Feminist Intellectuals.pdf

ELAINESHOWALTER

..................................................................................................................................................

LaughingMedusa:

FeministIntellectuals

attheMillennium

Whenoneispropagatingtruthsdeeplyradicalanddesperatelyunpalatable

onecannotexpectaneagerandconvincedaudience.

ÐCharlottePerkinsGilman,1897

IstheFeministIntellectualDead?

TwelveyearsagoIsobelArmstronginvitedmetoaconferenceonsexual

differenceinSouthampton.Muchhaschangedfrom1986,takingusfrom

sexualdifferencetogender,fromanuproariousconfrontationbetween

feministsandgaymentothemoresedatecohabitationoftoday.Thevery

term`sexualdifference’isnowsuspect,sinceitimpliessomethingreal;as

StevenPinkerremarksin HowtheMindWorks :`inmodernacademiclife,

``essentialist’’isjustabouttheworstthingyoucancallsomeone.’ 1 None-

theless,thenon-essentialistterminologyofgendercontinuestoobscurethe

realityofsexualdifference.WhileI’mnominallyspeakingaboutgenderand

theintellectual,I’mreallyconcernedwiththefeministintellectual,who

mightbeamanorawoman,buthistoricallyhasbeenawomanwhobelongs

asmuchtothehistoryoffeminismastothehistoryofintellectuals.

Womenrarelycomeupinthecurrentheateddebatesontheroleor

dilemmaoftheintellectualinsociety,discussionswhichhavebeen

particularlyintenseinthe1990s.WhethertheissueistheGramscian

universalintellectual,theFoucaultianspecificintellectual,theoveralldecline

ofthepublicintellectualortheriseofanewintellectualprofessional

managerialclass,feministsareexcludedfromconsideration.A1998French

study, LeSie Á cledesintellectuels ,includesnowomenatall.BruceRobbins

pointsoutthatinAmericansociety`thesubjectofintellectualshasbeen

aboutasgender-neutralasprofootball’. 2

Ironically,manymentodayfeelthattheintellectualisadeadordying

species.InParis,Pierre-Andre Â Taguieff,aphilosopherandhistorianatthe

1StevenPinker, Howthe

MindWorks ,New

York:Norton&Co.,

1997,p.325.

2BruceRobbins(ed.),

Intellectuals:Aesthetics,

Politics,Academics ,

Minneapolis:Univer-

sityofMinnesota

Press,1990,p.xv.

.............................................................................................................................................................................

Women:aculturalreview Vol.11.No.1/2.

ISSN0957-4042print/ISSN1470-1367online # 2000Taylor&FrancisLtd

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

132 . WOMEN:ACULTURALREVIEW

..................................................................................................................................................

NationalCentreforScientificResearch,blamestheAmericanmodelof

celebrity.`Thereisaconstantfightforsurvival,forvisibilityamongcertain

intellectuals,’hesays.`Youhavetobebeautiful,famous,andculturally

successful.Thereiscompetitionforvisibility,respect,andprestige,andit

becomesaviciouscircle.’ 3 (Naturally,Taguieffbelievesthiskindofcom-

petitionhasneverexistedbeforeinFrance.)InLondon,MichaelIgnatieff

deplores`thedeathoftheintellectual’which`hasleftavoidinpubliclife.In

placeofthoughtwehavejournalism;inplaceofpolemicwehavepersonality

profiles.’ 4

Perhapsforthesementheintellectualseemstohavevanishedorbecome

invisiblebecausetheycannotseewomenplayingtherole.Thefemale

intellectualisfarfromdying,butsheiscamouflagedbyhergender.

Indeed,thecategoryoftheintellectualhasbeenalmostasinvisibleto

feministsastomaletheorists.Thewomen’smovementtendstobe

embarrassedanddefensiveaboutitsintellectuals,whetherbecauseofthe

activistvaluesandanti-elitistpressuresoffeministthoughtorbecause

discussionsofintellectualshavebeensosterile,dispassionateanddisem-

bodied.Inherstudyofnineteenth-centuryAmericanfeministintellectuals,

SusanP.Conradpointsoutthat

twocommonassumptionsÐthateveryfeministisanintellectualandthat

everywomanintellectualisafeminist(orthinksonlyintermsof

women’srights,roles,etc.)Ðhavehopelesslyobscuredtheaccomplish-

mentsofwomenandarbitrarilyrestrictedtherangeoftheirinterests.

