The article applies feminist standpoint theory to the content and style of Nella Larsen's novels to show the literary critic and student the potential benefits of using standpoint theory in interpreting literature. In particular, it examines the concept of achieving a standpoint, and analyzes why Larsen's protagonists fail to achieve a standpoint. Its reading of Larsen's novels in light of standpoint theory demonstrates that Larsen conveyed knowledge of her world different from that of the dominant white culture and the male-centered, black middle-class culture of 1920s America and Harlem, knowledge that has yet to be fully examined. Further, the application of standpoint theory to literary texts provides refinements of particular concepts within standpoint theory, as the article demonstrates.
The term 'identity politics' is used to refer to a wide range of political movements. In this paper, we look at the theoretical ideas underpinning two strongly, mutually opposed forms of identity politics, and identify some crucial differences between them. We critically compare the identitarian ideology of the New Right with feminist standpoint theory, focusing on two issues: relativism and essentialism. In carrying out this critical comparison we illuminate under-theorized aspects of both new right identitarianism and standpoint theory; demonstrate how the two are distinct; reveal the depth and pervasiveness of the new right ideology's flaws; and show what a coherent left-wing identity politics could look like.
Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengkaji bentuk-bentuk perspektif feminisme dalam novel Si Parasit Lajang karya Ayu Utami menggunakan kajian feminist standpoint theory Nancy C. M. Hartsock. Sumber data dalam penelitian ini adalah novel Si ParasitLajang karya Ayu Utami. Data dalam penelitian ini adalah data-data berupa kutipan yangterdapat dalam novel Si Parasit Lajang karya Ayu Utami. Teknik yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini mencakup dua hal, yakni teknik pengumpulan data dan Teknik analisis data. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah teknik baca dan teknik catat dengan menandai informasi-informasi penting yang berkaitan dengan pokok penelitian. Sedangkandalam menganalisis data, teknik yang digunakan yaitu teknik analisis deskriptif denganmendeskripsikan data-data berupa kutipan mengenai perspektif feminisme dalam novel Si Parasit Lajang karya Ayu Utami menggunakan kajian feminist standpoint theory Nancy C.M. Hartsock. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat bentuk-bentuk perspektif feminisme yang ditemukan. Bentuk-bentuk perspektif feminisme, antara lain (1) standpoint(sudut pandang): standpoint tokoh 'saya' tentang simbol status dalam masyarakat, standpointtokoh 'saya' tentang pola hidup sederhana, standpoint tokoh 'saya' tentang kemewahan; (2)situated knowledge (pengetahuan tersituasi): situated knowledge tokoh 'saya' terhadap rezimmiliter pada masa pemerintahan Soeharto, situated knowledge tokoh 'saya' terhadap duniayang hierarki, situated knowledge tokoh 'saya' terhadap seksualitas, situated knowledgetokoh 'saya' terhadap perkawinan dan poligami; dan (3) sexual division of labour(pembagian pekerjaan berdasarkan jenis kelamin): eksploitasi wanita.Kata Kunci: perspektif feminisme; feminist standpoint theory Nancy C. M. Hartsock; novelSi Parasit Lajang karya Ayu Utami; standpoint; situated knowledge; sexual division of labour.Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the forms of feminism perspective in the Si Parasit Lajang novel by Ayu Utami using a feminist standpoint theory of Nancy C. M. Hartsock. The data source in this research is Ayu Utami's novel Si Parasit Lajang. The datain this study are data in the form of quotations contained in the novel Si Parasit Lajang by Ayu Utami. The techniques used in this study include two things, namely data collection techniques and data analysis techniques. The data collection techniques used were reading and note-taking techniques by marking important information related to the subject of the research. Meanwhile, in analyzing the data, the technique used is descriptive analysis technique by describing the data in the form of quotations regarding the the forms offeminism perspective in the Si Parasit Lajang novel by Ayu Utami using a feminist standpoint theory of Nancy C. The results show that there are form of feminism perspective found. The form of feminism perspective, there are (1) standpoint (point of view): the standpoint of the "me" character regarding status symbols in society, the standpoint of the "me" characterabout a simple lifestyle, the standpoint of the "me" character about luxury; (2) situated knowledge: situated knowledge of the 'me' figure towards the military regime during the Soeharto era, the situated knowledge of the 'me' figure towards the world that is hierarchical, the situated knowledge of the 'me' character towards sexuality, the situated knowledge of the 'me' figure against marriage and polygamy; and (3) sexual division of labor (division of work based on sex): exploitation of women.Keywords: feminism perspective; feminist standpoint theory Nancy C.M. Hartsock; the Si Parasit Lajang novel by Ayu Utami; standpoint; situated knowledge; sexual division of labor.
The aim of the article is to further assess and develop feminist standpoint theory by introducing the notion of the `situated imagination' as constituting an important part of this theory as well as that of `situated knowledge'. The article argues that the faculty of the imagination constructs as well as transforms, challenges and supersedes both existing knowledge and social reality. However, like knowledge, it is crucial to theorize the imagination as situated, that is, as shaped and conditioned (although not determined) by social positioning.
Feminist standpoint theory is an important tool of many a feminist activist. It provides us with the epistemological justification to take women's experiences seriously – not as an obstacle to "objectivity", but as a form of epistemic privilege. This paper takes postmodern and intersectional critiques of feminist standpoint theory as a critical point of departure to re-examine the debate around the relevance of the signifier "women" in feminist epistemology. Its aim is two-fold: first, it seeks to shed new light on these criticisms by using the lived experiences of mixed-race women as an innovative lens through which to examine the issue of fragmentation in feminist epistemology. Specifically, it will use the unique situation of mixed-race women to explore the underlying logic of fragmentation implicit in these criticisms – both in the sense of depicting a fundamentally fragmented society structured by complex and overlapping social categories, as well as a fragmented individual forever torn between contradictory pulsations. Second, the paper then goes on to problematise this splitting of the feminist project, and attempts to sketch a politically viable strategy for feminist epistemology which counters the danger of fragmentation inherent in postmodernism and intersectional feminism without giving in to the temptation of essentialism. Notably, it will argue that the notion of "women" retains its usefulness for a feminist agenda, and can incorporate a greater attentiveness to diversity, if it is conceptualised not ontologically, but rather, as a strategic and historically specific point of departure for politics. In this context, I will propose an understanding of the notion of "women" in the sense of a Wittgensteinian "family resemblance concept" – that is, a concept whose boundaries are fluid and whose elements are linked to each other in a variety of overlapping, criss-crossing ways.
