Feminist standpoint theory feminist standpoint theory is a specific formulation of the broader standpoint theory. I n 1983, the publication of nancy hartsocks money. Sex, and power changed the landscape of feminist theo. Standpoint methodology is a way to articulate something that is obvious but hard to argue if you are a group of people who have been thought not worth listening to, she says. She was known for her work in feminist epistemology and standpoint theory, especially the 1983 essay the feminist standpoint, which also integrated melanie kleins theories on psychoanalysis and the oedipal crisis. Elaine showalter towards a feminist poetics ugc net. Standpoint feminism is a theory that feminist social science should be practiced from the standpoint of women or particular groups of women, as some scholars e. Nov 20, 2003 leading feminist scholar and one of the founders of standpoint theory, sandra harding brings together the biggest names in the fielddorothy smith, donna haraway, patricia hill collins, nancy hartsock and hilary roseto not only showcase the most influential essays on the topic but to also highlight subsequent interrogations and developments of these approaches from a wide variety of.
Elaine showalter is one of the most wellknown names in the field of criticism, in general, and feminist criticism, in particular. Feminist social epistemology stanford encyclopedia of. Issues for feminist theory nancy hartsock t hroughout the eighties, white north american feminist the orists have been responding to arguments originating from radical women of color that feminist theory must take more ac count of diversity among women. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays by. Feminist standpoint and question of women participation in. Feminist social epistemology represents more than just a small subset of social epistemology, however. She was known for her work in feminist epistemology and. The significant body of work of feminist social epistemologists has provided key theoretical resources for understanding the breadth and depth of the social dimensions of knowing. Feminist standpoint theory research papers academia. J ann tickner on gender in international relations. Feminist standpoint theory raises a central and unavoidable question for feminist theory. Feb 17, 2012 i argue that on the basis of the structures that define womens activity as contributors to subsistence and as mothers, the sexual division of labor, one could begin, though not complete, the construction of a feminist standpoint on which to ground a specifically feminist historical materialism hartsock 316.
A political theorist, a feminist thinker, and a philosopher of social science, nancy hartsock was the author of many articles, and books including the feminist standpoint revisited and money, sex, and power. Feminist theories of agency consciousnessraising model of the 1970s, nancy hartsock held that women discover their own values and gain authentic agency only through acts of solidarity with feminist protesters and dissenters. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays feminist theory and politics series. We note with sadness the news that professor emeritus nancy hartsock of the university of washington has died. For nancy hartsock 1983, 284, womens lives make available a particular. Hartsock died on march 19, 2015 in seattle, washington. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays by nancy c. May 05, 1994 still a thoroughly relevant introduction to the study of feminist research of media, despite being 20 years old. Hartsock feminist standpoint theory flashcards quizlet. As theorized by nancy hartsock in 1983, standpoint feminism is founded in marxism.
Pioneer of feminist standpoint theory explores objectivity in the sciences. Still a thoroughly relevant introduction to the study of feminist research of media, despite being 20 years old. Towards a feminist poetics is one of showalters most important and most influential critical essays. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays. Hartsock suggested instead that the position of women is structurally different from that of men, that the lived realities of womens lives are profoundly different from those of. Moving from feminist identity politics to coalition politics through a feminist materialist standpoint of intersubjectivity in. Developing the ground for a specifically feminist historical materialism. Project muse the feminist standpoint revisited and other. Hartsock 19432015 was a professor of political science and women studies at. Approaching the feminist standpoint revisited, i was both hopeful that nancy hartsock would continue to provide a strong marxistfeminist voice in an intellectual milieu increasingly hostile to materialist feminism, yet wary that this collection might merely rehash.
Issues for feminist theory nancy hartsock t hroughout the eighties, white north american feminist the orists have been responding to arguments originating from radical women of color that feminist theory must take more ac count of diversity among. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Sandra bartky pointed to the usefulness of discovering contradictions within the gender. Feminist criticism, american drama publisher ann arbor. Approaching the feminist standpoint revisited, i was both hopeful that nancy hartsock would continue to provide a strong marxist feminist voice in an intellectual milieu increasingly hostile to materialist feminism, yet wary that this collection might merely rehash previously published and now.
