First Advisor

Monica Mueller

Date of Award

5-22-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Philosophy and University Honors

Department

Philosophy

Language

English

Subjects

Feminist theory, Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), Existentialism, Oppression (Psychology)

DOI

10.15760/honors.900

Abstract

The following paper will be dissecting the ways in which Simone de Beauvoir’s examination of the intertwined nature of selfhood and freedom regarding the body offer a facet of liberation around the construction of womanhood. I will consider the extent to which Beauvoir’s concept of the politicized essentialless body in contemporary feminist scholarship (existentialist, phenomenologist, and post-structuralist) is incomplete in that there are many contemporary scholars who expand her idea of essentialless properties and their effects on identity. The importance of the individual and their freedom in discourse is to work towards solidarity through difference with others in order to change discourse to reflect a myriad of lived expressions of the concept of womanhood. Solidarity is crucial and possible due to coming from shared action in politics rather than shared identity. Constructionism and the method of positionality are crucial to productive discourse due to their ability to address privilege and oppression in accurate ways.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33149

Download

Share

COinS