Liberal feminism : past and present

Abstract

Following the concept of a genealogy method in the research of history, as developed by the French philosopher Michel Foucault, this thesis focuses on what is historically close, i.e. on a relatively short and recent history of liberal feminism, covering a period from the beginning of the second wave, from the mid 1960s in United States of America. Genealogy, as "the history of the present," as a philosophical and an historical method does not turn towards the distant past in search of origins or the final truth, but instead focuses on what is chronologically closest, with the aim to understand and assess the present. In this thesis, the history of liberal feminism is approached in the context of feminist theory and practice, but also within liberalism as a theoretical and a political framework. Critical distance to liberalism, which is developed by feminist theory in the 20th century, places liberalism itself in a complex position. Therefore this study questions the positioning of liberal feminist politics and theory, while emphasizing that liberal feminism both uses and reformulates liberal theory and politics, but it also articulates a critique of this theory and politics. This makes an uncritical embracing of liberalism, a liberalism without reservations, non acceptable. Liberal feminism is not only, or, better said, is not at all a feminist variation of liberalism. The usual designation of liberal feminism is that it is the least 'threatening' form of feminism and that all it stands for is that women are to be included into the existing institutions and structures of power, while not questioning them. Although there were such voices at the beginning of the second wave feminism, when getting closer to and encouraged by the standpoints of radical feminism, liberal feminists - as this study shows - devoted themselves to the analysis of women's inequality in a traditionally private sphere of the home and the family, and also turned to the systemic impediments that prevented women to be truly equal with men.

Prateći ideje o genealoškom metodu u proučavanju istorije koje razvija francuski filozof Mišel Fuko, ovaj rad je usredsređen na ono što je u istorijskom smislu najbliže, na relativno kratku i skorašnju istoriju liberalnog feminizma koja pokriva period od početka drugog talasa, odnosno od sredine 1960ih godina u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama. Genealogija kao „istorijat sadašnjosti", kao i filozofska i istorijska metoda ne usmerava svoj pogled daleko u prošlost u potrazi za poreklom i konačnim istinama, već na ono što je vremenski najbliže, sa ciljem da se razume i proceni sadašnjost. Istorija savremenog liberalnog feminizma se u ovom radu posmatra i u kontekstu feminističke teorije i prakse, ali i u odnosu prema liberalizmu kao teorijskom i političkom okviru. Kritička distanca u odnosu na liberalizam koju razvija femistička teorija u 20. veku, postavlja sam liberalni feminizam u složenu situaciju, i ova studija ispituje poziciju liberalno feminističke politike i teorije, naglašavajući da liberalni feminizam i koristi, i preformuliše, ali i kritikuje liberalne teorije i politike, tako da se ne može govoriti o bezrezervnom i nekritičkom prihvatanju liberalizma. Liberalni feminizam nije samo, zapravo nije ni najmanje feministički oblik liberalizma. Uobičajeno određenje liberalnog feminizma glasi da je on najmanje 'preteći' oblika feminizma i da se samo zalaže da se žene uključe u postojeće institucije i strukture moći, a da ih pritom ne dovodi u pitanje. Kako ova studija pokazuje, iako ovakvih glasova ima na početku drugog talasa, približavanje stavovima radikalnog feminizma, podstiče liberalne feministkinje da se dublje posvete analizi ženske nejednakosti u tradicionalno privatnoj sferi doma i porodice, i sistemskim preprekama koje onemogućavaju da žene budu uistinu jednake sa muškarcima...