1. Subject and Object How does it relate to feminism? Related Works
Jacob Durham Sutton | English 1102 Dr. Harrison | 2/17/2017
What is it?
Subjectivity – the external world is relative and based upon whoever experiences it. Object only exists in relation to the subject.
Objectivity – there is a universal empirical truth that is readily observable and not dependent upon who experiences it.
The Subject object relationship is closely tied to this. The subject assigns a role onto the object, which exists only in its context of the subject.
How does it relate to feminism?
Here, briefly, is how these ideas relate to feminsim
In the current heteronormative masculinist society gender and identity are closely intertwined, and prescription of gender roles is objectifying.
Related Works
Differing Outlooks on the Subject and Object relationship
This a very old philosophical idea
Renowned philosophers Kant and Descartes did a lot of work on subjectivity vs. objectivity
The philosophy of Ayn Rand, Objectivism, relies heavily on a belief in objectivity
Relevant feminist Texts
Judith Butler Gender Troubles
“As a set of social conventions gender is widely accepted as one of the primary vehicles through which a subject enters and becomes known to itself.” – Marilyn Gottschall
The Embodiment of the Subject: Feminism and the Communitarian Critique of Liberalism by Susan Hekman
Toward a Theory of Feminist Hospitality by Maurice Hamington
In POPular Culture:
Everyday Feminism, The Good Men Project

2. Works Cited
Bliss, Henry E. “The Subject-Object Relation.” The Philosophical Review, vol. 26, no. 4, 1917, pp. 395–408. JSTOR,
Papadaki, Evangelia (Lina). “Feminist Perspectives on Objectification.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 10 Mar. 2010, plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-objectification/. Accessed 16 Feb
Burnett, D. Graham. “The Objective Case: A Review of ‘Objectivity.” October, vol. 133, 2010, pp JSTOR,
Gottschall, Marilyn “The Ethical Implications of the Deconstruction of Gender.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, vol. 70, no. 2, 2002, pp JSTOR,
Schwyzer, Hubert. “Subjectivity in Descartes and Kant.” The Philosophical Quarterly (1950-), vol. 47, no. 188, 1997, pp. 342–357. JSTOR,
Hamington, Maurice. “Toward a Theory of Feminist Hospitality.” Feminist Formations, vol. 22, no. 1, 2010, pp. 21–38. JSTOR,
Tran, Robin. “4 Ways Men Are Taught to Objectify Women from Birth.”
everydayfeminism.com, 19 June 2016, everydayfeminism.com/2016/06/men-taught-to-objectify- women/. Accessed 16 Feb
Hekman, Susan. “The Embodiment of the Subject: Feminism and the Communitarian Critique of Liberalism.” The Journal of Politics, vol. 54, no. 4, 1992, pp. 1098–1119. JSTOR,
Whitehead, A. N. “Objects and Subjects.” The Philosophical Review, vol. 41, no. 2, 1932, pp. 130–146. JSTOR,
“Introduction to Objectivism.” Ayn Rand's Ideas - An Overview | AynRand.org,
Accessed 16 Feb. 2017
Karioris, Frank G. “The Subject and the Object of Your Gender .” The Good Men Project, 27 Feb. 2012, goodmenproject.com/gender-sexuality/the-subject-and-the- object-of-gender-men-women-and-becoming-the-subject-of-ones- own-story/. Accessed 16 Feb

3. Subject and Object (ORIGINAL DRAFT)
Philosophical perspective of how the the world is experienced and perceived, and in some cases how it exists.
Knowledge and Knower
The subject experiences, the object is experienced. The subject is autonomous. The degree of self-determinism by the object is debated.
Relates back to understanding of self and other
Closely related to subjectivity and objectivity
Subjectivity – the external world is relative and based upon whoever experiences it. Object only exists in relation to the subject.
Objectivity – there is a universal empirical truth that is readily observable and not dependent upon who experiences it.
Relation To Feminism:
Judith Butler relies heavily upon it in her performative analysis of gender