Afeministintellectualmakescontributionstofeministthought,without

necessarilyadoptinganactiviststance.Mostfeministsarenotintellec-

tuals,theyareengagedindistributingandapplyingthetheoriesofothers

tospecificsocialproblems. 5

3QuotedinBarbara

Giudice,`AnEraof

Soul-Searchingfor

France’sIntellectuals’,

ChronicleofHigher

Education ,13June

1997,p.A41.

4MichaelIgnatieff,

`WhereAreThey

Now?’, Prospect ,

August/September

1997,p.8.

5SusanP.Conrad, Perish

theThought:Intellectual

WomeninRomantic

America,1830±60 ,

Secaucus,NJ:The

CitadelPress,1987,p.7.

6BarbaraEhrenreich,

`TheProfessional-

ManagerialClass

Revisited’,inRobbins

(ed.),p.176.

Ontheotherhand,manyfeministsmakeaclearandinvidiousdistinction

betweentheoryandpractice,theintellectualandtheactivist.Barbara

Ehrenreichgivesthisdistinctionanothertwistwhenshemournsthe

`academizationoffeminism’,whichforher`hasmeanttheendoftheexciting

feministintellectualmilieuIoncemovedin.’ 6

Itmightalsobethatdefinitionsoftheintellectualhavebeenproblematic

forwomen.BruceRobbinsarguesthatabstracttheoriesofintellectual

responsibilityhavefailedtoattracttheinterestoffeministthinkers:

ifwomenhavenotbeeninvitedintotheconversationaboutintellectuals,

theyhavealsohadgoodcausetofeelthattheconversationhadnothing

toofferthem.Adiscussioncenteredontheidealofuniversalitywithout

ties,onintellectualsasunattachedanddisembodied...couldeasily

appeartooccupyarealmofmalefantasy.Tobeginontheotherhand

withthegroundingofintellectuals,witharecognitionofties,bodies,

LAUGHINGMEDUSA . 133

..................................................................................................................................................

situations,isthusanecessarysteptowardthedemasculinizingofthe

discourseaboutintellectuals,thecreationofaconversationthatwomen

mighthaveamotiveforjoining. 7

Womeninacademiamayalsobewaryoftheconditionsimposedbymale

publicintellectualslikeEdwardSaid,whoinsiststhattheintellectualmust

takeapublicposition:

Atbottom,theintellectualinmysenseoftheword,isneitherapacifier

noraconsensus-builder,butsomeonewhosewholebeingisstakedona

criticalsense,asenseofbeingunwillingtoacceptready-madeformulas

orready-madecliche Â s;orthesmooth,ever-so-accommodatingconfir-

mationsofwhatthepowerfulorconventionalhavetosay,andwhatthey

do.Notjustpassively,unwillingly,butsomeoneactivelywillingtosayso

inpublic.

Moreover,theintellectualmustnotspeakorwriteaspecializedlanguage:

Youtry...tocultivate...akindofhealthyscepticismforwhatthe

authoritiessay.Andhereitseemstomethatclearlanguageandironyare

centrallyimportant,nottotakerefuge...inwoollygeneralizationor

jargonoranythingthatonecanhidebehindasawayofavoidinga

decisionandtakingaposition. 8

Notbecausetheyarewomen,butbecausetheyareacademics,some

feministshavetroubleabandoningtheshieldofjargonandaccepting

controversy.

