contribute to society. Women should essentially be androgynous. Radical-Libertarian feminists like to violate sexual norms and believe that women should control every aspect of their sexuality. They also advocate artificial means of reproduction so that less time is devoted to pregnancy and more time is devoted to worthwhile things. They are strong promoters of abortion, contraceptives and other forms of birth control. Radical-Cultural Feminism: Radical-Cultural feminist views are dramatically different from Radical-Libertarian feminists views. The Radical-Cultural feminists believe that women should encompass their femininity because it is better than masculinity. This type of radical feminist sees sex as male dominated. They see a link between sex, female subordination, porn, rape and abuse. These must be eliminated, according to CulturalRadical feminists. Yet another opposing view is that reproduction is the source of power for women. They believe that men are jealous of women, and that they try to control reproduction through means of technology. • Liberal Feminism: This perspective of feminism can basically be defined as individualist form of feminist theory. Liberal feminists argues that society holds the false belief that women are intellectually and physically less capable than men because of the nature. This wrong belief creates discrimination in academy, marketplace, political area, sportive activities, social life etc. So liberal feminists believe that "female subordination is rooted in a set of customary and legal constraints that blocks women’s entrance to and success in the so-called public world”.7 Liberal feminists create and support acts of legislation that remove the barriers for women. They strive Willis, Ellen (1984), "Radical Feminism and Feminist Radicalism", Social Text, 9/10: The 60's without Apology: 91–118, JSTOR 466537 4

Jeffreys, Sheila (2013). Gender Hurts: A Feminist Analysis of the Politics of Transgenderism, Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, ISBN13: 9781306707947 5

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http://www.yorku.ca/mlc/sosc3990A/projects/radfem/radfem2.html

Heywood, Andrew (2012), Political Ideologies: An Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan; 5th edition edition, ISBN-13: 978-0230367258 7

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for sexual equality via political and legal reform.8 These acts of legislation demand equal opportunities and rights for women, including equal access to jobs and equal pay. Liberal feminists believe that removing these barriers directly challenges the ideologies of patriarchy, as well as liberates women. Critics of liberal feminism argue that its individualist assumptions make it difficult to see the ways in which underlying social structures and values disadvantage women. They argue that even if women are not dependent upon individual men, they are still dependent upon a patriarchal state. These critics believe that institutional changes like the introduction of women’s suffrages are insufficient to emancipate women. 9 Also, it has been criticized for ignoring race and class issues.10 Socialist Feminism: Socialist feminist theory analyzes the connection between the oppression of women and other oppression in society, such as racism and economic injustice. Socialist feminists believe that there is a direct link between class struggle and gender inequality.11 Socialist feminism is a two-pronged theory that broadens Marxist feminism's argument for the role of capitalism in the oppression of women and radical feminism's theory of the role of gender and the patriarchy. Socialist feminists reject radical feminism's main claim that patriarchy is the only or primary source of oppression of women.12 Socialist feminism draws upon many concepts found in Marxism; such as a historical materials point of view, which means that they relate their ideas to the material and historical conditions of people's lives. Socialist feminists thus consider how the sexism and gendered division of labor of each historical era is determined by the economic system of the time. Woman’s position within the family may help explain the problem of developing working class consciousness. As with exchange relationships in general in capitalism, underlying these seemingly equal exchange relationships are power relationships. Various relationships, such as those between males and females, relationships in the family, prostitution, surrogate mother hood, etc. may appear to express equality, but because of the underlying unequal power relations conceal great inequalities.13 In contrast to ideals of liberal feminism, which tend to focus on the individual woman, the socialist feminist theory focuses on the broader context of social relations in the community and includes aspects of race, ethnicity and other differences. Cultural Feminism: This perspective of feminist theory used to criticize the view that there is a "female nature" or "female essence" or related attempts to revalidate attributes ascribed to femaleness.14 Cultural feminists believe that there are fundamental, biological differences between men and women, and that women should celebrate these differences. Women are

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Tong, Rosemarie. 1989. Feminist Thought: A Comprehensive Introduction. Oxon, United Kingdom: Unwin Human Ltd. Chapter 1 Bryson, Valerie. (1999), Feminist Debates: Issues of Theory and Political Practice (Basingstoke: Macmillan) pp.14-15 9

Mills, S. (1998), "Postcolonial Feminist Theory" in S. Jackson and J. Jones eds., Contemporary Feminist Theories (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press) pp.98-112 10

Heywood, Andrew (2012), Political Ideologies: An Introduction, Palgrave Macmillan; 5th edition edition, ISBN-13: 978-0230367258 11

Buchanan, Ian. "Socialist Feminism." A Dictionary of Critical Theory. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 October 2011. 12

Eisenstein, Zillah. (1999), Constructing a Theory of Capitalist Patriarchy and Socialist Feminism, Critical Sociology, p.(196-201) 13

14 Alcoff,

Theory."

