A brief definition of Feminism may be impossible, since Feminists put out shoots into almost every other field. Nevertheless, there is some degree of consistency in their critique, despite the polemics that divide it. Besides pursuing the obvious goal of obliterating... [more]

A brief definition of Feminism may be impossible, since Feminists put out shoots into almost every other field. Nevertheless, there is some degree of consistency in their critique, despite the polemics that divide it. Besides pursuing the obvious goal of obliterating patriarchal power, Feminists seek to articulate new modes of inquiry -- critical, scientific, literary -- that escape traditional hierarchies by raising difference to the level of an ultimate term. However, the problem of essentialism continues to stir a fierce dispute within the field of Feminism. While all struggle to bring women's issues and concerns to the fore, factions disagree over whether some pan-historical or cross-cultural 'essence' can be attributed to female nature. The debate rages most hotly across the Atlantic, as the more activist-oriented Anglo-American feminists object to the biologically grounded theoretical musings of the French movement. French writer Luce Irigaray, for example, is often attacked for essentializing the 'maternal' aspect of women. Whereas the French incessantly speak of 'sexual difference,' the Anglo-Americans generally turn their attention to the more socially constructed category of gender. Judith Butler, for example, argues that gender isn't a matter of sexual difference, but rather of 'performing' a certain role in order to concede to or trouble societal conventions. Certain feminists have said that the polemic rests on a mere problem of translation. Both sides, however, display a need to confront the work of Freud, whose essentialist theories of female sexuality serve as barriers to the articulation of a more positive, politically potent conception of femininity. [show less]