Indeed,thepoststructuralisthistorianJoanW.Scott,acertifiedintellec-

tualwhoisamemberoftheprestigiousInstituteforAdvancedStudy,prefers

toruleoutaninterestinfeministintellectualsasindividuals.Shedeclares

thatshedoesnot

thinkofthesewomenasexemplaryheroines.InsteadIthinkofthemas

sitesÐhistoricallocationsormarkersÐwherecriticalpoliticalandcul-

turalcontestsareenactedandcanbeexaminedinsomedetail.Tofigurea

personÐinthiscaseawomanÐisnottodenyherhumanity;itisratherto

recognizethemanyfactorsthatconstituteheragency,thecomplexand

multiplewaysinwhichsheisconstructedasahistoricalactor. 9

7Robbins(ed.),p.xviii.

8EdwardSaid,`On

DefianceandTaking

Positions’, ACLS

OccasionalPaper 31,

1995,30.

9JoanW.Scott, Only

ParadoxestoOffer:

FrenchFeministsand

theRightsofMan ,

Cambridge,MA:

HarvardUniversity

Press,1996,p.16.

Idowanttodiscussfeministintellectualsasexemplaryheroines,rather

thanassitesormarkers,becauseIthinkweneedexemplaryheroines,andto

lookattheexperienceofwomenwhowishedtoliveafull,seriousand

meaningfulwoman’slife.AndIwantparticularlytotalkaboutthesituation

ofthefeministintellectualatthe findesie Á cle ,asherroleismutatingand

takingusintothefuture.

134 . WOMEN:ACULTURALREVIEW

..................................................................................................................................................

Cassandra

Eveninthe1990sfeministintellectualsturnforinspirationandevenself-

definitiontomyth,religionandliterature;andmanyofthesemythsare

unhappy.CassandraÐtheprophetesscursedwithdisbeliefÐisamongthe

mostimportantofourtragicsexualpersonae.MargaretFullermentioned

Cassandrainhertreatise WomenintheNineteenthCentury asatroubled

woman;Cassandras,shedeclared,`areverycommonlyunhappyatpresent’,

becausetheirintellectualstyledoesnotfitintotheexpectationsofthe

masculineworld. 10 FlorenceNightingaleoftencalledherself`poorCassan-

dra’inherjournalsandletterstodescribeherownsenseofintellectual

frustrationandfutility.JustasCassandra,havingrejectedtheloveofApollo,

wasdoomedtouttertrueprophecieswithoutbeingbelieved,Nightingale

believedthatsheherself,havingrejectedmarriageandmotherhoodfor

career,haddoomedherselftomadnessandisolation.Inherautobiographical

essay`Cassandra’,writteninthe1840s,Nightingale’sCassandradies

`withered,paralysed,extinguished’attheageofthirty,askingwhywomen

have`passion,intellect,andmoralactivity’,andleadsociallivesinwhich`no

oneofthethreecanbeexercised’.Womaninthenineteenthcentury,

Nightingalethought,`hasanimmenseprovisionofwings,whichseemsas

iftheywouldbearheroverearthandheaven;butwhenshetriestousethem,

sheispetrifiedintostone,herfeetaregrownintotheearth,chainedtothe

bronzepedestal.’ 11

Inourcentury,theEastGermannovelistChristaWolfhaswritten

Cassandra:ANovelandFourEssays aboutthenearlysuicidaldespairofthe

feministintellectualtryingtoinventnewartisticforms:`Anywomaninthis

century...whohasventuredintomale-dominatedinstitutionsÐliterature

andaestheticsaresuchinstitutionsÐmusthaveexperiencedthedesirefor

self-destruction.’Asking`HowoldwasCassandrawhenshedied?’Wolf

wonderswhethershecame`tofeelshehadsurvivedalot,toomuch’. 12

Eveninthe1997parodyslasherfilm Scream2 ,theheroineSydneyisa

strongcourageouskickboxer,ayoungfeministstudentofthe1990swho

majorsindramaandplaysCassandrainheruniversityproductionof The

TrojanWomen .`You’realotlikeher’herBritishdirectortellsSydney.`Use

yourpain.’Withoutgivingawaytheplot,sufficeittosaythat,attheendof

themovie,onthetheatrestageSydneyusesthepropsandhermartialarts

skillstodestroyanenemywholooksuncannilylikeCamillePaglia.

10MargaretFuller,

Womeninthe

NineteenthCentury ,

NewYork:W.W.

