The gender of the public: feminist criticisms of liberalism and its derivatives

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/2176-6665.2009v14n2p52

Keywords:

Feminism, Liberalism, Political theory, Public/private

Abstract

This article addresses the distinction, originating in classical liberal thought, between the public and the private. It lays out briefly some of the principal aspects of feminist theory and then goes on to demonstrate how liberal political theory differentiates between public (political) and private (social) and, later, between “public” and personal. This discussion allows us to understand the basis for feminist theory’s accusation that liberalism treats justice exclusively as part of the public (masculine) domain, removing from consideration the social relations of gender in the domestic sphere. Finally, we discuss some of the principle aspects of the feminism of Susan Okin, in particular, her debate with the egalitarian liberalism of John Rawls, in which she sees possible contributions toward the coexistence of justice and gender.

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Author Biographies

André Luiz da Silva, Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM

Doctor in Political Science from the Universidade de São Paulo - USP. Professor at the Universidade Estadual de Maringá - UEM.

Raissa Wihby Ventura, Universidade de São Paulo - USP

Doctor in Political Science from the Universidade de São Paulo - USP.

Raquel Kritsch, Universidade Estadual de Londrina - UEL

PhD in Political Science from the Universidade de São Paulo - USP. Professor at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina - UEL.

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Published

2009-11-22

How to Cite

SILVA, André Luiz da; VENTURA, Raissa Wihby; KRITSCH, Raquel. The gender of the public: feminist criticisms of liberalism and its derivatives. Mediações - Revista de Ciências Sociais, Londrina, v. 14, n. 2, p. 52–82, 2009. DOI: 10.5433/2176-6665.2009v14n2p52. Disponível em: https://ojs.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/mediacoes/article/view/4507. Acesso em: 4 nov. 2024.

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