POL 100: Introduction to Politics & Government - Week 3 Notes

POL 100: Introduction to Politics & Government

Course Information

  • Instructor: Sahar Zaman
  • Week 3: January 19th, 2026
  • Quizzes Schedule:
    • Quiz 1: February 2nd / February 4th (Covers Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4)
    • Quiz 2: March 2nd / March 4th (Covers Weeks 5, 6, 7, 8)
    • Quiz 3: March 30th / April 1st (Covers Weeks 9, 10, 11, 12)

Agenda for the Week

  • Anarchism
  • Fascism
  • The Feminist Perspectives
  • Environmentalism
  • Populism

Anarchism

  • Definition: A political theory that rejects hierarchical authority, viewing capitalism and the state as lacking moral legitimacy and as tools for domination.
  • Core Beliefs:
    • Advocates for the elimination of the state, which is viewed as a fiction that represents a distinct ruling class rather than the people.
    • Emphasizes voluntary cooperation, stateless societies, and self-governed communities.
    • Promotes harmony, where laws and authority are disregarded unless agreed upon mutually.

Historical Context: Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

  • In 1936, right-wing Spanish military officers attempted a coup against the democratically elected Second Spanish Republic.
    • The coup initially failed in key cities.
    • Workers resisted, resulting in a division of Spain into Republican and Nationalist zones, leading to the Spanish Civil War.
  • In Republican areas, anarchist organizations (CNT & FAI) controlled factories and farms, promoting worker self-management and a historic experiment in anarchism.
  • Key Challenges: The Republican coalition (which included anarchists, socialists, and communists) was internally divided, while Nationalists under Francisco Franco had a centralized command and military support from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
  • By 1939, the Republic collapsed with Franco's victory, leading to a dictatorship that lasted until 1975.

Fascism

  • Definition: An ideology characterized by aggressive nationalism, a belief in natural inequalities, and opposition to both liberal democracy and communism.
  • Core Beliefs of Fascism:
    • Absolute loyalty to the state, emphasizing the well-being of the individual aligned with the nation-state.
    • Advocacy for totalitarian control of the state, viewed as an organic entity composed of individuals with rights.
    • Often involves racism, promoting a superior in-group and demonizing out-groups.
  • Contrasts Democratic leaders with mythical authoritarian leaders.
    • Rejection of Enlightenment thought, valuing emotion over reason, ancestry, and territorial struggle.
    • Promotes readiness for conflict, viewing war as inevitable, correlating with survival of the fittest ideology.
  • Historical Figures:
    • Italian leader Benito Mussolini and German Nazi leader Adolf Hitler exemplify fascist regimes.
    • Both utilized radical nationalism, anti-immigration sentiment, and the need for ethnic purity.
    • Employed propaganda and the politics of fear, arguing against liberal democratic values.

Nazism

  • Key Attributes:
    • Centered on the notion of racial superiority, particularly favoring Germans and Nordic peoples as heirs to the 'Aryan master race'.
    • Advocated the revival of the Aryan race and exerted dominance over other “inferior” races.
    • Viewed Jews as racial enemies and portrayed them as subhuman, leading to the Holocaust, a systematic genocide.

Discussion Questions

  • Discussion Question 1: Discuss the key features of fascism as a political ideology. To what extent, if at all, do you think fascism exists in the world today?

Alternative Ideologies

  • Purpose: Challenge the metanarrative prevalent in traditional ideologies and values.
  • Notable Alternative Ideologies:
    • Feminism: Focus on equality and opportunities for women.
    • Environmentalism: Advocating for improved relationships with nature.
    • Populism: Aims to shift power from elites (politicians, government officials) back to the people.

Feminism

  • Definition: Feminism is described as a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression. An important perspective by bell hooks emphasizes that this definition does not frame men as the enemy.
  • Goal: Feminist politics aim to challenge, dismantle, and/or revamp patriarchal structures in society.

Patriarchy

  • Definition: The term refers to a general structure in which men hold power over women, creating a male-dominated power structure within society and individual relationships.
  • Quote from Ananya Roy: “[Patriarchy] implies a social system of male power…”

Women in Western Philosophy

  • Concepts:
    • The sexual division of labor is viewed as ‘natural’.
    • Aristotle claimed in 'The Politics' that the male is more adept at leading than the female unless constituted contrary to nature.
    • Plato's 'Timaeus' suggested that immoral men might be incarnated as women, implying a moral punishment existed for being born female.
    • Conclusion: Gender inequality is both natural and philosophical, legitimizing the sexual division of labor.

Mary Wollstonecraft

  • Works:
    • Criticized Edmund Burke’s 'Reflections on the Revolution in France' (1790).
    • Argued for the need to award rights based on merit, not traditional privileges in 'A Vindication of the Rights of Men'.
    • Denied the perceived inferiority of women in 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' (1792), stating inferiority arises from a lack of education and opportunities.
    • Wrote 'The Subjection of Women' (1869), advocating for rational thought, education, and political liberties.