Norton&Co.,1971,

p.105.

11FlorenceNightingale,

Cassandra ,ed.Myra

Stark,OldWestbury,

NY:TheFeminist

Press,1979,p.23.

12ChristaWolf,

Cassandra:ANovel

andFourEssays ,trans.

JanvanHeurck,New

York:Farrar,Strauss,

Giroux,1984,p.157.

TheFeministMessiah

AnotherimportantmodelhasbeenthefeministMessiah,theexceptional

femalesaviourwhowouldsacrificeherselftochangewomen’slives,butwho

LAUGHINGMEDUSA . 135

..................................................................................................................................................

alsohastobesuperiortothem.MargaretFuller,forexample,wrotethatshe

felt`chosenamongwomen’,andsometimessawherselfasimmunefromthe

ordinarysexualneedsandemotionalyearningsofhersisters.Fuller’s

Transcendentalistcontemporariesalsosharedthevisionofthissaviour:

Hawthorne,forexample,wrotein TheScarletLetter ofthe`destined

prophetess’whosecomingwouldreveal`anewtruth’betweenmenand

women;but`theangleandapostle’mustbe`lofty,pureandbeautiful’aswell

aswise;ElizabethCadyStantoncalledfor`anewevangelofwomen’.

FlorenceNightingaletoodescribedawomenwho`willresumeinher

soul,allthesufferingsofherrace’,anddescribedaseriesofmysticalvisions

inwhichGodappearedandcalledhertohisservice. 13 Perhapsbecauseboth

FullerandNightingalebelievedthemselvestobethefeministMessiah,when

theyactuallymettheydidnotgetalong.

The1890swereinmanyrespectsarenaissanceforwomen,adecadeof

excitementandrenovation,offeministidealistsandUtopianvisionaries.

EmmelinePethick-Lawrence,theBritishsuffragettewhowaspartofthis

generation,recalled:

Itwasawonderfulthingatthatperiodtobeyoungamongyoung

comrades,fortheninthdecadeofthelastcenturywasatimeof

expansionandvision.Inspiteofsordidnessandinsecurityinthelives

ofthepoor,everythingwasontheupgrade...Itwasaneraofreligion

andfaith,andatthesametimeofintellectualchallenge.Weread,

discussed,debated,andexperimentedandfeltthatalllifelaybeforeus

tobechangedandmouldedbyourvisionanddesire. 14

RitaFelskidescribesthelast findesieÁcle asmarked

bytherhetoricofnovelty,innovation,andfuturity.Thesenseofan

ending...alsobroughtwithittheconsciousnessofanewbeginning;

motifsofdegenerationanddecadencewereoftenjuxtaposedtoappeals

tothefutureandindicationsofaradiantnewdawn...inEnglandthe

ideaofthenewconveyedasimilarsenseofurgencyandheightened

expectancy,ofbeingpoisedonanepochalthreshold.TheNewTheatre,

theNewArt,theNewPsychology,theNewPolitics,theNewFiction,

theNewWoman,theNewSpirit;theseandsimilartermswereregularly

deployedtosignalanexhilaratingsenseofliberationfromthetyrannyof

thepast,aleavingbehindofoutmodedandirrelevantvaluesand

traditionsthroughtheespousalofaradicalmodernity. 15

13NathanielHawthorne,

TheScarletLetter ,

NewYork:W.W.

Norton&Co.,1978,

p.185;Elizabeth

CadyStanton, The

Woman’sBible ,Salem,

NH:AyerCo.,1986,

p.124;Nightingale,

p.50.

14EmmelinePethick-

Lawrence, MyPartin

aChangingWorld ,

London:Victor

Gollancz,1938,p.88.

15RitaFelski, The

GenderofModernity ,

Cambridge,MA:

HarvardUniversity

Press,1995,p.146.

Britishfeministssawthemselvesassavioursnotonlyofwomenbutalso

ofthehumanrace,rolesthesuffragettes,especiallythePankhursts,would

turntopoliticaluse.Feministsinturn-of-the-centuryAustriaalsobelieved

theyweretakingculturetoahigherlevel.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: