Is There a Feminist Method

Summary and Important Ideas I.

Definition of of Te Terms  A. Method 1. Techniqu chnique e for gather gathering ing evi eviden dence ce B. Meth ethodol odolog ogy y 1. Theory Theory and analysis analysis of of “the “the special special ways ways in in which which the the general structure of theory find its application in particular scientific disciplines” disciplines” C. Epis Epistteol eolog ogy y 1. A theor theory y of of !now !nowle ledg dge e ". Concerned Concerned with the nature nature and scope scope of !nowledge# !nowledge# its presuppositions and $asis# and the general relia$ility of clais to !nowledge %. A $ranch $ranch of philos philosophy ophy that that invest investigate igates s the origin# origin# nature# ethods# and liits of huan !nowledge &fro dictionary.co' dictionary.co'

II.

Crit Critiq iqu ues of of Tr Tradit aditio iona nall Meth Method ods s  A. Androcentris 1. (rescript (rescription ion of of only only a narrow narrow range range of ethods ethods has has ade it ipossi$le to understand woen)s “natures” and lives or how gender activities and coitents influence $ehaviors and $eliefs ". *aving *aving only only en en intervi interview ew only only en en a$out a$out $oth $oth en and and woen)s $eliefs and $ehaviors %. Cosetics Cosetics tested tested only on ale ale rats rats on the the grounds grounds that that the estrus cycle unduly coplicates e+perients on feale rats ,. -inding -inding woen) woen)s s responses responses to his his /awrence /awrence 0ohl$erg 0ohl$erg oral dileas less easy than the en)s responses to sort into the categories he had set up 2. -reud# -reud# (iaget# (iaget# and Ericso Ericson n $elieve $elieve that that the the pattern patterns s of oral developent characteristic of en should $e regarded as the odel of huan developent. 3. -aulty -aulty ethods ethods of inquir inquiry y appear appear to $e iplica iplicated ted in in these cases B. Meth ethodol odolat atry ry 1. -eti -etish shi4 i4at atio ion n of et etho hod d ". (reoccupat (reoccupation ion with with ethod ethod ystifi ystifies es what what have have $een $een the ost interesting aspects of feinist research process %. 5acrific 5acrifices es scient scientific ific e+planati e+planation on and and increa increased sed understanding to scientistic fashions in research design ,. -etishi4 -etishi4ation ation of ethod ethod itself itself also also a target target of feini feinist st criticiss

III. III.

Propo Proposed sed Alter Alternat native ive Femin Feminist ist Resea Research rch Metho Methods ds  A. Catharine Mac0innon Mac0innon &167"'8 “consciousness9raising “consciousness9raising is feinist ethod” 1. /eaves /eaves $iologi $iologists sts and and social social scien scientist tists s pu44led pu44led a$out what e+actly they should do differently B. :ancy *artsoc! *artsoc! &167%'8 &167%'8 “specifical “specifically ly feinist feinist historical historical ateriali aterialis” s” 1. ;eplicat ;eplicates es coponent coponents s of the the ethod ethod of of Mar+ist Mar+ist political political econoy &dialectical historical aterialis' ". Method Method of of inquir inquiry y as well well as epis episte teolo ology gy C. (heno (henoeno enolog logica icall appro approach aches es 1. -einist -einist ethod ethod is whatever whatever is the the opposite opposite of e+cessive epiricis or of positivist strains in social research

". -ocus on the virtues of qualitative vs. quantitative studies# and on iportance of researcher identifying rather than o$
De!ate on the Feminist Method  A. =s there a special ethod for feinist research> B. ?ne sociologist8 Three ethods of social research 1. /istening to what people say ". ?$serving what they do %. *istorical research C. There can)t $e a feinist ethod of inquiry @. et# the pro$le of eliinating androcentric results of research appears to require ore than siply having well9intentioned individuals conduct research E. =ndividual intent is never sufficient to a+ii4e o$
.

Issues of Method" Methodolo#y" and $pistemolo#y  A. Method 1. *ow unique to feinis are the techniques of evidence gathering used in the ost widely acclaied e+aples of feinist research> a' -einist researchers $egin their pro
%. The choice of a su$stantive feinist theory of any !ind will have consequences for what can $e perceived as appropriate research ethods. C. Episteology 1. Mainstrea Anglo9Aerican tradition has sharply distinguished episteology fro philosophy of science. a' Episteology is construed as analyses of the nature and scope of “ordinary” !nowledge $' (hilosophy of science is construed as analyses of the nature and scope of e+planation for the natural sciences in general andor for particular sciences. ". =f scientific ethod is such a powerful way of eliinating social $iases fro the results of research as its defenders argue# how coe it has left undetected so uch se+ist and androcentric $ias> %. *ow do assuptions a$out the gender of audiences shape traditional episteological agendas and clais> *ow should such sociological and te+tual understandings of episteologies shape feinist theories of !nowledge> ,. =t is a pro$le that social scientists tend to thin! a$out ethodological and episteological issues priarily in ters of ethods of inquiry. a' =t is this ha$it that tepts any social scientists to see! a unique ethod of inquiry as the e+planation for what is unusual a$out feinist analyses. $' ?n the other hand# it is also a pro$le that philosophers use such ters a s “scientific ethod” and “the ethod of science” when they are referring to issues of ethodology and episteology. c' =t is entirely unclear how one could define “scientific ethod” so that it referred to practices coon to every discipline counted as scientific. I.

%hat Feminist Researchers Do  A. *arding argues against a distinctive feinist research ethod $ut suggests three characteristics that e+pand our understandings of what a!es feinist research e+planatorily so powerful B. :ot to provide definitive answer to title question $ut show that this historical approach is the $est strategy if we wish to account for 1. The “discovery” of gender and its consequences a' ?ne ight even clai that conteporary feinis “discovered” gender in the sense that it)s everywhere# infusing daily $eliefs and $ehaviors that were heretofore thought to $e gender9neutral $' -einist accounts as! how gender &especially# tensions $etween individual# structural# and sy$olic e+pressions' accounts for woen)s oppression c' -einist research is distinctive in its focus on gender as a varia$le and an analytic category# and in its critical stance toward gender  d' 5hift in su$
cannot understand what is so powerful in feinist research $y turning first to its ethods ". oen)s e+periences as a scientific resource a' =t generates its pro$leatics fro the perspective of woen)s e+periences. $' =t has designed research for woen that is intended to provide e+planations of social and $iological phenoena that woen want and need. c' There is no good reason to appropriate under the la$el of ethod every iportant feature of the scientific process. %. A ro$ust gender9sensitive refle+ivity practice a' =nsistence that the researcher $e placed in the sae critical plane as the overt su$
Conclusion  A. -einis is fundaentally a oral and political oveent for the eancipation of woen. B. The search for a distinctive feinist ethod of inquiry is not a fruitful one.

“= suggest we recogni4e that if there were soe siple recipe we could follow and prescri$er in order to produce powerful research and research agendas# no one would have to go through the difficult and soeties painfulDif always e+citingDprocesses of learning how to see and create ourselves and the world in the radically new fors deanded $y our feinist theories and practices.”