Gender essentialism the social construction of gender and transgender theory. My traditionalist historical position is termed essentialism by postmodern theorists, which they regard with contempt, in the same way that i regard social constructionist theory as the main impediment to the understanding of queer history. In this project, i examine the philosophical theories of truth, gender, and power, and the parallels between each theory. Progressivism, essentialism, and critical theory ally.
Dec 29, 2016 in feminist theory and gender studies gender essentialism refers to the attribution of a fixed essence to women. In this article, i discuss some of the writings of feminist legal theorists catharine mackinnon and robin west. Gender essentialism is a concept used to examine the attribution of fixed, intrinsic, innate. In the family, women are the natural homemakers, while men are the traditional breadwinners each generation learns to perform these complementary roles by means of gender role socialization essence of masculinity for men is competitiveness, whereas for women it is. Gender essentialism is the toxic ideology proposing that gender is an essentialist identity or property of an individual or group. Given the ubiquitous influence of gender in a persons life, a number of theories have been developed to explain gender development. Childrens and parents essentialism predicted childrens gendertyped preferences, but not childrens prescriptive stereotyping.
The new gender essentialism domestic and family choices and their relation to attitudes1 rosemary crompton and clare lyonette abstract this paper critically examines two strands within contemporary gender essentialism that is, the argument that men and women are fundamentally different and. Get an answer for how do essentialism andor social constructionism serve as models for gender identity and the formation of gender identity. For example, it can be used to justify the idea that jobs traditionally held by women. Feminist perspectives on sex and gender first published mon may 12, 2008. Department of culture and literature gender performativity. I argue that their work, though powerful and brilliant in many ways, relies on what i call gender. Ontologically theories of gender and gender difference can largely be categorised as. To anticipate, i will develop my argument for a genealogical and antiessentialist. Students will be educated not only on an academic level, but on a characterbuilding level as well. This article attempts to clarify two alternative understandings of genderthe essentialist and the constructionistand to discuss the implications of each.
The term is often used pejoratively by constructionists see constructionism, but strategic essentialism is a common activist strategy, and biological essentialism surfaces in the insistence of some feminists that the physical facts of sexual difference do have entailments. Often, essentialism supports and is supported by transphobia, as essentialists claim that a persons sex is the sex they were coercively assigned at birth often mischaracterizing this sociological sex assignment as biological. This paper identifies and discusses four distinct meanings of essentialism. The way essentialism is debated in the novel makes it relevant to use judith butlers theories on gender identity, performance and performativity when speaking of the tale. Given the huge surge in the 1990s and early 2000s of debates about the limitations of feminism in accommodating the myriad other aspects of identification from ethnicity and race to nationality and class as well as the visibility of gay, lesbian, queer, bi. Feminist perspectives on sex and gender stanford encyclopedia of. The following are the characteristics of an essentialist theory of. The following are the characteristics of an essentialist theory of power. Its common for essentialists to claim that trans peoples genders and sexes are. I propose that there is an interesting and useful form of gender essentialism that pertains to social. Professor charlotte witt, of the university of new hampshire, has developed a new gender theory that is unique in the contemporary feminist movement. Critically evaluate the understanding of gender as discourse. She argued that gender, rather than being an essential quality following from biological sex, or an inherent identity, is an act which grows out of, reinforces, and is reinforced by, societal norms and creates the illusion. Charlotte witt university of new hampshire abstract.
Although at one level, they reflect abstract ontological intuitions about the nature of social. The new gender essentialism domestic and family choices. People who identify as nonbinary explicitly reject the notion of gender essentialism by forgoing either male or female identities. Social constructionism social constructionism is a theory of knowledge that holds that characteristics typically thought to be immutable and solely biologicalsuch as gender, race, class, ability, and sexualityare products of human definition and interpretation shaped by cultural and historical contexts subramaniam 2010.
Finally, the theory of essentialism holds to the belief that standardized testing is an absolutely essential practice in schools. In this theory, there are certain universal, innate, biologically or psychologicallybased features of gender different from sex that are at the root of observed differences in. Catharine mackinnon develops her theory of gender as a theory of sexuality. May 16, 2014 gender essentialism, then, is the insistence that a few traits can be swiftly used to categorise someones gender, and that these traits are inflexible. In addition, discursive psychology gives better explanations to the complex gender.
Feminist visual theory has had a role in debates about essentialism. Department of culture and literature gender performativity in. As such, social constructionism highlights the ways in which. The first is the attribution of certain characteristics to everyone subsumed within a particular category. In this paper i distinguish among different theories of gender. Pdf what is gender essentialism charlotte witt academia. Gender transgression and gender transformation attempts to. How do essentialism andor social constructionism serve as. Mar 16, 2011 gender essentialism the social construction of gender and transgender theory. Although at one level, they reflect abstract ontological intuitions about the nature of social reality, at another they have important implications for everyday social perception and. Gender essentialism in feminist theory and gender studies, gender essentialism is the attribution of fixed essences to men and women this idea that men and women are fundamentally different continues to be a matter of contention. Essentialism, feminism, and art a companion to feminist art.
