The way that we have understood Feminism is quite wrong. Let me explain!
Contemporary Feminism has become a word that incites thoughts that may be learned( through literature and experience) or adopted( through a convention that is contextual). The way we have understood it is quite linear and parochial for the most part.
It transcends the commonly understood definition of it being about equal rights for men and women. But How? Isn’t that what we are quick to jot down in Instagram comment sections when someone argues for the vile of Feminism? Well, hold on.
The moral compass that we thought so obviously belonged to it owing to the virtues isn’t necessarily possessed by it ( in the modern sense of what we have come to identify as good and evil). But isn’t fighting against injustice a characteristic of morality itself?
In this short article, I will try to posit a major problem in our understanding of feminism.
Understanding Feminism is understanding the nuances
Firstly, what you need to understand is that the movement of Feminism isn’t even a smidgens new. The time around when most of the literature started to be written down and where the essence of the movement can be traced precisely started in the late 19th century.
So, it would be a dire mistake to see it as an enclosed concept of the 21st century. When something is old, it is deemed to have surfed through the tides of different kinds amidst the changes in socio-political scenery, given that the world is an ocean itself.
What I mean is that to understand the concept, it is that necessary that we understand the nuances that, in turn, provide newer perspectives and sometimes the subversion of the popular beliefs hinged to the very concept.
Women’s Superiority
To supplement this seemingly incessant rant with a pertinent discussion of the instance, I want to highlight the fact that there was a time in the history of the feminist movement when the superiority of women was emphasized. It was the argument based on the nature, or the essence of womanhood itself, called the Essentialist argument, and a lot of 19th-century Feminist thinkers aligned with it.
For instance, Eliza Farnham writes,” Life is exalted in proportion to its organic and functional complexity. Women’s organism is more Complex, and their totality of function is larger than those of any other being inhabiting our earth. Therefore, her position in the scale of Life is the most exalted – the sovereign one”.
Feminism and Eugenics
Another less-known feature is the feminist support for Eugenics. It is the same idea on which Nazis grounded the concept of a ‘fit’ and ‘unfit: race. Although, Feminists supported it for the fact that it provided them with an agency for birth control and freedom of choice in marriage,the fact remains that the sanctity claimed by Feminists in asserting that Feminism implies the highest form of virtue is mistaken.
Just like any other movement, it is propelled by the very interests that smack of practicality and self-interest, which is in no way unconscionable but reflects a facet of human tendencies. Understanding Feminism and its relationship to Eugenics help us get an outline of how two movements backing different values may overlap.
To dwell further into the subject read: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57476274-life-as-we-have-known-it
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