When i ask these same folks about the feminist books or maga zines they read, when i ask them about the feminist talks they have heard, about the feminist activists they know, they respond by let ting me know that everything they know about feminism has come. T t 1 h e p r o b l e m s of knowledge are central to feminist theorizing, which has sought to destabilize androcentric, mainstream thinking in the humanities and in the social and natural sciences. Van zoonen has proven herself to be a critical force in the field of feminist media studies. Sex, and power changed the landscape of feminist theory. Feminist standpoint theory was initially formulated in the context of marxist politics. One should read this book in order to understand the standpoint theory and especially its epistemology. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays feminist theory and politics series hartsock, nancy c. The feminist standpoint revisited is an important record and a timely reevaluation of the development of feminist thought, as well as a contribution to current work. Nancy hartsock, the feminist standpoint philpapers strong objectivity acknowledges that the production of power is a political process and that greater attention paid to the context and social location of knowledge producers will contribute to a more ethical and transparent result. My work on this paper is deeply indebted to a number of women whose ideas are incorporated here, although not always used in the ways they might wish. Such processes are circular, communal, and inflected by history and culture, as this special issue of feminist studies illustrates with respect to sexuality and gender.
If hartsock positions foucault as a colonizer albeight one who resists, then she appears to suggest that he is. View feminist standpoint theory research papers on academia. The feminist standpoint by nancy hartsock feminism ethnicity. One roundtable of scholars debates lesbian history, turning the discussion of identities into a debate on the place of lesbian studies, and sexuality studies. The feminist standpoint theory reader is the first anthology to collect the most important essays on the subject as well as more recent works that bring the topic uptodate. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays by nancy. Middle age upper society males are the dominant group while everyone else is oppresed. Feminist standpoint theory has been one of the most distinctive and debated contributions of contemporary feminist thought to the theory of.
Feminist scholarship is a peculiar academic backwater that nobody should pay any attention toand its probable that nobody would if it werent becoming so painfully influential. Feminist standpoint theory is a theory which argues that the social science which is feminism should be practiced from the standpoint of women, or from particular groups of women, as some believe that women are better equipped to understand and comprehend certain aspects of society and the world. Wood a place from which to critically view the world around us synonyms. Nancy hartsock, the feminist standpoint philpapers strong objectivity encompasses a sense of completeness and a lack of distortion. Jan 02, 2018 lets be real about something important. The feminist standpoint revisited and other essays project muse.
The feminist standpoint theory reader centre for the study of. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays book. Hartsock, 97808315584, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays feminist. During the same period standpoint themesthe logic of a standpoint also appeared in the thinking of a wide array of other prodemocratic social. Nancy hartsock 1983a, 1983b draws explicitly on marxist thought in order to specify how women are better positioned than men, through their. An example of this approach is nancy hartsock s the feminist standpoint. Toward a specifically feminist historical materialism. Drawing on hartsocks 1983a hartsocks, 1983b feminist standpoint theory, i argue that historical fiction written from a middleclass womans point of view reinforces a. Of all published articles, the following were the most read within the past 12 months. Nancy tang aspires to become a legal advocate for the marginalized and the indigent.
In this article we critically consider the idea that feminism has performatively failed within the discipline of international relations. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of feminist standpoint theory. The feminist standpoint by nancy hartsock feminism. The feminist standpoint revisited and other essays. How do we justify the truth of the feminist claim that women have been and are oppressed.
Feminist scholarship is a peculiar academic backwater that nobody should pay any attention toand its probable that. Hartsock says that womens experience of the sexual division of labour constitutes them as a social group and forms the basis of a feminist standpoint common to all. Patricia hill collins and dorothy smith say that they are better equipped to understand some aspects of the world. The history, the ontology and epistemology of the standpoint theory are well explained in a number of articles. Feminist standpoint theory is also effective at critiquing orientalism as a form of. Start studying hartsock feminist standpoint theory. Leading feminist scholar and one of the founders of standpoint theory, sandra harding brings together the biggest names in the fielddorothy smith, donna haraway, patricia hill collins, nancy hartsock and hilary roseto not only showcase the most influential essays on the topic but to also highlight subsequent interrogations and developments of these.
