I place Emma Goldman's feminism at the center of her political philosophy. I argue that she made at least two distinctive contributions to anarchism. First is the argument that a consistent anarchist position must reflect both the communal and individual aspects of human nature. Second is an inclusive view of the requirements for true human emancipation. Anarchist theorists generally failed to integrate consistently into their social theories a view of human nature as both communal and individual. On the one hand, they held that human beings are autonomous sources of value, but by nature disposed to cooperate with others. On the other hand, they allowed for forms of sociopolitical organization that coerced individuals into cooperating with others. But coercion would not be necessary if human beings are naturally social. Therefore, their commitment to human sociability was inconsistent with their vision of the future organization of society. Goldman recognized that human beings have social needs: for cooperation, community, and meaningful associations with others. But she stressed that human beings have strong needs as individuals: for free expression and self-determination. Most anarchist thinkers neglected women's needs as individuals. In contrast, Goldman contended that an anarchist theory of human emancipation is incomplete if it fails to address the need to eradicate gender hierarchies, to acknowledge the intrinsic value of women, and to remove the obstacles to true freedom for women. Central among these obstacles is the socialization of women as the perfect communitarians. Contributing to this socialization are political and economic institutions, social customs, and the puritan morality that compels women to put others' needs and interests before their own. Goldman emphasized the importance of the "tyranny of public opinion" to women's subjection. Through education and social morality women are led to acquiesce in their own subjection and to internalize their own oppression. A genuinely emancipatory anarchist political philosophy must explicitly confront the internalized forces that keep women under the control of men. Like many contemporary feminists, Goldman recognized in internalized oppression one of the most profound barriers to women's emancipation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: A, page: 2861. / Major Professor: Maria H. Morales. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77232 |
| Creators | Bart, Jody |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 253 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds