7.3: de Beauvoir's Feminist Existentialism
7.3.1: de Beauvoir as a Feminist Pioneer
Listen to lecture 3, titled "What Is Woman? The Second Sex and the Republic." As you watch this lecture, recall Sartre's famous insight into the idea that essence precedes existence. What role does this idea play in de Beauvoir's critique of the concept of woman?
7.3.2: The Second Sex
Read this introduction to de Beauvoir's The Second Sex. As you read, pay close attention to the historical story de Beauvoir gives about the development of woman as "the Other" of man. What is an abstract concept, according to de Beauvoir? How is woman an abstract concept? Also consider how, according to both Sartre and de Beauvoir, no one is born with a predetermined essence: You become who you are. What does de Beauvoir mean when she suggests that a person is not born a woman, but rather becomes one?
7.3.3: The "Feminine" Is a Social Construction
Listen to lecture 5, titled "'Sex' and 'Gender': Philosophical Untranslatables." As you watch the lecture, note the differences between sex and gender as they are suggested by Dr. Apter. How are these concepts "untranslatable," according to Apter?
7.3.4: de Beauvoir's Applied Existentialism
Listen to lecture 8, titled "Silencing Simone: Between Frantz Fanon and the Second Sex." Philosopher and psychiatrist Franz Fanon was a fierce critic of colonialism and the violence that came with it - including both physical and conceptual violence (the way in which language has been used to oppress, marginalize, and hurt others). As you watch this lecture, consider how Atkins characterizes the differences and similarities between Fanon and de Beauvoir. Finally, consider the following question: In what ways does existentialism (de Beauvoir's, in this case) encourage or lead to revolutionary action?