Society and Gender

Traditional Objectivity (Positivism)

• Good research is neutral, impartial, free of bias

• Researchers should be detached from what they study

• Values, emotions, or political commitments are seen as threats to knowledge

• Scientific knowledge is universal and context-free

• Truth can be observed directly through reason & method

Strong Objectivity (Harding)

• “ The view from nowhere is actually a view from somewhere - it just refuses to admit it.” - Sandra Harding

• Acknowledges the researcher’s position

• Asks researchers to examine their own assumption and power

• Includes marginalized perspectives to uncover blind spots in dominant knowledge

• Makes facts more robust by situating them in context

Political Ideology

Political Ideology is a structured worldview about how society should be organized - it includes values, policy preferences, and assumptions about power, freedom, responsibility, etc.

It tends to be:

• Prescriptive (what should happen)

• Often aligned with parties or platforms

• Aimed at governing or organizing society

Feminist Thought

Feminist Thought is a body of critical theory and analysis focused on understanding how gender (and often race, class, sexuality, etc.) shape people’s lives, access to power, and experiences

• Analytical and interpretive - not a single agenda

• Diverse and contested - includes liberal feminism, radical feminism, Black feminism, postmodern feminism

• Rooted in a commitment to gender - based justice, but not tied to one political party or system

• A framework for asking questions, not prescribing fixed answers