Feminism and Liberalism – Contentions and Problems Cover Image

Feminizam i liberalizam – sporovi i problemi
Feminism and Liberalism – Contentions and Problems

Author(s): Katarina Lončarević
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Social Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy
Published by: Hrvatsko Filozofsko Društvo
Keywords: Feminism; feminist philosophy; liberalism; private/public; individualism; abstraction; formal equality; dualisms; ethics of care;

Summary/Abstract: This article develops a feminist critique of liberalism through analyses of the liberal private-public dichotomy, the concept of the individual and liberal individualism, the concept of formal equality, abstract models as the basis of political theory, and through analyses of the liberal neglect of ethics and the practice of care. These analyses show why feminist philosophy usually presents liberalism as a gendered and patriarchal tradition. On the other hand, the article aims to highlight some of the feminist responses to the feminist critique of liberalism in order to present the tradition as heterogeneous and one that has the potential to develop the radical feminist political programme. The concepts that are the subject of analysis in this article are precisely those that demonstrate the possibility or impossibility of adopting or redefining liberal ideas in feminist philosophy and commitment to social change, but also those that represent the limits of liberal discourse in any feminist attempt to adopt and/or redefine key concepts and ideas from liberal theories.

  • Issue Year: 42/2022
  • Issue No: 04/168
  • Page Range: 733-759
  • Page Count: 27
  • Language: Croatian