Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 10:22:18 -0500 From: anhunter-AT-nwu.edu (Angela Hunter) Subject: Re: Political Woman Daily Hotline #1 (fwd) Beverly Randall wrote: >Anyway, I wonder if others of you have noticed the marginality of French >feminist analyses in Women's Studies conferences, etc --where feminism >seems to be only interpreted as a sociological tool and not also as a >philosophical tool. How do you deal with teaching the value of French >feminism to students who may be well versed in American feminism but >reluctant to give credibility to what seems superficially to be >essentialist and overly theoretical? (This is perhaps a bit off-topic) I think the discussion of the intersection of feminist theory and feminist practice is a very important one. As an undergraduate women studies student most of my work focused on french feminism and I was in an academic environment that greatly fostered french feminist theoretical interpretations. I was also involved in 'practical' american feminism through campus organizations. It did indeed seem that the twain never intersected; one was classroom theory and writing, the other was out-in-the-streets marching and working in groups. Trying to bridge the gap often brought derision or confusion from both sides. When I applied for a Watson Fellowship to study the intersection of french feminist theory and the modern revival of women-centered/pagan religions, I was almost laughed out of the interview session. The feminist sociology prof. didn't see what french theory had to do with "real" feminism and the feminist lit.crit. prof didn't see what women chanting around a bonfire had to do with feminism either. I saw bell hooks speak earlier this week and she answered a student's angry question regarding academic feminists who sit in "ivory towers (that word still???) and don't get out into the real world (and that one too??) to fight women's oppression" by saying that change is wherever you are. The site of feminism as a praxis is the site of an acting feminist, whether it be in the academy or the PTA or the soup kitchen. We need to get away from the sense that there is practice without theory. Every action has a theoretical base; french feminist theory comes from the base that the site of writing _is_ the site of practice. So here, where we write (about) french feminist theory (or in my case, lurk mostly), why is such a schism so willingly imposed? I would think the more interesting question would be how certain french feminists would look at and analyze the Political Woman Daily Hotline and the space it creates. I find it very compelling that the Internet is the tool chosen by this organization to transmit its message, that writing is its primary tool.... angela ===============================================================Angela Hunter "forever awakened one comes to join Northwestern Univ. the secret order drenched with w: 708/491-7406 longing to lie down in the bed of no return." --bell hooks ------------------
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