| Les féminismes |
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Gender as Seriality
IRIS MARION YOUNG
Taking into consideration critiques from women of color or lesbians on the white ethnocentric and heterosexist character of a large part of feminist theorizing, I try to conceptualize the category “women” while avoiding both essentialism and totalisation. For this purpose, I propose to use the Sartrian concept of seriality in order to think about women as a social group, without implying that all women share a set of social attributes. This allows me to adopt a conception of feminism that does not proceed from the category “women” as a whole, but stems out of the partial practices that politicize various aspects of “women’s condition”. Thus, one can define feminism as a theory and a political practice that is not exclusive to the domain of “women”, but rather draw on various coalitions that challenge the power relation between men and women in some respect.
The Institutionalization in Service of the Chilean Feminists’s Autonomy
SOPHIE STOFFEL
This paper examines the question of the institutionalization and the autonomy of feminism in the Chilean case. I propose to consider the institutionalization as a process of access to the symbolic, material and political resources, and to evaluate the autonomy of the institutionnalized feminist organizations. Does the institutionalization impeed to defend an autonomous political project? Or, to the contrary, is it a lever for a more autonomous action? To answer this question, the paper will provide a historical and contextualized perspective on the autonomy vs institutionalization debate. The notions of institutionalization and autonomy will then be analyzed by considering the reconfiguration of the feminist movement and the development of the equal opportunities policies, as well as the reaction against this process. As a conclusion, I suggest to considerate these two notions in a positive relationship of mutual reinforcement, in a context where the financial needs of the NGOs lead them sometimes to look for a partnership with the State, even with the private companies, whatever the price is.
Constructing from Gender to Sex : Postmodern Feminist Thesis in Judith Butler's Work
AUDREY BARIL
The philosopher Judith Butler is nowadays recognized as a notorious figure of postmodernist feminism. Her original approach has imprinted the feminist, gay and lesbian, and queer studies. In her theorizations, Butler proceeds with deconstruction of naturality and foundationality underlying sex and gender categories. Her constructivist standpoint leads her to ponder and campaign for social and political recognition of different genders and multiple sexualities. Despite the fact that Butler had become an internationally unavoidable reference within lots of disciplines, her work has barely been object of any thorough analysis in Quebec. This article aims to provide a better understanding of the philosophical and epistemological postulates supporting Butler’s work. In order to do so, an analysis of key concepts of Butler’s thinking, notably gender performativity is first achieved. Then, critical assessments formulated against her thesis are examined. Finally Butler’s own answers to these critiques are brought about.
Reception of Postcolonial Theory in Quebec Feminist Movement
CHANTAL MAILLÉ
In this text, postcolonial feminism is the starting point of an exploration of identity discourses operating within Quebec feminism. The first part of the text is devoted to the origins of postcolonial feminism through the works of Gayatri Spivak, Chandra Talpade Mohanty and Uma Narayan. In the second part of the text, we discuss the leading representations in Quebec feminism, shaped by the political narration of national oppression. According to our analysis, this heritage has made it possible for Quebec feminism to escape from the difficult exercise of identifying power relations between majority-culture women and other women.
My/our/your Body(ies) are still a Battleground : Anti-authoritarian Feminist and Queer Discourse in Québec, 2000-2007
ÉMILIE BRETON, JULIE GROLLEAU, ANNA KRUZYNSKI AND CATHERINE SAINT-ARNAUD-BABIN
In this article we share an analysis of the discourse produced and distributed by groups and individuals struggling against patriarchy and heterosexism who share an anti-authoritarian analysis and organisational form. Out of our reading of zines, brochures, newspapers, video/DVD compilations, music albums and Internet sites, have emerged three trends: the first produced by materialist feminists that is clearly in continuity with the previous political generation, the second that relates to women-of-color feminism and a third, produced by radical queer groups, who attempt to deconstruct woman as a sexual identity and to invent a politics of multiple identification.
To Keep Us from Drowning in the (Third) Wave :
Reflections on the History and the Current State of Radical Feminism
MÉLISSA BLAIS, LAURENCE FORTIN-PELLERIN, ÈVE-MARIE LAMPRON ET GENEVIÈVE PAGÉ
The object of this text is to recognize the presence and the positive aspects of radical feminism in history as much as in the present. Relegated to dark places, judged old-fashioned and antiquated, apparently not winning the favors of “young women”, radical feminism is put in opposition to a “new feminism”, a “third wave” that is supposedly carried out by “young” feminists. The conceptualization of this “third wave” is grounded on a questionable typology – that of a false equation between ideas and activism periods – and a desire to move past the “second wave”, which is associated with a simplified and theoretically misconceived radical feminism.
Feminism in Burkina Faso : Mithes and Realities
MONIQUE ILBOUDO
As organized movement claiming itself as such, feminism has not, to this day, existed in Burkina Faso. Nevertheless, antique resistances to the current fights, there always had feminist in our country. In fact, that they are unaware of it or refuse to assume it, many women having worked to the extension of the rights and role of women in burkinabè society are feminist. The position of women is better on a formal way. The law texts are more equal but efforts must be done for the real equality. The work-sites are still numerous. Feminism is maybe to come in Burkina Faso.