A Feminist Theory of Malebashing

Gender Issues, 2001

Rhetoric and Reality in Women's Studies Feminist activists frequently complain about the failure of most women today-even women of independence and accomplishment-to identify themselves as feminists. Advocates of women's studies usually explain away this uncomfortable fact by calling it "backlash" or blaming it on women's false consciousness or adherence to "privilege," In this essay 1 offer an alternative explanation for women's public indifference or outright hostility to feminism, arguing that it is a result of the rhetoric and positions adopted by feminists themselves, especially those working in academic women's studies. I draw on recent books and articles reflecting on women's studies, feminist pedagogy, and feminism in general; publications of feminist organizations such as the NWSA and the AAUW; the Women's Studies E-Mail List (WMST-L); women's studies programs' own mission statements and course descriptions; and comments addressed to me personally by women's studies' supporters as well as critics. In drawing conclusions from my reading of these materials, I attempt to gauge the status of women's studies as an academic and/or a political endeavor around the year 2000. On Valentine's Day this year, thousands of women gathered at Madison Square Garden in a celebration of their vaginas. It is evidently possible to incite 18,000 women, led by the actress Glenn Close, to repeatedly shout "cunt" with great enthusiasm, and to join with the "Vulva Choir," made up of fifty famous women, in orgasmic moaning. But getting a few notables who participated in the staging of Eve Ensler's wildly popular Vagina Monologues to embrace another everyday word seems quite a different matter. Daphne Patai leaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Among her books are The Orwell Mystique: A Stud)' in Male Ideology; Brazilian Women Speak: Contemporary Life Stories; and Heterophobia: Sexual Harassment and the Future of Feminism. She is also the author (with Noretta Koertge) of Professing Feminism: Cautionary Tales from the Strange World of Women's Studies (revised edition forthcoming, 2002).

Sociological Bulletin, 2000

The past couple of decades have seen a profusion of feminist work in the academia, a great part of such work being in the humanities and social sciences. Many subjects, such as literature and art, have been influenced and even transformed by feminist writings. The blooming of feminist theory has been accompanied by the emergence of another field, that of Women's Studies, which may take the form of an exclusive department, or topics related to women may be included in different course curricula. Whatever its form, Women's Studies is an integral part of the feminist project, and the presence of the doctrine of feminism and feminist theory within the university education system is an established fact. However, in this write-up, I would like to allude to some problems regarding the theoretical framework(s) related to feminism as also the actual everyday grounded behaviour of those engaged in this pursuit. Is feminism truly a success story? Are the feminist academics fighting against the conservative forces, and side by side, becoming the authors of reform? Or is it all a fantasy, a falsehood, and above all, wishful thinking aimed at deluding ourselves? I have tried to look at these questions by taking up two issues. First, what is the state of feminist studies today and second, what are the feminist academics actually doing. The first I shall deal with by taking recourse to secondary sources, while the second is examined from my own experiences as a professional in higher education. Feminism and Feminist Theory Let's begin with feminism itself. There is always a problem explicating terms like feminism. Simply put, feminism can be defined as the doctrine advancing the view that women are systematically disadvantaged and are

Left Feminisms: Conversations on the personal and the political, 2023

Speaking of feminism Jo Littler This book brings together a series of interviews I have conducted with feminist academics on the left over the past decade. It features a spread of people, ranging from their twenties to their eighties, from political scientists to psychologists, from Bristol to Buenos Aires. All the interviewees have very different experiences, opinions, and interests in relation to feminism. But they are all concerned, in some way or another, with relating gender to economic inequality; and they are all involved with political, creative or activist projects outside, as well as inside, universities.

2003

Feminists are on a daily basis transforming the way women are viewed in the world. Today, thanks to the effort of the feminists, women are no longer seen as good only for the kitchen and the bed. They have been liberated from the shackles that held them bound to the homes. We see them now everywhere, contributing their quota to the development of the society. While this is commendable, this paper sees some demands of the feminists as too extravagant, destructive and unfounded. If these demands are attained it would have dysfunctional effects on both the women and the society at large. This paper using critical reasoning is therefore, aimed at showing the feminists where they got it right and more especially where they got it wrong. They got it right when they demand for freedom from all forms of discriminations and when they campaign for their inalienable rights but they got it wrong when they seek political, economic and social equality. These rights are alienable and thus cannot be granted but attained. The rights that are fundamentally human, can be granted but there are others that can only be developed by the individual. The feminists are wrong to demand for such rights. The feminists are therefore advised to work hard to attain equality, for it is a product of hard work and not something that is to be granted. However, while working to attain this equality they should be mindful of the consequences of this struggle.

Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 2010

Where traditional socio-political thought has been beset with reasonable challenges throughout the evolution of the feminist discourse, this essay will contend that unreasonable aspersions have been cast upon masculinity. While it is important to acknowledge the horrific history of female oppression, it would be progressive if masculinity could be disassociated with patriarchy: recognising that men have also been profoundly damaged by traditional socio-political thought. In acknowledgment of the fruitlessness of debating whose oppression has been more severe, as the answer is blatant, it is about time to draw attention to issues of masculinity -in attempt to discount the lie that 'men are oppressed.' In doing so, the first part of this essay will assess the development of feminist theory, its relationship with masculinity & effects on the traditional socio-political discourse. From this, the second part of this essay will offer insights into men & masculinities, specifically highlighting issues of subordinated masculinities, as well as briefly discussing gender construction & the negative implications of the male privilege

This short piece argues that men should support feminism, but not call themselves feminists. In a nutshell: men publicly identifying as feminists risks eroding one of the few areas of social discourse where women’s voices are emphasised and valued in their own right. It also risks masking the diversity of feminist perspectives, including the complex and fraught intersections of race, class, sexuality, disability, religion and gender. I call this view ‘radical pro-feminism’, because it preserves the radical potential of feminism to pose a genuine challenge to male-dominated power structures. It also challenges traditional gender roles, because it requires men to play a supporting and enabling role, rather than taking the lead and setting the agenda. Men can do many things to support feminism. One of the most important is to help create spaces for women to speak on their own behalf and have their voices heard.