Are modern academics missing the point about Feminism?

Partly I think what is happening is the same thing that happens with most broad social movements ~ after a time, participants begin to want a sense of history and to identify where and how things began, and to look for ways to explain it.

You can see how this happened, for example, with the early christians ~ for decades, no-one kept any records, because people were too busy doing things, and then one day someone said 'Jesus said xyz' and someone else said 'no, that was paul' and person number 3 said, isn't it about time we wrote some of this stuff down before we all forget just what it was that started us all off and why'?

I belong to a couple of different organisations and have seen this happening a lot. People were BUSY being activists and getting things done, and now younger people come to them and say 'what happened?' or 'who was beryl bloggs' and there's nothing in writing, except perhaps a tangential reference in an academic paper somewhere.

Sure, I can see that academics may be missing the point, up to a point, but academics aren't really in the busy of shoring up our memories, they are engaged in debating issues and views, exploring new ideas and discussing old ones with the benefit of time's microscope.

It's just how history happens, and 'history wars', lol.

In 25 years time, some post post modernist will dissect it all and re-examine it from a 'fifth wave' perspective.

Cheers :-)

They are.

They seem to focus on the radical minority who have too much of a voice these days, and conveniently forget the rational voices in the movement.

Feminism continues to be simple, succinct and yet important with its universal message - men and women are equal, and should be treated equally.

Researchers sometimes just miss the point. The anti-feminists here are a good example. They keep talking about Dworkin and Greer, Dworkin and Greer as if they were the only feminists to ever exist.

"Perhaps more motivated by research grants than accurately representing the truth of the times."

I think you may be right. What better way than to create sensation by saying one of the most needed and essential movements is just a fraud?

It isn't rational to expect everyone to sing praises about feminism all the time, but surely all this backlash against feminism is unwarranted?

EDIT: I think I misinterpreted the question.

I think you asked about feminist academics. Even so, the answer is yes, they are missing the point.

As a modern academic in an entirely different field, I think we do a pretty good job, although we may analyze things to death in great detail.

As someone else who remember the 70s much as you do, I think that I (and perhaps you; I have no idea) might have (a) not been involved closely enough in the feminist movement to have known facts we now don't remember, and that (b) human memory is pretty flawed, and in any case we can only remember our own personal experience or what we personally read.

I also think, mostly as an aside, that lay people often misrepresent the motivation we get from research grants. I'm more used to, as a scientist, the anti-evolution fundamentalists claiming that biologists are in evolution for the money, but whether it's science or social science, most of us get our grants from sources that are quite unbiased. The fact is that peer review of publications that make it possible for one to get a grant, and peer review of grant applications that are particularly tough in these lean times tend to ensure that only the best ideas get funded. The funding agencies are motivated to fund good research; researchers are motivated to do good research so they can get funding, not to do biased research to please funding agencies, as a general rule. One might worry a bit about controlling bias when the funding agency stands to profit from the results, financially or ideologically, but usually they don't.

Interesting question, I just woke up, so I hope I have the head to answer! ;-)

Academic writing in Social Science has its pros and cons. As you know you have to cross-reference a lot of information, make trends, name people and write lot of sources, to make your point in a valid academic way. Some documentation is fantastic, but, as everything, other papers are weak. Nevertheless, feminism is also used as a methodology to expose your case.

For example, one of the papers I chose to write during my Masters course, was about the situation of female actresses and dancers during the 19th Century in England and France. Of course the essay was written from a feminist perspective, because it referred to women in history.

An academic feminist perspective is not necessary about politics, but also about history, anthropology, literature and the arts. I even read once a book about music theory from a feminist perspective (actually an interesting point of view although I didn't agree with the author), the name of the book (ugh, I have to move from this chair to look for it, and I am lazy! lol).

Saying all this I think it is not possible to make generalizations, some academics have valid and valuable points, others just try to impress to get a grant, or get published ;-) Therefore I believe it is important to focus on the authors as individuals, not on the academics in general.

I have some fantastic books about art and history from a feminist perspective, they are wonderful literature. If you are interested I can write here later the titles, after having a coffee, of course!

