File spoon-archives/marxism-feminism.archive/marxism-feminism_1997/marxism-feminism.9705, message 29


Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 07:46:06 +0200
From: Hugh Rodwell <m-14970-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se>
Subject: M-FEM: Re:  gendered division of theoretical labor


Yoshie writes, very clearly:

>Let me speak a little more on the question of submitting experience to
>theoretical examination.
>
>Both Freud and Marx give us powerful theoretical tools to deconsturct the
>spheres of the empirical and experiential and allow us to examine the
>structures and tendencies that are occluded in our common sense. But I
>think that we need to be aware that Freudian and Marxist analyses can be
>mobilized in such a way that allows the analyst to argue "the head you
>lose, the tail I win." So it is important to think aobut who tends to play
>the analyst on a co-ed list.
>
>So I say that whoever--male or female--moderates this list should
>discourage the gendered division of theoretical labor which tends to have
>women supply experience as materials on which male analysts work. I think
>what made Linda uncomfortable was that the dynamics of discussion at that
>point strongly resembled the above schema. This is not to say that what
>Jerry, Stephen, etc. said was "incorrect." In fact, I agree with what they
>were trying to say. Nevertheless, for this list to develop, we need to
>consciously work on destroying that division of labor, so that we won't
>replicate and reinforce it unintentionally.


However, since the topic of experience was "babies out" and its possible
impact on deep-seated female attitudes, it is unlikely that any moderator,
however skilled, will be able to do anything about the gender of those
reporting on the experience as such.

Perhaps some of the responses indicate that female "penis envy" is ever so
slowly being replaced by a male "baby envy", however? To discuss this is no
problem -- gender attitudes are open to human observation in general and
not an experience monopoly like actually (or potentially) having babies.

Cheers,

Hugh



   

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