POSTMODERNISM AND FEMINISM

The feminist theory had developed to represent under-privileged women. To effectively represent women, the feminist theory had adopted various philosophies such as liberalism, radicalism, and postmodernism. In particular, postmodernism provides the idea that every world cannot be universally recognized and emphasizes ‘diversity.’ Postmodernism affected various part of culture such as art, architecture, and literature as well as feminism. The feminists who adopted postmodernism also emphasize individual women’s life and substantial equality as opposed to the formal equality. Because the society changed dramatically after the late 1800s, the individualized approach to the women’s needs is more necessary today instead of the standardized approach to the women’s unequal situation. Although liberal feminism contributed to the initial development of the feminist movement, its formal equality theory is no longer appropriate to the women in these days. Because all women are not equally situated in these days, the same standardized treatment may not be always appropriate. Thus, postmodernism connected with feminism can reflect various women’s needs and provides substantial equality to women. In this research paper, postmodernism and feminism will be individually reviewed and the prospect of these theories will be discussed. After the introduction in part I, the definition and impact of postmodernism will be explored in part II, and how postmodernism affected feminist theory will be examined. For example, feminist theories, which adopted forms of postmodernism, pursued ‘multiplicity’ and considered ‘order and structure’ of society. In part II, the history of feminism will be reviewed. To connect postmodernism and feminism, the development of the underlying theory of feminism needs to be explained. Also, the meaning of feminist theory’s encounter with postmodernism, the principle in applying postmodernism, the postmodern “principle” in law will be discussed in part II. For the principle in applying postmodernism to feminism, “political struggle over sex difference” and “semiotic characteristic of gender” will be discussed. For the postmodern principle in law, “the relationship between legal rules of the female body,” will be reviewed. In part III, Mary J. Matsuda’s postmodern view and Rawls’ theory of justice will be discussed. Mary J. Matsuda critically reviewed Rawls’ theory of justice. In her view, Rawls theory of justice is based on the methodology of abstraction, and ignores the reality of an individual’s life. Also, Rawls’ theory of “ the veil of ignorance” and “original position” will be critically reviewed from the viewpoint of feminism. As described above, all of the feminist basic message seem stem from a warm consideration for under privileged women. Thus, regardless of the difference between primary feminist theorists, the main subject of struggle for a better life for all humans should be maintained.