Feminists theory

Waves of Feminist Theory

The various iterations of feminist activism and theoretical development.

First Wave of Feminism

Activism focused on women's suffrage and political participation.

Second Wave of Feminism

Activism aimed at achieving economic and social equality with men.

Third Wave of Feminism

Utilizes intersectionality to critique race and class privilege among women.

Fourth Wave of Feminism

Seeks to challenge gender as a defining concept in people's lives.

Classical Roots of Feminism Theory

Associated with Harriet Martineau and Alexandra Kollontai.

Harriet Martineau

British social theorist who challenged dualism and defined sociology before Comte and Durkheim.

Annandale

Scholar who emphasized the gender/health framework in Martineau's work.

Alexandra Kollontai

Identified social and class relations as determinants of women's oppression.

Gender Difference

Traced to biology, cultural differences, and social institutions' roles for men and women.

General Feminist Theories of Difference

Include cultural feminism, ethic of care, and existential feminism.

Gender Inequality

Argues that women are less privileged than men in most situations.

Liberal Feminism

Theory that advocates for equality based on human reasoning and morals.

Radical Feminism

Theory that highlights women's oppression by violence and the threat of violence.

Structural Oppression Theories

Focus on patriarchy, capitalism, racism, and heterosexism as sources of oppression.

Dorothy Smith’s Feminist Model of Production

Explores relations of ruling and bifurcated consciousness.

Raewyn Connell’s Hegemonic Masculinity

Creation of an ideal type of masculinity equated with leadership.

Intersectionality

Study of how different social identities are affected by various systems of oppression.

Theories of Intersectionality

Emphasize hierarchical structures and the link between ideology and power.

Matrix of Domination

Developed by Patricia Hill Collins to explain how social inequalities alter women's experiences.

Epistemology

Theory of knowledge, especially in methods, validity, and scope.

Black Feminist Thought

Addresses political, economic, and ideological oppression faced by black women.

Group Membership in Feminist Theory

Critiques the exclusion of Black women's realities in feminist and political thought.

Emergent Strategies

Intentional changes to grow capacity for embodying a liberated world, based on adaptation and imagination.