POLI 379 Study Guide - Fall 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - Feminism, Canada, White People
12 Oct 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
POLI 379
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
POLI 379: An Introduction to Sex, Gender, and Feminism 2018-09-06
Questions:
• What is gender? How should we understand it?
• In what ways are Canadian politics – our political culture, institutions, policy, and
processes – affected and structured by gender?
• Ho a geder help us uderstad oteporar politis?
• What are the liits of aalzig geder?
Sex and Gender
• No osistet use of the ters se ad geder
o Sex and gender are often considered the same thing
o Ofte rest o a lear ature s ature distitio
▪ But geder i popular use ofte eoe soous with women (but
men have
Sex and Gender
• Debate #1 – Sex vs. Gender
o Coming out of the fields of anthropology and psychology
o Sex:
▪ Fixed, unchanging
▪ Naturalized (natural sexual difference)
o Gender
▪ Social constructed
▪ Emanates from sexual differences
o This debate leaves sex/gender difference unproblematized
• Debate #2
o “eod deate eerges ith the rise of the oes oeet ad feiist
theory of the 1970s
o Introduces the concept of patriarchy (problematized gender)
o Gender differences is not necessarily natural
▪ “ioe DeBeauoir: Oe is ot or, ut rather eoes a oa
o Examines the ways femininity is devalued
▪ Public private divide
o Slogan: the personal is political
o Essetializes oes eperiees
• Debate #3
o 1990s out of feminist and queer theory
o Sex and gender are both social constructions
▪ Takes the experience of intersexual and transgender communities
seriously
o Views gender as a performance (a style, a way of being)
▪ We do geder
o But e do so ithi a soial otet a field of possiilities
o Gender is a spectrum
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
POLI 379: An Introduction to Sex, Gender, and Feminism 2018-09-06
▪ Certain forms of masculinity/femininity are valued (changes across time
and context)
▪ Ideal forms to not actually exist, but disciplines us
▪ “ets epetatios for appropriate perforaes of geder
Joan Scott
• Thinking about gender:
1. Discard notions that gender is a coherent category
o man, woman, masculine, feminine – they are not fixed or static across space and
time
▪ ex. Masculinity used to mean you were a good soldier – does not
translate to the same everywhere
▪ intra- and inter- group will change over time
2. Eourages us to thik aout ideas of e ad oe as eig estalished to
regulate ad hael ehaior, ot epirial desriptio of atual people
o normative function to the categories of men and women
3. Need to stop using the language of progress/regress
o gender and gender equality do not move in one direction
o continual struggle – not a linear process
▪ e. Hillar Clitos eperiee ruig for presidet – gender equality
went backwards with the election of Trump
4. Peoples eperiees of geder are ot hoogeous
o Different socioeconomic, races, etc. have different experiences. Cannot be
understand through only the prism of gender
5. Gender has its limits
o Cannot explain everything for us in political phenomena
o Ex. Border opens between Czech and Germany – sex industry explodes
▪ Gender alone cannot explain this – need class in order to understand
Bell Hooks
• Mappig the Margis
• Black woman that grew up in Kentucky in the time of segregation – grew up in a town
heavily divided by race
• Had to understand white culture in order to navigate it as a black woman
• Must begin understanding feminism from the margins – unique and holistic perspective
• What Feminism Is Not:
o Argues that dominant representations of feminism are the result of our
patriarchal culture and media (that privileges certain experiences/knowledge)
1. Anti-male
o Feminism will improve culture so everyone can prosper
2. That all feminists are man-hating lesbians
o Devalues lesbians
3. Angry
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Sex and gender: debate #1 sex vs. 2018-09-06: certain forms of masculinity/femininity are valued (changes across time and context) Ideal forms to not actually exist, but disciplines us: ets e(cid:454)pe(cid:272)tatio(cid:374)s for (cid:858)appropriate(cid:859) perfor(cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:272)es of ge(cid:374)der. Joan scott: thinking about gender, discard notions that gender is a coherent category, man, woman, masculine, feminine they are not fixed or static across space and time, ex. Hillar(cid:455) cli(cid:374)to(cid:374)(cid:859)s e(cid:454)perie(cid:374)(cid:272)e ru(cid:374)(cid:374)i(cid:374)g for preside(cid:374)t gender equality went backwards with the election of trump: people(cid:859)s e(cid:454)perie(cid:374)(cid:272)es of ge(cid:374)der are (cid:374)ot ho(cid:373)oge(cid:374)ous, different socioeconomic, races, etc. have different experiences. Cannot be understand through only the prism of gender: gender has its limits, cannot explain everything for us in political phenomena, ex. Border opens between czech and germany sex industry explodes: gender alone cannot explain this need class in order to understand. That it is only about women achieving what men have.
