Feminisms women's positions in patriarchal society and discourses 1. women's positions in patriarchal society and discourses 2. history of feminist movement & writings 2. history of feminist movement & writings 3. Feminisms and Gender Studies: Radical Feminism, French Feminism, Post-Feminism, Lesbian Feminism, Taiwanese Feminisms 3. Feminisms and Gender Studies: Radical Feminism, French Feminism, Post-Feminism, Lesbian Feminism, Taiwanese Feminisms

Outline  The Basic Issue: Sex/Gender/Sexuality Sex/Gender/Sexuality  Post-Feminism Post-Feminism  Gay and Lesbian Studies Gay and Lesbian Studies Gay and Lesbian Studies

Gender difference  1. Are men and women born different? Or taught to be different?  2. How do women challenge patriarchy? essential difference essential difference challenging the hierarchy (different but equal, reversing it) or separativism challenging the hierarchy (different but equal, reversing it) or separativism constructed difference constructed difference challenging or blurring the boundaries challenging or blurring the boundaries

Central Issues in Contemporary Feminisms A. 60’s -70’s -- Women’s Studies: Women’s  1) biological: body (lesbianism;anti-pornography mov)  2) social and psychological: experience and social position (last week)  3) linguistic: writing (last, this & next week) B. 80’s – Gender Studies  1) biological-psychoanalytic (French fem)  2) cultural 1) gender difference & 2) gender constructions (this week)  3) gay and lesbian studies (briefly this week) 本質本質 建構建構

Gender/Sex/Sexuality  But how about sexual difference?  Sexuality (): sexual orientation, sexual behavior  more... more sexmalefemale gendermasculinefeminine sexuality heterosexualhomosexual

Gender/Sex/Sexuality  Gender: social construction of “femininity” and “masculinity”  Sex: biological differences between “female” and “male” --Does it determine everything?  Sexuality: differences in the choice of sexual identity, sexual partner, sexual behavior. -- “homosexual,” “heterosexual,” “bi-sexual,” “trans-sexual,” etc. –fixed by nature, by culture, by choice, or fluid and constructed by social environments?  The Basic Question: what is at stake here? Why are these categories problematic?

Gender/Sex/Sexuality  Sex/Gender hierarchy (see page 39 of our textbook) – categories are man-made and thus arbitrary and limiting. man-made and thus arbitrary and limiting. shown as “natural” shown as “natural”  gender construction gender not bound up with sexual difference gender not bound up with sexual difference gender as “a symbolic system or a system of meaning” (de Lauretis ) gender as “a symbolic system or a system of meaning” (de Lauretis )

Gender/Sex/Sexuality  Sex/Gender hierarchy (2) – Sexuality – also a construction, and hierarchical (ref. Foucault History of Sexuality): Arbitrary construction of ‘reality’: e.g. ‘sodomite’ (a temporary deviation); homosexuality –coined in 1869 (a species) Arbitrary construction of ‘reality’: e.g. ‘sodomite’ (a temporary deviation); homosexuality –coined in 1869 (a species) “perversion” – socially marginal, but “discursively central,” so that the control (discipline and surveillance) of our sexual/bodily behaviors are justified. (e.g. the doctor’s decision of the baby’s sexuality, morning examination, discourse on masturbation) “perversion” – socially marginal, but “discursively central,” so that the control (discipline and surveillance) of our sexual/bodily behaviors are justified. (e.g. the doctor’s decision of the baby’s sexuality, morning examination, discourse on masturbation)

Different feminist positions in the Essentialism - Constructivism continuum  Liberalism: equality between men and women in the public sphere (definitions unchanged)  Radical feminism: freeing women’s bodies from patriarchal constraints and oppression (“woman” re-defined)  French feminism: write from the body, feminist writings not limited to women. (femininity + female body redefined)  Post-Feminism: gender as a corporeal style, an "act“ (Judith Butler) (gendered body redefined)

Post-Feminism: Conflicts with Feminism  With their challenges of the category of ‘woman’ and their focus on representation (--play of difference or undermining system of representation), they make constructing identities difficult.  feminist movements or any movements which need clear definition of their agents. (see textbook chap 254)

Post-Feminism: Some Examples  Technology of gender: gender definition and gender images are produced with techniques (e.g. camera angles, lighting, lens) and codes (the viewer-viewed interrelations, dress, color, etc.)  Gender Trouble:

Post-Feminism: Some Examples (2)  Cyborg as a metaphor for social identity:  Cyborg – breaking the dichotomies between "mind and body, animal and human, organism and machine, public and private, nature and culture, men and women, primitive and civilized…" "contradictory, partial and strategic“; breaking the dichotomies between "mind and body, animal and human, organism and machine, public and private, nature and culture, men and women, primitive and civilized…" "contradictory, partial and strategic“; "a kind of disassembled and reassembled, postmodern collective self” "a kind of disassembled and reassembled, postmodern collective self”

Post-Feminism: Some Examples (3)  Mimicry (camp in homosexual discourse)  Paris is Burning, Madonna and Judith Butler

Gay and Lesbian Studies (1)  Issues (0): their rights (to marry, to raise children, etc.)  Issues (1): definition of homosexuality and lesbianism Causes for lesbianism? – genetic, environmental, voluntary Causes for lesbianism? – genetic, environmental, voluntary Why do we study the causes of heterosexuality? Why do we study the causes of heterosexuality? Examples of same-sex parents with heterosexual kids Examples of same-sex parents with heterosexual kids

Gay and Lesbian Studies (1)  Gay and Lesbian movements: three stages (ref. 周華山 《同志論》 ) 1. 70's--political lesbian: desexualized p. 110; e.g. Women Against Sex 組織 Rich: Compulsory heterosexuality "Lesbian continuum" 114;  80's--sexual liberation  Think through the body ; arguments about butch and femme ;  90's--politics of difference  e.g. Judith Butler; 周華山 《後殖民同志》 ;

Gay and Lesbian Studies (2) Lesbian writing  Possible issues (2): Lesbian writing:  What is “lesbian”? lesbian writing? Is there a lesbian aesthetic? --Consider style, sexual orientation (heterosexuality, bisexuality, pornography, butch and femme), political position. Does the author’s gender count? (e.g. 《安卓珍妮》﹚

Gay and Lesbian Studies (2) Lesbian writing: Kinds—in terms of content: 1) in the closet; -- Rock Hudson’s movies; Shakespeare’s sonnets; stories about sisterhood, and brotherhood, etc. 2) “tortured lesbian“ – Philadelphia, 《霸王別姬》 3) "romantic lesbian“ – When Night is Falling 4) “realistic lesbian” (or in everyday life)– Go Fish 5) utopian or poetic lesbian -- “lesbian quest/allegory/science fiction” – 〈安卓珍妮〉 ; inventing a distinct language and some symbols (e.g. 《鱷魚手記》 )

Gay and Lesbian Studies (3)  Lesbian reading  queer reading – e.g. lesbian reading of “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” queer reading – e.g. lesbian reading of “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” queer identity, camp, cross-dressing queer identity, camp, cross-dressing

Recommended:  A bibliography of Chinese books on Gay and Lesbian movement: lub/sg/what5.html lub/sg/what5.html lub/sg/what5.html