Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences

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Dominant Approaches and Ideas – Part 2

Dominant Approaches and Ideas – Part 2

The following are the objectives for this module:

1. Determine the relationship between gender ideology and gender
inequality
2. Analyze significance of data
Feminist Theory
The Development and Origin
Most European countries before have largely patriarchal societies,
meaning that almost all aspects of society are governed by men, thereby
leading to a reduced role for women. Even as early as the ancient
civilizations, some of them have a lesser view of the woman. For centuries,
women have let this situation reign, until the rise of a movement that
changed the dynamics of society. This is known as the emergence of
feminism or the feminist theory. This theory, apart from being something
individual, is also significant when it comes to how society functions today.
Charles Fourier was known to coin the term feminisme. The word
feminist or feminism emerged in Europe around the later years of the 1800s
and in the United States in 1910. (Goldstein, 1989) Each culture that had a
group of feminists had different goals to achieve, but the primary reason for
the movement is the improvement and addition of women’s rights, be it
when it comes to voting, participation in government, and contribution to the
solving of public issues. There are three important waves of feminism: first-
wave feminism, second-wave feminism, and third-wave feminism.
Key Thinker: Simone de Beauvoir
Renowned feminist and French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir was
born in Paris on the 9th of January, year 1908. She studied Mathematics and
philosophy at the University of Paris and eventually studied mathematics at
the Institut Catholique de Paris and literature at the Institut de Sainte-Marie.
She then pursued philosophy again at the Sorbonne. De Beauvoir taught
philosophy at different schools in France together with another French
philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre. She died on the 14th of April, 1986.
The most important work of de Beauvoir that contributed to feminist
theory is her work The Second Sex. In this book, de Beauvoir talks about the
role of the woman in society. She mentions how women have been treated
differently over the years, and that a woman is not born a woman, but
becomes one. (de Beauvoir, 2011) She is an important figure for feminist
theory because hers is the most extensive of all feminist writings, and that a
large number of feminist theories of today draw from her work.

Course Module
 The Theory
In the 20th century, ‘first-wave’ feminists had demanded civil and
political equality. In the 1970s, ‘second-wave’ feminism concentrated
on, and gave great prominence to, sexual and family rights for women.
It is these demands, now, that have become the main target of
reaction. ‘The personal is the political’ was a popular 1970s slogan
that some contemporary feminists seem to want to reverse. The
political is reduced to the merely personal, to questions of sexuality
and family life – which, of course, also have political implications
which still, and urgently, need to be considered. (Walters, 2005)
There are three major waves of feminist theory. The first-wave
feminists called for equality when it came to the political sector. This includes
champions for women suffrage, and the ability to participate in public forums
and even hold government positions. First-wave feminism is primarily
geared to the advancement of women’s rights.
Second-wave feminism concentrated on the social sector, pushing not
for exact rights, but for social recognition and a new identity. Second-wave
feminism reacts negatively to the age-old view of women: weak and
undetermined. Simone de Beauvoir and bell hooks were some of the most
prominent second-wave feminists that pushed for a renewed identity for
women.
The last wave of feminism, also known as third-wave feminism, is a
reaction to the second-wave and is a critique of sorts of the preceding wave.
Third-wave feminism distinguished itself from the second wave around
issues of sexuality, challenging female heterosexuality and celebrating
sexuality as a means of female empowerment. (Holt & Cameron, 2010) In
other words, feminism of this type is different from the previous forms of
feminism in a sense that it is a kind of critique of the latter.
Hermeneutical Phenomenology
The Development and Origin
There are two important fields within the study of philosophy that
should be discussed when talking about the origins of hermeneutical
phenomenology or phenomenological hermeneutics. These are the fields of
hermeneutics and phenomenology as separate from each other.
Phenomenology as a field of philosophy traces back to the early Greek
thinkers when they sought to perceive the sustaining element of reality. The
word phenomenology comes from the Greek words ‘phainomenon’ and
‘logos,’ translated as ‘study of phenomenon or reality.’ The father of modern
phenomenology is the philosopher Edmund Husserl who sought to develop a
‘phenomenological philosophy’ or a philosophy that could be the very
foundation of all the sciences according to external observation of reality.
Hermeneutics, on the other hand, comes from the Greek word
‘hermeneutikos’ meaning ‘interpret.’ Hermeneutics started out as
interpretation of sacred texts, later being used for interpretation of things in
general. Key thinkers of hermeneutics include Friedrich Ast, Friedrich
Schleiermacher, and August Wolf.
 Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences
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Dominant Approaches and Ideas – Part 2

Key Thinker: Hans Georg Gadamer

What makes hermeneutical phenomenology so precise is its use of
both elements from two separate fields of philosophy. The most extensive of
which comes from the writings of German philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer.
Gadamer was born in Marburg, Germany on the 11th of February 1900. He
studied classics and philosophy at the University of Breslau and the
University of Marburg. Gadamer was a professor during the time of Nazi
Germany under Adolf Hitler, but was exempt from service due to his illness.
Gadamer died when he was 102 years old on March 13, 2002.
Gadamer’s most famous work is Truth and Method, where he
highlights his use of hermeneutics and the phenomenological underpinnings
it has within. Gadamer endorses the insight that humans are fundamentally
beings who are given to understanding. Our task, if we are to truly know
ourselves, is to figure out what such understanding entails, taking into
account both its possibilities and limitations. (Barthold, 2005) This main
thrust of Gadamer is what enables him to be called a hermeneutical
phenomenologist, for he makes the connection between human beings as
interpretative beings and the function of human beings to interpret
phenomena. This makes him the key thinker for this theory.
The Theory
The definition of hermeneutic phenomenology is “historical
phenomena (or the world outside) is interpreted differently in proper
context through one’s consciousness. True to the purpose of the two separate
strands of philosophy, hermeneutic phenomenology is the interpretation of
external reality. Other thinkers who gave varying interpretations of
hermeneutic phenomenology include the German philosopher Martin
Heidegger and Paul Ricoeur.

Glossary
 Feminism – a theory that (1) emphasizes gender as key basis of
structured inequality, (2) challenges conventional distinctions
between public and private, and (3) problematizes the fundamentally
political relationship between gender and power.
 Hermeneutic Phenomenology – Historical phenomena (or the world
outside) is interpreted differently in proper context through one’s
consciousness

References
Bair, Deirdre (1990). Simone de Beauvoir: A Biography. New York: Summit
Books.
Cesare, Donatella Di (2007). Gadamer: A Philosophical Portrait. Niall Keane
(trans.). Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University Press.

Course Module
Coltman, Robert (1998). The Language of Hermeneutics: Gadamer and
Heidegger in Dialogue. Albany: State University Press.
de Beauvoir, Simone (2011). The Second Sex. New York: Vintage Books.
Goldstein, Leslie F. (1982). "Early Feminist Themes in French Utopian
Socialism: The St.-Simonians and Fourier". Journal of the History of
Ideas. 43 (1): 91–108.
Holt, Douglas; Cameron, Douglas (2010). Cultural Strategy: Using Innovative
Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Walters, Margaret (2005). Feminism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.