Date: Sat, 04 Dec 1999 10:21:30 -0600
From: "Cristina J. Thaut" <ct84153-AT-ltec.net>
Subject: Identity Politics


Dear list,

I have a twofold question that I hope a few of you might be a able to help
me with (It's not strictly postcolonial).  I'm putting together a paper
that might be summed up as dealing with identity politics and feminist
studies.  I'm exploring the question of how we remember what is written.
While feminist studies are clearly valuable, academic and popular culture
tends to remember some great (women) minds for their feminist works alone:
examples might be Mary Wollestonecraft, Simone De Beauvoir, and maybe Julia
Kristeva.  Their work in more patriarchal areas of knowledge, such as
Western philosophy, falls to the wayside.  Why do we not remember these
women for their contributions to "patriarchal knowledge"?  Is it more
acceptable (or less of a threat?) for such women to be "relegated" to
feminist studies?  I think similar situations exist for any minority group.
 African-American scholars are remembered for minority studies, or are
considered more acceptable if they study African-American literature or
history.  And conversely, white men I think have difficulty pursuing
feminist or postcolonial studies.  A question of legitimacy? 

So my questions are, does anyone have suggestions for texts which discuss
'identity politics'?  I had heard that Edward Said had something in which
he speaks against identity politics, but I have no idea where.  Second,
would anyone be able to suggest European women in the twentieth century who
are remembered for their contributions to feminist studies, but have also
written on other subjects.  I am particularly looking for women who have
written in the areas of existentialism and continental philosophy.  (The
European and 20th c. qualifiers are due to the stipulations of the class,
which is called "European Censorship and Dissidence").

I apologize that these questions stray from the strictly postcolonial, but
I think the issue is relevant to any kind of cultural studies.

Thanks, Cristi




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