Date of Award

Spring 2020

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Media & Communication; College of Arts & Sciences

First Advisor

Dr. Lisa Holderman

Second Advisor

Professor Alan Powell

Third Advisor

Dr. Michael Dwyer

Abstract

Luce Irigaray, a French feminist theorist, used her writing as a tool to further the postmodern feminist movement and her theory of sexual difference. Her work highlights the divergence from traditional, modernist thought and the dream of a well rounded western society that is grounded in the recognition of sexual difference. The #MeToo Movement, the defining feminist movement of present day, proves Irigaray’s point of a need for the recognition of sexual difference. The importance of women being able to speak their mind is one the foundations of Irigaray’s work and a pillar of the #MeToo Movement. Moving beyond the first step of joining the conversation, the current feminist movement, through the guidance of past feminist works like Irigaray’s, needs to find a way to turn words into action and action into lasting systemic change. In this piece I will discuss the roots of postmodern feminism, the work of Luce Irigaray, and how postmodern feminism has guided contemporary feminism’s progress.

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Luce Irigaray, Radical Feminism, & The Me Too Movement

Luce Irigaray, a French feminist theorist, used her writing as a tool to further the postmodern feminist movement and her theory of sexual difference. Her work highlights the divergence from traditional, modernist thought and the dream of a well rounded western society that is grounded in the recognition of sexual difference. The #MeToo Movement, the defining feminist movement of present day, proves Irigaray’s point of a need for the recognition of sexual difference. The importance of women being able to speak their mind is one the foundations of Irigaray’s work and a pillar of the #MeToo Movement. Moving beyond the first step of joining the conversation, the current feminist movement, through the guidance of past feminist works like Irigaray’s, needs to find a way to turn words into action and action into lasting systemic change. In this piece I will discuss the roots of postmodern feminism, the work of Luce Irigaray, and how postmodern feminism has guided contemporary feminism’s progress.