Title: Third Wave Feminism
1Third Wave Feminism
2Third Wave Feminism
- Third Wave Feminism emerged into North American
public consciousness in the early 1990s - Expressed criticism the second wave feminists
were too dogmatic and too limited in scope
3Feminism on Campus
- During the 1980s feminist theory became driving
concern in many disciplines in the humanities - This interest was spurred on by the development
of interdisciplinary Womens and Cultural Studies
programs, and Campus Womens Centers - Drawing on linguistic and postmodern theory,
expanded the vocabulary of feminist issues
4French Feminist theory
- Julia Kristeva was critical of the idea of a
feminine voice and advocated multiple sexual
identities - Luce Irigaray uses psychoanalytic theory to
challenge male dominance in society that can be
overcome with feminine writing - Tends to be dense and theoretical but has an
incredible influence on academic culture
5bell hooks (1952-)
- Focuses on the interconnectivity of race, class,
and gender - Although an academic, argues against the
elitist character of academic feminist theory - Argues that feminism pays too little attention to
race and class paying too much attention to the
needs of middle class white women
6Judith Butler (1956-)
- American academic feminist, argued in her book
Gender Trouble that gender and sex are
performative acts not identities - following Foucault argued that the choices of
gender roles are constructed by regulatory
discourses - Argued against feminism that advocated two sexes
only
7- In her 1991 book Backlash Susan Faludi argued
that American popular culture demonized feminism
in an attempt to curb the advances women had made
8Naomi Wolf the Beauty Myth
- "The more legal and material hindrances women
have broken through, the more strictly and
heavily and cruelly images of female beauty have
come to weigh upon us... More women have more
money and power and scope and legal recognition
than we have ever had before but in terms of how
we feel about ourselves physically, we may
actually be worse off than our unliberated
grandmothers."
9Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill
In July 1991 US President George Bush nominates
Clarence Thomas as second African American
Supreme Court Justice. Thomas confirmation was
controversial from the start because he was a
strong conservative, who was critical of
affirmative action and rumored to be against
Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion
At his confirmation hearing, his former assistant
Anita Hill testified that that she was repeatedly
sexually harassed by Thomas. Another witness
testified to the same treatment. The media picked
up on the story and brought the issue of sexual
harassment to a national and global audience
10Rebecca Williams
- Let Thomas confirmation serve to remind you, as
it did me, that the fight is far from over. Let
this dismissal of a womans experience move you
to anger. Turn that outrage into political power.
Do not vote for them unless they work for us. Do
not have sex them with them, do not break bread
with them, do not nurture them if they dont
prioritize our freedom to control our bodies and
our lives. I am not a post-feminist feminist. I
am the Third Wave.
11Violence against women
- Third wave feminists also
- In 1994 the American congress passed the Violence
Against Women Bill
12- In 1991, a mens group in Montreal began the
White Ribbon Campaign as a response to the Dec.
1989 massacre of 14 women at The Ecole
Polytechnique in Montreal - It has since evolved into an international event
13Abortion debate
14Riot Grrrl!
- A movement of young women devoted to activism
using music and zines to share their ideas - Emphasis on individuality of expression and
inclusiveness - Builds upon the aesthetic of punk rock and
independence from corporate culture with bands
like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile
15issues
- Gender
- Sexuality
- Sexism
- AIDS
- The environment
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