Linda. (1988) "Cultural Feminism Versus Post-Structuralism: the Identity Crisis in Feminist

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inherently more kind and gentle. Because of these differences, if women ruled the world there would be no more war and it would be a better place. Essentially, a women's way is the right and better way for everyone. Linda Alcoff said “Man has said that woman can be defined, delineated, captured, understood, explained, and diagnosed to a level of determination never accorded to man himself, who is conceived as a rational animal with free will.” Cultural feminists are usually non-political, instead focusing on individual change and influencing or transforming society through this individual change. They usually advocate separate female counter-cultures as a way to change society but not completely disconnect. Ecofeminism: According to ecofeminists, patriarchy is harmful to women, as well as the environment. There is a link between a male's desire to dominate unruly women and wilderness. Men feel as though they must tame and conquer both in order to have complete power. Ecofeminists say that it is this desire that destroys both women and the Earth. This theory of feminism seeks to eradicate all forms of social injustice, not just injustice against women and the environment.15

3. History of Feminism The concept of feminism was first used by Charles Fourier in 18th century. Fourier argued that social development can be possible with giving more rights and freedom to women.16 Also he argued that all sexual expressions should be enjoyed as long as people are not abused, and that "affirming one's difference" can actually enhance social integration. And he emphasised tradition marriage could potentially hurt women’s rights as human beings. 17 The first approaches of feminism showed up among the works by Marie Le Jars de Gourney, Christine Pizan, Olympe de Gouges, Mary Wollstonecraft and Hedwig Dohm in 17th, 18th and at the beginning of 19th centuries. Firstly, society believed that human rights are male rights because of patriarchal order. The identity of women is not accepted. However, in 1793, French political activist Olympe de Gouges protested that situation and suggested to adapt “the declaration of human rights’’ for women as equal as men. In her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Female Citizen (1791), she challenged the practice of male authority and the notion of male–female inequality. But she was executed by guillotine during the Reign of Terror for attacking the regime of the revolutionary government and for her close relation with the Girondist.18 After her struggle the women’s movement gained acceleration. And the scholars of the theory of feminist examines the history of feminism as four divided waves.

3.1. The First Wave Feminism After the French Revolution women movement have become more of an issue. One of the main idea of bourgeoise revolution was “equality” and women wanted to have equal rights. So the

Warren, Karen J. (2000). Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on What It Is and Why It Matters. Lanham, Maryland: Roman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. ISBN 9780847692996 15

Goldstein, Leslie F. (1982). "Early Feminist Themes in French Utopian Socialism: The St.-Simonians and Fourier", Journal of the History of Ideas, vol.43, No. 1 16

Fourier, Charles (1967). Le Nouveau Monde amoureux. Paris: Éditions Anthropos. pp. 389, 391, 429, 458, 459, 462, and 463. written 1816–18 17

Mousset, Sophie (2007). Women's Rights and the French Revolution: A Biography of Olympe de Gouges. New Brunswick (U.S.A.) & London (U.K.): Transaction Publishers. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-7658-0345-0. 18

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principle of awareness of gender equality is like a milestone of feminism. After the mid of 19th century women started to found feminist associations and they became an organised movement. Jeremy Bentham can be define as one of the first women movement thinker that he said it was the placing of women in a legally inferior position that made him choose the career of a reformist at the age of eleven. Bentham spoke for complete equality between sexes including the rights to vote and to participate in government. He opposed the asymmetrical sexual moral standards between men and women. Also Marquis de Condorcet advocated for women’s suffrage in the new government in 1790 with De l'admission des femmes au droit de cité (For the Admission to the Rights of Citizenship For Women) and an article for Journal de la Société de 1789. The women movement have defended the rights of equal salaries, enrolling colleges and suffrage. Women’s s...