The Subject in Question: The Evolution of 'Woman' in Feminist Theory

25 Pages Posted: 1 Aug 2011 Last revised: 5 Aug 2011

See all articles by Susan Hekman

Susan Hekman

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

Perhaps the central question in feminist theory since Beauvoir is the identity of the feminine subject. Every approach to feminist theory articulated in the wake of The Second Sex has claimed to forumlate a distinctive approach to the subject that supercedes and repudiates previous conceptions. In this paper I develop an alternative approach by arguing that the evolution of the feminine subject is a consistent process in which each new conception builds on the previous conceptions rather than reversing them. Focusing on the work of the French feminist who followed Beauvoir I argue for a continuity in their approaches to the subject that builds on rather than rejects that of Beauvoir.

Suggested Citation

Hekman, Susan, The Subject in Question: The Evolution of 'Woman' in Feminist Theory (2011). APSA 2011 Annual Meeting Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1903450

Susan Hekman (Contact Author)

affiliation not provided to SSRN ( email )

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