Feminist Theories, Annotated Bibliography Example

Taylor, Astra (Dir.). Examined Life. USA, Zeitgeist Films. Film. 2008.

The documentary film by Astra Taylor is a very versatile and original work as it focuses on a quite unexplored field – examining the intricacies of the most popular modern philosophies and testing, critically appraising their application in daily life settings – “philosophy is in the streets”, as the motto of the film at the official site says. The series of stories in which the director of the film puts her heroes are often contradictory and challenging, since the world of philosophy has been viewed as an academic discipline only partly applicable to reality, but Examined Life shows the bridges of theory and practice in action. Astra Taylor focuses on the issues of politics, equality, and justice in society explored since the times of Socrates, and involves outstanding modern thinkers and activists in the realness of implementing these glorified values under the contemporary life circumstances.

There are many connections drawn by Taylor between disability, gender, and equality; hence, many fragments from the film may be considered to pertain directly to feminist theories. A remarkable note is made by Martha Nussbaum pondering over the applicability of the social contract principles in the modern world – she agrees that it would be possible if all people were equal at least in their physical opportunity, which at once excludes and discriminates women, children, the elderly and the disabled. Hence, she seeks an alternative decision for the modern democratic state that claims giving equal opportunity, and at the same time ignoring the evident differences impairing access to some virtues of democracy.

Another helpful fragment from the film is the dialogue of Judith Butler and Sunaura Taylor, a seriously disabled woman; during their walk, they discuss the ways gender and disability contribute to the vulnerability of people, and how much it has become the matter of individual choice to remain humane. Judith Butler emphasizes the fact that violence against gender and impairment bears a social and political character, and it deals primarily with social access. The women agree that the boundaries of human and non-human are drawn at the point of whether people agree to accept the surrounding diversity or not, which is the major challenge of individualism. Michael Hardt adds some helpful remarks as well, though not speaking about women explicitly – he says that the establishment of democracy does not deal with the removal of the previous regime, or replacement of the corrupted parts thereof. Democracy is in the transformation of the human nature that may happen only when people accept the internal transformation consciously and are ready to live in it. This statement may well refer to feminism since the struggle for equality is explicit, while it has to be made implicit – sewing the seeds of equality in each mind and waiting for them to grow in acceptance of differences.

Lorde, Audre. Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference. Paper delivered at the Copeland Colloquium, Amerst College, April 1980.

The article by Audre Lorde is dedicated to identification of the nature of differences between and among the groups that have been historically seen as one: Black and white women. The author argues that the differences both Black and white women have always been aware of really exist, but they should be redefined in the modern settings, as this reconsideration and redefinition can lead to their growth, strengthening, and unification. The central idea that Lorde tries to bring through her article is that all women are not similar, and the recognition of difference should not be frightening because it is the only way to recognize the power of the unified women’s force. The key claim Lorde tries to explain in her article is that difference has to be reconsidered, as it is perceived as deviance, which is misnaming and mistreating the inherent diversity – not bad, not good, but simply natural.

The author claims that while women ignore the differences they have, they will never be able to recognize the true needs, the historical path, the inner pain that Black women have been suffering for many centuries, and this ignorance is the dividing line that prevents women from uniting genuinely at the present moment (Lorde 1). The article was written by Lorde in 1980, and it was the time when the fight for recognition and equality was in the full swing; this is the main cause why the call for help and understanding was so topical. Actually, not much has changed, and the situation Lorde described is still evident nowadays – if not explicitly stated, the segregation and discrimination practices go on and may be seen in the American streets. Equality between men and women is officially recognized as well as equality between white and Black people. However, the reality contradicts the official documents, and white and Black women ate in completely different positions, as they have always been. Hence, Lorde emphasizes the fact that white and Black women have been living and fighting against the patriarchal system in different ways, therefore their paths are completely different (Lorde 3).

The concept of difference occupies the central place in the system of values of Lorde. She confesses to being a lesbian, and deriving from her sexual preferences, the author shows how strange and frightening the concept of being different from others is for modern women, both men and women. Lorde notes that in order not to be condemned for the deviation from the mythical norm, women deny their identity and suffer for their whole lives simply because they cannot cope with their being different. This mythical norm (it is mythical because it actually does not exist but all women strangely believe in it) makes women discriminate themselves, refer themselves to an inferior group, thus drawing the differences between them and other women with their own hands (Lorde 2). Consequently, Lorde assumes, there is no way for women to recognize the power they have in case they deprive themselves of their identity with their own hands (Lorde 2).

Lorde criticizes the wish of modern women to reject differences such as race, gender, class, and age, as she considers this neglect abusive and inappropriate in the fight of women for recognition and equality in the patriarchal society – for example, the way white women proliferate the non-existent notion of sisterhood, or unite with men under the illusion of sharing power, which is impossible for Black women (Lorde 2, 4). The author stresses the fact that ignorance of differences leads to misuse and misnaming thereof, which displaces Black women and deprives them of the rich and tragic past they have. Lorde treats the Black women’s literature in a particular way as well – she admits that white women really pay much attention to the literary works produced by Black women, but they lack understanding of the reality in which Black women lived and continue living (Lorde 4).

Violence is an indisputable and inseparable part of the Black woman’s life; Lorde shares the truth about the Black community’s household life boldly, informing the reader that the Black woman suffers violence not only from the side of white people, but from the side of a Black man as well. Rapes, ugly cultural traditions and absolute disrespect are the norms of the Black woman’s life (Lorde 5). For this reason Black women approach struggle for their rights in another way – freedom and equality mean absolutely different things for them, and awareness of this fact is the only sure way to the mobilization of the joint female power, both white and Black. Differences should not be avoided – they should be understood and accepted, alongside with overcoming the oppressor living inside each woman’s soul and dictating obedience to patriarchal rule (Lorde 6).

Works Cited

Lorde, Audre. Age, Race, Class and Sex: Women Redefining Difference. Paper delivered at the Copeland Colloquium, Amerst College, April 1980.

Taylor, Astra (Dir.). Examined Life. USA, Zeitgeist Films. Film. 2008.