What is Feminism, Really?
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, feminism is the belief in social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. It advocates for women's rights and addresses the disparities that exist between genders. At its heart, feminism emphasizes that women deserve equal rights and freedoms, focusing on issues such as voting rights, reproductive freedom, and equal pay. It encompasses a range of ideas and movements aimed at achieving gender equality. Overall, feminism seeks to establish equality for all genders in rights, opportunities, and treatment.
Feminism asks: "Who gets to speak? Who gets to be safe? Who gets to be powerful?"
Modern feminism is heavily influenced by intersectionality, a term coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. It recognizes that overlapping identities (e.g., Black, queer, disabled) create unique experiences of discrimination that can’t be understood in isolation of each other.
Feminist Concepts defined
• Patriarchy:
A system where men hold primary power in roles of leadership, moral authority, and control over property.
• The Male Gaze:
Coined by Laura Mulvey, this concept critiques how media and art often depict women from a heterosexual male perspective.
• Gender Performativity:
Judith Butler’s theory that gender is not innate but enacted through repeated behaviors and societal expectations.
• Reproductive Justice:
Expands beyond “choice” to include access, safety, and autonomy—especially for marginalized communities.
• Feminist Epistemology:
Challenges who gets to produce knowledge and how lived experience shapes understanding.
Feminism on a Global Scale
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Christine de Pizan (15th c.): Argued for women’s education and dignity in The Book of the City of Ladies.
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Olympe de Gouges (French Revolution): Wrote Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen (1791).
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Qiu Jin (China): Poet and revolutionary who fought for women’s liberation in early 20th-century China.
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Indigenous Feminisms: Center land, sovereignty, and matriarchal traditions—often erased in mainstream narratives.
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Black Feminism: From Anna Julia Cooper to Toni Morrison, this tradition critiques racism within feminism and focuses on lived experience.