<snip>
>
> The issue draws my interest because I was recently attacked quite vigorously
> on
> another list for having said that I was feminist, and these questions arose.
> Has postmodernism left us with no categories and no criteria whatsoever?
>
I think, rather than leaving us with no categories and no criteria,
postmodernism has left us with a skepticism towards normative categories and
criteria, and it would follow then that postmodern feminisms are loathe to
employ these very techniques if they recognize their normative function.
Rather, I believe the value of at least certain postmodernisms is the idea
of 'nomadic subjectivities' which allows for syncretic and de-essentialized
forms of consciousness.(R. Braidotti?) So, the question becomes not, 'play
like a boy or throw like a girl,' but rather, in what contexts can I act
out my ability to throw like a girl or play like a boy to
destabilize/decentralize dominant preconceptions? Also, IMHO there can be
no 'true feminist way' with this approach because proponents of a
'one-and-only' way to practice feminism either neglect the specificity of
historical context or promote a discourse which is itself essentializing
feminist subjects and feminist agency into a monolithic ideology.
whew. there's my two cents worth!
Susan Andree
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