Mhh..not sure if I answered the question (?)

Edit to add:

Of course I am not answering (lol). To conclude, academics who use second and third hand sources, will have to name a lot of names, as they are basing their research in what others have written.

Nevertheless, there are a lot of essays written about what is happening now. Feminism is a global issue, and we know how badly needed is in many places, as in those places, many women still have no voice. Some modern academics are focusing on those issues.

I would agree with you, but I would also say ---

There is a new threat to feminism and I have found some wonderful academicians working on this issue.

The threat is from the Fathers Rights Movement. They blame all or most social problems on women and feminism. They attack domestic violence shelters. Attack VAWA. Attack state statues on domestic violence. Want to restrict restraining orders. WAnt to punish women for making false allegations (which will work to limit their allegations -something we dont want to do), punish women for not allowing visitation (even with batterers), etc.....

This threatens the progress of women's rights and certainly is an all-out attack on the gains made in fighting against VAW.

So, I have seen some academicians fight back and deal with being attacked. (The FR guys are not that violent in No. America - but they will send threatening emails, issue death threats, spit on feminists at conferences, etc. ---The FR guys are much more violent in Australia - The Blackshirts, for example).

I am inspired by the academicians who are writing about this issue and are not afraid of getting attacked (verbally). They are far from being "divorced from" this issue. They are on the frontlines.

For more info, visit:

Stop Family Violence

The Leadership Council

XY Online

And, there are now a slew of mothers rights sites springing up to raise awareness about these groups.

I think what you are describing are women's history survey courses.

These are very necessary: things need to be put into their proper historical context.

My own personal experiences, however, are my 'guiding light' (and always have been). I remember a time when girls were discriminated against, thought less valuable than boys. No money was invested in their education because - after all - they would only get married and have babies anyway. Investing in girl children was money down the toilet.

I remember there was no place for battered women and children to turn. Once wife battery began to be taken seriously as a social problem, attitudes towards child abuse changed also. Women were terrified of divorcing abusive husbands - after all, how would they live? How would they survive? The courts would leave the terrified women high and dry in those days. Nobody cared that women worked their butts off in the home: it was only paid work that was valued, therefore the housewife received nothing in the divorce settlement. So they stuck around, being abused - and their children also. 'Dirty laundry' wasn't aired in public. Nobody wanted to know

I remember working as a young woman, being groped by employers and treated disrespectfully by clientele. At 13 years of age the man whom I was babysitting for (his wife was in hospital giving birth) sexually assaulted me. The number of times I have been sexually assaulted on public transport I can't even begin to add up. Dozens, many dozens of times.

I know that I have been paid less for doing exactly the same job as a man. People in offices *do* talk, and the employer strategy of "Divide And Conquer" doesn't work all the time. Employers who do this sort of thing are criminal, yet it happens all the time, still to this very day. Women are more vulnerable to exploitation than men, and we still regularly get the shaft. There is much yet that feminists need to do; we're still not on equal footing with men. Continued employment discrimination is tangible proof of this; I've been at the receiving end and its sure left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I could write volumes, but its not necessary. Suffice it to say I have seen enough to last me a lifetime.

It is the same as going up against big oil and energy. Are you aware that there are many States who have not ratified the Equal Rights Amendment?

My State being one.

The African-American male got to vote quite a while before women ever got to vote, own property, make her own decisions, had protection against patriarch abuse. We are talking in the scope of it all; not very long at all.

As near as the 1970's women were portrayed on programs such as Emergency, and Dragnet, as hysterical in a pinch, and always needing a strong hand around to calm them the heck down.

The man has always wanted to keep us down.

Feminism isn't the only thing modern academics are missing the point of. It's really sad how our education system is in the shambles.

I wasn't around during that movement, but I went to an all girls school that taught feminism in this way. Small steps towards a larger goal. Basically, just know who we are and what we want to achieve.

yes they are. they should read the original articles about feminism and get the true meaning of women's simple but powerful messages. today's feminism is nothing like yesterday's feminist pioneers.