PHL Exam 1

What three historical factors after WWII, such as the growth of service jobs, made the modern feminist movement possible, according to Sandra Bartky?

*the growth of consumer culture as the home was traditionally a place of production. In a consumer culture, the home becomes a place of consumption rather than production. Women do not have to do all of the housework and might have the opportunity to be out in the world with a career.

*Birth control because families are getting smaller and it gives women more freedom of choice to have a family or not

*civil rights movements because freedom is contagious

Bartky’s feminist consciousness: victimization

is the awareness of women as subjects of systemic oppression and societal injustices, highlighting how societal norms and structures contribute to their marginalization.

Bartky’s feminist consciousness: wariness

is the recognition of the internalized beliefs and attitudes that women develop as a response to oppression, fostering a critical perspective on their own experiences and societal expectations.

Bartky’s feminist consciousness: facing tests

is the understanding of the challenges and obstacles women confront in asserting their rights and identities, often testing their resilience and commitment to feminist ideals.

Bartky’s feminist consciousness: double ontological shock

division between appearance and reality, you realize that what appears to be the case might not be the case; shock is the realization that you may never know reality —- it may just be beyond our grasp

Bartky’s feminist consciousness: guilt

bc for many women they have privilege as a white woman perhaps over WOC (simultaneous feeling of being mutilated but also not being in prison, on the streets, in refugee camps, etc.)

Bartky’s feminist consciousness: ambiguity

is the state of having unclear or mixed feelings about one's identity and experiences as a woman, often influenced by societal expectations and personal beliefs; the difficulty in trying to figure out what the right thing to do is in a given situation (her example was buying Christmas presents for relative and buying “girl” presents for the girls and “boy” presents for boys) 

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Bartky’s feminist consciousness: being a divided person

Being a divided person (alienation) - there are different forms of dividedness, the sense of change is possible and I want to see change in my life and in the world, but I am too “ill-equipped” to change my behavior, how I life, how I feel 

How do you become a feminist according to Bartky?

You become a feminist through the process of having your consciousness raised; this is not only anguish it is also joyful because it is a process of becoming free

Bartky: possibility vs. fantasy

when you dream of changes but don't believe they are possible that is fantasy; possibility is where it is possible to see changes within your lifetime and these possibilities are real 

What does De Beauvoir mean by saying women are the Other and the “second sex"?” What significance does she find in it?

De Beauvoir argues that women are defined in relation to men, often seen as the "Other" or secondary in society.

What ways of defining “woman” does De Beauvoir reject?

*Biology - relevant but not a good enough answer, does not think there is a platonic soul that makes men men and women women 

*We are all individuals - believes that gender matters in the world, the world is not set up to just see individuals and not men and women

Woman (De Beauvoir)

other, relative, negative, a problem

Man (De Beauvoir)

absolute, One, positive and neutral, no problem

Why do women not say “we?”

*Women do not have a shared history, religion, language, neighborhood, territory, etc.

*Women are not a minority

*there are many different experiences of women

Why have women not risen up against their oppressors?

Women have not risen up against their oppressors bc both men and women have benefited from women. Men are at least not women and they have power in the world. 

How have both men and women benefited from being taken as the “Second sex?”

Women do not have to achieve anything. For women, there is no metaphysical risk. It is on the man to make a name for the woman and himself. Women don’t really need to run the world and make their own decisions. Men will always remain in power.

Transcendence

men are faced with who they want to be, they have to transcend what they are given to become

Imminence

taking care of needs where you don’t need to have a project define yourself in the world

Mill claims that men and women are equal. How does he defend this claim?

*We aren’t born into an identity → we step into and create our identity individuality  

*Women as born into their identity is a prevalent belief - Mill thinks this is a loss to society bc half the human race is not developing their skills and talents 

*Fallacy when we say that our customs dictate that women perform these roles so therefore they are women’s roles → just bc a view is very popular/customary, it doesn’t make it right

What are some of June Jordan’s experiences in the Bahamas?

*the cleaning lady has a card that tells her first name and her first name only (no Ms. or Dr. or anything like that) and a rating 1-5 stars

*the painting of the smiling man who comes to give drinks to tourists in the water

*people working on Good Friday etc. even though they would rather be celebrating their religion

What does June Jordan mean by “connection?”

Sharing an identity is important, but it is far from where we want to be — connection (moving outside of your own experiences to then help the other person)

We want to be able to make connections with people and sharing an identity does not do that. She realizes how important one’s job is to his or her life and almost everybody has to work. We do things to keep our jobs (working on Good Friday even though they want to celebrate their faith and she has to keep her job to put her son through college as a single mother - economic reality of our lives) 

What challenges arose between Jordan and some of her students?

