In discourses of women’s issues and the history of development of feminist thought, the first-wave feminist movement is accorded a place that is secondary to the second-wave activism of the 1960s and 1970s. One of the reasons for this is the relative lack of emphasis on racial equality in the first-wave movement. To illustrate the…
Category: Gender Studies
The major religious, intellectual, or political transformations that affected feminist ideas and demands
It is widely understood that Feminism, as the term had come to be defined is a distinctly twentieth century concept, precipitated primarily by the women suffragette movement in the first half of the century and later by the American civil rights movement in the second half. Yet, author Marlene LeGates presents new perspectives on the…
A critique of the film Lost and Delirious from sexual minorities’ perspective
Bringing forth the intensity of her French-language movies but still maintaining aspects of conventional English movies, Director Lea Pool’s maiden English language venture represents a sound, if somewhat cloyingly romantic, over-earnest film. While the film could be criticized for being overwrought with growth, discovery, adolescent love and passion in the confines of a girls’ residential…
Feminist take on Carrie by Stephen King
While novels such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, Kate Chopin’s ‘The Awakening’, Margaret Atwood’s ‘Surfacing’ are essential entries in the feminist literary canon, Stephen King’s Carrie does not belong in this company. The crucial difference is that almost all novels that explore femininity and women’s identity are written by women authors themselves. Keeping…
Feminist interpretation of Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy is another work that could be classified under the feminist canon. The feminist expressions in this five-part novel could be found in the exchanges between the women characters. The imaginative and detailed inquiry into the relationships between mothers and daughters, rich and poor, and black and white in the book brings forth…
Feminist interpretation of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Feminism is commonly understood to be the women’s movement for political, social, educational and economic equality with men. While the United States and Europe have been the geo-political arenas for feminist ideas, the rest of the world is also catching up. Feminist issues range from “access to employment, education, child care, contraception, and abortion, to…
Autobiographical elements in To Room Nineteen by Doris Lessing
Doris Lessing as a literary artist incorporates autobiographical elements in most of her works. And the short story “To Room Nineteen” is no different. The other recurrent theme of Lessing’s writing is her provocative brand of feminism, which also finds expression in this story. The objective of this paper is to draw parallels between the…
The Pros and Cons of Commercial Surrogacy
The advancement of technology in relation to artificial reproductive techniques have thrown open a social debate that has wide-ranging implications. The society is challenged to find a balance between new commercial opportunities and their moral underpinnings. In this essay, salient points in favor and against such reproductive practices will be presented from a neutral perspective….
Chappals and Gym Shorts – An Indian-Muslim Woman in the Land of Oz by Almas Sayeed
In her essay titled “Chappals and Gym Shorts”, author Almas Sayeed points to the sources of cultural conflict affronting people like her, when caught between an impulse for progress and the restrictions of tradition. Almas alludes to the fact that she herself is not certain about her sexual identity and orientation. For example, not only…
The Hazards of Naming Sexual Attraction by Michael Kauth
The essay taken for analysis is “The Hazards of Naming Sexual Attraction”, written by Michael Kauth. This piece deals with the technicalities involved with naming someone a homosexual. In a world made small by better connectivity and the Internet, words such as “gay, lesbian, homosexual, queer, straight, etc” assume different meanings in different cultural contexts. …