These theories can be generally divided into three families. In feminist theory and gender studies, gender essentialism is the attribution of a. In this theory, there are certain universal, innate, biologically or psychologicallybased features of gender that are at the root of observed differences in the behavior of men and women. Essentialism, culture, and beliefs about gender among the aravanis of tamil nadu, india ramaswami mahalingam1 the purpose of this study was to investigate the gender beliefs of the aravanis, a transgender community in tamil nadu. One of sturgeons primary concerns is the current political stalemate between the tropes of essentialism and antiessentialism within feminism, 11 a stalemate which she sees working to divide ecofeminist theory from practice and ecofeminism from feminism. Our hope is that the essay will both challenge the prevailing ways in which many scholars, including some feminists and critical race theorists, frame anti essentialism, intersectionality, and dominance theory, and underscore the critical importance of attending to how racial power is gendered and gender subordination is racialized. Gender essentialism is a concept used to examine the attribution of fixed, intrinsic, innate qualities to women and men. Download limit exceeded you have exceeded your daily download allowance. Gender essentialism the social construction of gender and.
Womens essence is assumed to be universal and is generally identified with those. Social constructionism introduction to women, gender. To anticipate, i will develop my argument for a genealogical and antiessentialist recasting of feminist politics in the following stages. Feldman new york university is there a natural fit between gender and the pacifist or military. In this paper i distinguish among different theories of gender essentialism and sketch out a taxonomy of gender essentialisms. Starting with the upperleft cell, i will move clockwise to discuss, in turn. Gender ideologies, youth sports, and the production of. Functionalism and essentialism functionalists argue that. When speaking of performativity, i will make use of judith butlers work on gender and sexuality performance, especially her books gender trouble and bodies that matter. The term is often used pejoratively by constructionists see constructionism, but strategic essentialism is a common activist strategy, and biological essentialism surfaces in the insistence of some feminists that the. In western civilization, it is suggested in writings going back to ancient greece. Jan 01, 20 finally, the theory of essentialism holds to the belief that standardized testing is an absolutely essential practice in schools.
Functionalism and essentialism functionalists argue that traditional gender roles help to integrate society talcott pearson. I focus primarily on the difference between essentialism about a kind and essentialism about an individual. In feminist theory and gender studies gender essentialism refers to the attribution of a fixed essence to women. Through standardized testing, students are required to demonstrate the necessary basic skill they will need to further their education and teachers are held accountable for what the students are learning. Gender essentialism wikimili, the best wikipedia reader.
A constructionist position is offered as ameliorative, and lingering questions raised by this analysis are discussed. Instead, it is a common system of biases that affect how the world works. Gender ideologies, youth sports, and the production of soft. In the present studies, we predominantly operationalize essentialist explanations as. Essentialism, culture, and beliefs about gender among the. Her gender theory rests on a form of essentialism called uniessentialism. Gender essentialism, then, is the insistence that a few traits can be swiftly used to categorise someones gender, and that these traits are inflexible. Progressivism, essentialism, and critical theory ally herr. A conceptual and empirical exploration of notions of maternal essence as a framework for explaining gender difference research pdf available june 2015 with 1,674 reads. The role of this school we strive to promote education through core subjects using a teachercentered approach. Essentialism and antiessentialism in feminist philosophy. In other words, gender is not a selfconcept or a social construct under this theory, but instead an externallymeasurable property of a person as determined by specific attributes. The gender of peace and war gilman, woolf, freud yael s.
In addition, feminist theory argues that the social construction of gender has historically resulted not only in difference but in inequality as well. The belief that males and females are born with distinctively different natures, determined biologically rather than culturally. It is, furthermore, the belief that people can and should be slotted into the correct gender category regardless as to which gender they identify with. Apr 11, 2020 however, gender essentialism is not supported by evidence. Essentialism, feminism, and art a companion to feminist. Our hope is that the essay will both challenge the prevailing ways in which many scholars, including some feminists and critical race theorists, frame antiessentialism, intersectionality, and dominance theory, and underscore the critical importance of attending to how racial power is gendered and gender subordination is racialized. Essentialism and anti essentialism in feminist philosophy. Gender essentialism is often used to excuse genderbased biases in society. The theory of gender essentialism wrongly posits that women and men are inherently different, and therefore should be treated accordingly by society. Jun 22, 2019 accordingly, this chapter examines in more detail arguments about essentialism within feminist visual theory, and explains the hotly debated issue of transgender identification or transidentification, the most radical, gender. Critically evaluate the understanding of gender as discourse changxue xue college of foreign languages, yanshan university.
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