Connection b/w students who have a sense of “that isn’t my problem bc it doesn’t involve me” → student with financial aid and student who hasn’t faced police violence, oppression; both students don’t think they have any connection to Jordan and don’t believe that they can do anything to help out if it doesn’t apply to them 

Jordan and solidarity

*Solidarity has to do with looking at the needs people have and doing something about them — action. Not just having a common enemy that we wish would go away.

*South African and Irish students who help each other is a good example of connection 

Why should voices matter for Lugones & Spelman?

Do you have a voice? Women who are writing in early feminist are writing about having a voice. L&S would prefer to have the plural — voices and women — rather than a woman’s voice bc there are many different voices out there. They don’t want one group speaking for the rest (white, middle-class women speaking for all other women). 

What dangers are connected with the pronoun “we?”

The pronoun "we" can create a false sense of unity or inclusion, masking the diversity of experiences and identities within a group. It risks overlooking the voices and struggles of marginalized individuals by promoting a singular narrative.

What process of dialogue between outsiders and insiders should occur before theory-building?

How should you do theory? Before trying to figure out theories of oppression or _____, enter into dialogue with women of other groups. If you are a privileged woman, you should be ready to listen and learn. Be ready to feel alienated bc people will talk about how women like you have made them feel. You won’t like it bc you will realize the pain inflicted upon other women that was unintentionally dealt by speaking for outsiders when your only experience is as an insider.

What is a good motivation for dialogue?

What is a good motivation for dialogue? Not self-interest of personal growth or duty. The right  motivation is friendship. We should trust friendship. And utilize painful learning and painful listening to learn about what it is like to be [privileged]. 

How are persons of color better prepared for this dialogue than white people?

Persons of color know how white people can act and they often know white people better than white people know outsiders because POC always observe how white people move through life and compare that with how POC move through life

What makes a good theory?

*Can see how parts of your life fit together - don’t take a myopic view 

*Does it help you see where you are in the world?

*Does it help you see what part of the situation you are responsible for?

*When building a theory can you determine where change and resistance are possible and don’t assume that what you think should change is the thing that should change. (putting in toilets when there is no running water . . . ) Be respectful but you can also not agree with the criteria that a certain group is using. 

*Will someone reading theory, book, poem, etc. be able to understand it and make a change in his/her own life? 

How does the root word of “oppression” disclose its meaning?

“press” and reducing people to something that they should not be

What is a double bind?

A situation in which a person faces conflicting demands or choices, often leading to negative consequences regardless of the decision made (Ex. a woman who has children and works and a woman who has children and doesn’t work; a woman dressing up for an interview —- is a suit to strict or unsexy, is her makeup messed up or proper?)

Give another example of oppression and analyze through the lens of the microscopic and macroscopic

A man paying for dinner - on its face, it looks kind and chivalrous, but it can also show that women cannot take care of themselves

What is the universal function of women?

serving others; personal, jobs, sexual, appealing, ego, being nice 

How does oppression differ from suffering?

Oppression refers to systemic and institutionalized discrimination that limits the rights and opportunities of certain groups, while suffering is an individual's experience of pain or distress, which may not necessarily stem from distinct social structures (ex. following the rules of the road, being in the hospital because of an illness)

Aggregates for Iris Young

Aggregates clump people together without looking at their individual experiences

Associations for Iris Young

Associations put the individual first because one chooses to join an association

Social Groups for Iris Young

thrownness, identity is not chosen; requires a shared way of life, self-identification with the group, and the ability to be identified as part of the group

How does discrimination differ from oppression?

Discrimination is someone intentionally discriminating and saying that you can’t be here bc you are a person of this specific group of people. Oppression does not need to have an individual agent 

What is oppression?

For Young, oppressed people are limited in their ability to find and express their potential, needs, thoughts, and feelings and exercise their abilities

What is marginalization?

Marginalization - people who are alienated and not allowed to participate in social life (young people who cannot apply for jobs) 

What is powerlessness?

has to do with professions that give you status and a good chance that you have positive features in your life, you can develop new skills as you move on and have autonomy and maybe have authority over others 

Double consciousness

is a term coined by W.E.B. Du Bois to describe the internal conflict experienced by subordinated or colonized groups in an oppressive society, particularly African Americans, who navigate their dual identity as both an American and a member of a marginalized group.

oppressed groups see themselves through others’ eyes (dominated groups’ eyes) but also knowing it’s wrong; dealing with how people see me vs. when you can just see yourself as you are with your own community of people