Jessica Tipsord

Introduction: 1-10

Introduction&emdash;Tong is convinced that "much of feminist thought resists categorization" (1). She does not want the labels given to the various feminist philosophies to suggest that they are just variations on the male dominated schools of thought. There are even some (radical feminists and ecofeminists) that try to come up with new philosophy without relying on any patriarch's thought. Despite problems with categorizing thinkers the labels can be useful for showing the public that all feminists do not think the same things. Labels also serve as tools to describe the range of different frameworks feminists have used to explain oppression of women and offer their solutions.

Contemporary feminist theory is a reaction against liberal feminism. Liberalism emphasizes that the oppression of women is due to customary and legal constraints that do not allow women into public society. Society's false belief that women are inherently not as smart or physically capable as men leads to the exclusion of women from many parts of society. This results in the unfulfilled potential of many women. Thus, liberalism says we should give men and women the same rights and opportunities. Radical feminists do not think that solution is drastic enough. They believe that women also need to overturn the patriarch's legal and political structures and the social and cultural institutions. Marxist and socialist feminists believe that nobody can achieve freedom in a class-based society. They believe that women's oppression began with private property and will not end until we move from capitalism to socialism.

Liberal, radical, and Marxist-socialist feminists focus on the macrocosm (patriarchy or capitalism) in their explanation of oppression while psychoanalytic and gender feminists focus on the microcosm (the individual's psyche). Tong stresses the distinction between psychoanalytic feminists (focus on pre-Oedipal and Oedipal) and gender feminists (focus on the virtues and values of femininity). They both examine femininity in the psyche, but gender feminists see it as a blessing, not a burden.

Postmodern feminists think that woman's 'otherness' should be embraced because it enables women to criticize the norms, values, and practices that patriarchy forces on everyone. Multicultural and global feminists think the self is divided and the root of this division is cultural and national. "Once a mind is colonized, it is very difficult to liberate it" (8). Ecofeminists believe we are all connected to each other, animals, and nature and we need to take responsibility for protecting animals and nature and strengthening our relationships to each other and nature. Tong says that it is she is encouraged by the developments in multicultural, global, and ecofeminism and believes we are close to truly understanding the sources of women's oppression and how sexism is related to other isms (e.g., racism, classism, ethnocentrism, etc.).

She tried to discuss strengths and weaknesses of all the perspectives with respect because each approach has made a lasting contribution. Tong will allow her preferences to show, but there will be no winning perspective and there doesn't need to be because there is room for growth, improvement, and reconsideration.

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