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Original poster

Academic attainment and feminism?

782 replies

suwoo · 08/05/2011 22:32

I have wanted to start this thread all day but have been scared that it is stupid or I will be flamed. I want to ask if people feel there is a correlation between academic attainment and feminist principles. Is that a valid question?
I had no idea that I was a feminist. I knew I had these thoughts and principles but didn't know what they were or the significance of them until we did feminist literary theory this semester- it was like an epiphany and my whole world made sense

Had I not gone to uni at the grand old age of 35, maybe I would never had these revelations.

What do you think? Those of you that identify as a feminist, what level of education do you have?

OP posts:
LRDTheFeministDragon · 09/05/2011 13:44

I think it depends where you are. When I did my degree a few years ago, we were introduced to precisely two examples of feminist readings (re. Shakespeare), and to the Vindication. No feminist theory at all. In fact, if you so chose, you could avoid reading anything published in the last 100 years. It particularly annoys me that we spent two weeks - which was a quarter of the total module - writing about a certain anonymous (presumed male) poet who'd almost certainly been read by virtually no-one during his (her?!) lifetime, but completely women writers who were much more well-known ... because they weren't part of the canon, you understand. Hmm

lionheart · 09/05/2011 13:26

That's funny, when I did my sociology A' level back in the 1980s we did lots of feminist theory in the section on women but the teachers never actually used the terms feminist/feminism. Maybe they thought it would have put us off (it wouldn't!) but it was weird.

bucaneve · 09/05/2011 13:12

That is really sucky, hopefully the late 80s/early 90s was just a bit of weird neo-liberal blip and they've all (unis) gone back to their senses!

dittany · 09/05/2011 13:07

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bucaneve · 09/05/2011 13:05

Blimey Dittany that's shocking! If you don't mind me asking did you do your degree a long time ago?

I can't imagine going a politics degree and not doing any feminism, we even touched on feminist international relations! Maybe it was just the slightly repetitive nature of my particular course tho. I swear for most units it went one week liberalism, one week conservativism/realism, one week marxism, one week feminism, one week environmentalism.

dittany · 09/05/2011 13:01

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Prolesworth · 09/05/2011 13:00

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lionheart · 09/05/2011 12:59

I think Butler is fashionable in that post-modern way. I wouldn't teach Gender Trouble myself and from what I can tell (reading essays written by students who have been studying her work), they simply extrapolate that basic idea of gender as performance and apply it to certain literary texts (Carter, Woolf especially).

dittany · 09/05/2011 12:53

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MrsClown · 09/05/2011 12:52

I would definitely call myself a feminist but do not have a university or degree level education. I work full time as a secretary.

I must admit a few weeks ago I was at a feminist meeting and was made to feel extremely small by one of the other women who said that she thought a university education was necessary to understand feminism!!!

However, I do agree that there are not many unacademic women who read about feminism.

I wasnt brought up by a feminist I just am. I have always been a person to stand up against misjustice, whoever it is aimed at.

lionheart · 09/05/2011 12:50

I think it rather depends on the course and to a certain extent on the academic's own interests. A survey or historical course on feminist literary theory would probably include Millett and Butler (one for setting the ball rolling the other for various circus tricks) but a more focussed course say, on the gothic (your professor's interest) would not.

There's an awful lot of theory/criticism to choose from even if you're starting point is the 1970s.

Takver · 09/05/2011 12:43

I identify as a feminist & do have a degree. My mother definitely is a feminist and left school at 16 (and is the source of my feminism). She comes from a very politically aware family though, so perhaps that makes a difference - if you've been brought up to be aware of class inequalities, it's not a big leap to make . . .

As mentioned on another thread, there was (probably still is?) a lot of sexism in the union movement.

dittany · 09/05/2011 12:33

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Original poster
suwoo · 09/05/2011 12:28

I've only learned what I have learned from MN and mainly Dittany and SGM. Yes Dittany, I really do want to read them, I'm just stuck in poetry hell at the moment. Come June I'll be free!

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Prolesworth · 09/05/2011 12:23

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dittany · 09/05/2011 12:22

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Original poster
suwoo · 09/05/2011 12:20

When I've finished revising, I will get on to all these. Cheers Dittany.

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dittany · 09/05/2011 12:19

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dittany · 09/05/2011 12:18

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Original poster
suwoo · 09/05/2011 12:17

Just reading notes: Wollestonecraft, de Beauvoir, Millet is mentioned (briefly), Cixous are the main ones.

No mention of Dworkin even in the notes or secondary reading list. No mention of Butler either TBF.

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dittany · 09/05/2011 12:08

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Original poster
suwoo · 09/05/2011 11:57

We haven't been 'taught' either TBH, it is just extra talks I have had with my tutor re that poem. We have been taught Butler and Sedgewick for Queer/Gender Theory though.

This is the professor who lectured us on feminist literary theory.

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dittany · 09/05/2011 11:51

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Original poster
suwoo · 09/05/2011 11:44

I've read Millet but only read bits about Dworkin on wiki and other shit sources. What you recommend to read of hers?

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dittany · 09/05/2011 11:39

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