Feminist Movements

  • Metaphor of Waves: Feminist movements are often described in waves, although this metaphor can be problematic, as agendas have varied, and there has been internal contestation.
    • Early waves often marginalized women of color (WOC).
    • Example: At the 1851 Ohio Women’s Rights Convention, Sojourner Truth pointed out that the protections for white women were not extended to her, as a Black woman and former slave.

Waves of Feminism

  • First Wave (19th to early 20th century):

    • Focus on voting rights, economic rights (property and wages), entry into the labor market, and education.
    • Most rights lobbied for were primarily for white women.

  • Second Wave (1960s-1980):

    • Figures: Betty Friedan, Simone de Beauvoir.
    • Addressed reproductive rights including access to contraception and abortion, pay rights concerning the pay gap, and the expansion of professional opportunities.

  • Third Wave:

    • Focus on intersectional feminism, acknowledging various hierarchies, sexual liberation, and inclusion of trans identities.
    • Challenges fixed identities and recognizes a spectrum of gender, promoting the idea that the future is intersectional.

  • Fourth Wave:

    • Challenges political systems, patriarchal structures, and incorporates perspectives on global capitalism, colonialism, and warfare.
    • Emphasizes oppressions based on race, class, and sexuality, advocating for diverse and fluid gender identities.

Discussion Questions on Feminism

  • Discussion Question 2: Define feminism and explain the three waves of the feminist movement.

Types of Feminism

  1. Liberal Feminism:

    • Identifies discrimination against women as a key problem limiting opportunities, rights, and freedoms.
    • Introduces the concept of the glass ceiling, an invisible barrier to advancement.
    • Advocates for the elimination of unjust laws and discrimination for equality in education, employment, and legal rights.

  2. Socialist Feminism:

    • Argues women are oppressed by both capitalist systems and patriarchal structures.
    • Emphasizes that housework and childcare are unpaid labor that benefits patriarchal capitalism.
    • Advocates for both women's liberation from patriarchy and transformation of capitalism into a more cooperative socialist society.

  3. Radical Feminism:

    • Views patriarchy as deeply ingrained in culture, affecting both women and men.
    • Considers the oppression of women as the most ancient and widespread form of oppression, connecting it with other forms (racism, class hatred, etc.).
    • Quote by Robin Morgan: “Sexism is the root oppression… which until and unless we uproot it will continue to put forth the branches…”

Feminism & Sex Workers

  • Perspectives on Sex Work:
    • Liberal Feminism: Views sex work as a legitimate choice based on personal rights and advocates decriminalization/legalization.
    • Socialist Feminism: Considers economic coercion a factor; advocates for decriminalization alongside economic reforms leading to more alternatives.
    • Radical Feminism: Argues sex work is inherently exploitative; calls for the criminalization of buyers (Nordic model).

Environmentalism

  • Definition: A perspective stating humanity must alter its relationship with nature to safeguard the environment and sustain all forms of life.
  • Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism: Emphasizes shifting focus from human-centered to nature-centered approaches.
  • Political, social, and economic change: Advocating for a transformation in the relationship between humans and the environment, including limitations on economic growth.

Sustainability

  • Goal of Environmentalism: Maintain the integrity of ecosystems while using renewable resources to ensure regeneration.
  • Proposed Measures:
    • Advocates for a steady state (no growth) economy to remain within Earth's capacity.
    • Suggests local communities might be more effective than nation-states and large corporations in achieving these goals.
    • Criticism: Reliance on a global network of cooperating communities is seen as unrealistic.

Problems of Environmentalism

  • Concern: Limiting global economic growth could hinder the ability of less developed countries to achieve living standards comparable to richer nations or to meet basic needs.

Varieties of Environmentalism

  1. Reform Environmentalism:

    • Advocates for better science, technology, and less-polluting alternatives.
    • Argues economic growth isn’t incompatible with environmental protection.

  2. Free-market Environmentalism:

    • Proposes private owners manage natural resources sustainably rather than through government control.
    • Posits that competition leads to efficiency, incorporating environmental costs into product pricing.
    • Demands the elimination of subsidies for polluting industries.

  3. Deep Ecology:

    • Cultivates an environmental consciousness recognizing the unity of humans, plants, animals, and the Earth.
    • Identifies anthropocentrism as the core issue leading to environmental degradation and advocates for a reduction in the human population and simpler lifestyles.

  4. Social Ecology:

    • Emphasizes the need for self-sufficient communities
    • Focuses on social, economic, and political relationships that foster hierarchy and domination, leading to calls for egalitarian and cooperative societies.

  5. Ecofeminism:

    • Intersects the concerns of environmentalism and feminism, identifying male dominance as a root cause of environmental issues.
    • Advocates for the empowerment of women as a means to restore harmony with nature and emphasizes the role of education and employment in challenging patriarchal norms.

Discussion Questions on Environmentalism

  • Discussion Question 3: Compare Reform Environmentalism, Free-market Environmentalism, and Ecofeminism.

Contact Information

  • Email: sahar.zaman@sfu.ca
  • Office Hours: Mondays from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM and by appointment in AQ6040