The result was a new theory, now recognized as standpoint theory, which caused heated debate and radically altered the way research is conducted. Feminist standpoint theory is a theory which argues that the social science which is feminism should be practiced from the standpoint of women, or from particular groups of women, as some believe that women are better equipped to understand and comprehend certain aspects of society and. Nancy hartsock, the feminist standpoint philpapers a scholar who approaches the research process from the point of view of strong objectivity is interested in producing knowledge for use as well as for revealing the relations of power that are hidden in traditional knowledge production processes. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Pioneer of feminist standpoint theory explores objectivity in the sciences by joanie harmon science needs to be relevant to all people in addressing global issues of sustainability, climate change, and food shortages. The feminist standpoint revisited is an important record and a timely reevaluation of the development of feminist thought, as well as a. Hartsock suggests that foucault does not offer a theory of power for women, to what extent does she provide an alternative. Ralph miliband rational economic relations of domination rubin sexual division sexual excitement social relations society standpoint stoller stress structure suggests surplus value theories of power theorists tion understanding of power. Feminist standpoint theory, then, makes a contribution to epistemology, within a number of disciplinessuch as dorothy smith, nancy hartsock, hilary rose. The feminist standpoint by nancy hartsock free download as pdf file. Mar 21, 2015 a political theorist, a feminist thinker, and a philosopher of social science, nancy hartsock was the author of many articles, and books including the feminist standpoint revisited and money, sex, and power. Feminist theory itself started earlierjust not feminist theory in ir, which.
Nancy hartsock, the feminist standpoint philpapers. Norms create categories, and categories create norms. A feminist or womens standpoint epistemology proposes to make womens experiences the. My work on this paper is deeply indebted to a number of women whose ideas are incorporated here, although not always. Sandra bartky pointed to the usefulness of discovering contradictions within the gender norms imposed upon womene. Feminist standpoint theory and the problems of knowledge. All formulations of standpoint theory contend that a standpoint arises when an individual recognizes and challenges cultural values and power relations that contribute to subordination or oppression of particular groups. Readers will appreciate hartsocks account of how so much of her theoretical work grew directly out of the demands of the activist life. Feb 25, 1999 the feminist standpoint revisited, and other essays book. I take my title from iris youngs call for the development of a specifically feminist historical materialism.
Not merely a subversive strategy but a cipher of the fraught but fertile dialogue between feminism and psychoanalysis, the uncanny makes an ideal vehicle for an. In 2002, social epistemology devoted a special issue to feminist epistemology as social epistemology in which it was noted that social epistemology and feminist epistemology shared many challenges and were similarly positioned against a dominant epistemological tradition of hypernormative and individualistic analysis grasswick and. One aspect of this failure relates to the production of sexgender through feminism which we suggest is partly responsible for a weariness inflecting feminist scholarship, in particular as a critical theoretical resource. Feminism is for everybody passionate politics bell hooks south end press cambridge, ma. Notes from a feminist killjoy by erin wunker overdrive. The feminist uncanny in theory and art practice investigates the widely debated, deeply flawed yet influential concept of the uncanny through the lens of feminist theory and contemporary art practice. A collective interview heidi hartmann, ellen bravo, charlotte bunch, nancy hartsock, roberta spalterroth, linda williams, and maria blanco introduction t h i s g r o u p i n t e rv i e w was organized by heidi hart mann, director of the institute for womens policy research.
1199 1423 1058 892 821 961 1477 982 745 537 673 1179 904 842 159 529 260 197 842 305 829 863 316 3 692 1304 593 1134 77 591 1300 217 426 1179 1508 659 275 665 555 239 1234 33 1390 57 283 116 667