In discussing political theory, both Dietz and Butler call for democratic politics that are focused on an engaged population. Dietz claims that the focus of politics should be on the means of democratic practice, rather than the outcomes. Politics should primarily be perceived as a "human activity" that is powerful because of the collective engagement it requires and engenders (14). She goes on to define a new kind of feminist politics that goes beyond the classic fight for "equal access" and questions of economic and social concern. While these issues are important, she believes feminists should address more large scale issues of political vision and the processes by which equal access is obtained. The focus should be on how society pursues these concerns through political engagement, rather than the concerns themselves. Finally, she justifies advocating for this new type of feminism by drawing on the history of the movement. In the past, the political feminist movement has been informed by "democratic organization and practice," therefore we should use this model to inform the future of the movement and politics in general (17).
Similar to Dietz, Butler focuses on the power of the collective. She uses infancy as an example that demonstrates how humans are unavoidably linked and dependent on one another. She claims that we come into the world dependent on others, and the care one receives in infancy is inevitable and sets us up for a life of interconnectedness. It is therefore potentially foolish to argue with the social order of society "in the name of autonomy" (23). On a broader scale, Butler is arguing that politics should be focused on democratic engagement, akin to Dietz's argument, because humans are dependent on one another and must work together to achieve their political aims.
Talia, from what we discussed in class on Monday, your findings on Dietz and Butler’s ideas of politics are spot on!! You emphasized the importance of collective engagement and involvement in the democratic structure. Both pieces honed in on the importance of shaping their community rather than pursuing individualistic goals, which you definitely articulate in your post. What I also appreciated in your blog post was how you utilized Butler’s example of infancy to explain the importance of human dependency and a need for interconnectedness. (I have no doubt we’ll talk about this idea of interconnected citizenship more on Wednesday.) Overall, you used the text well, your opinions were clear, and I saw no mistakes in terms of sentence structure and grammar…good job!!
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your take on the articles. You defined the articles and their meaning so well that I was able to understand them better than during our lecture eon Monday. I missed the emphasis Dietz places on the process of the democratic system, focusing more on the concept of who and how representation should be achieved and viewed. I also had a hard time seeing when the feminist ideology you pointed out, but after reading your blog and going to look at it in the article, it was impossible to miss.
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