Dori
Apanewicz
Feminism
as a New Humanism
This
thesis will attempt to relate a feminine ethics with a philosophy of
peace based on communicative ethics, using women’s own experiences,
and their peaceful methods, to combat the inequality that exists among
human relationships. This will be carried out by analyzing the notion
of feminism as a new humanism, concentrating on how the feminist movement
searches for solutions, new paradigms, and ways to achieve the same
rights for all as well as seeks to change the patriarchal dominant systems
that allow this inequality to continue. These core concepts will be
defined and explored in an effort to re- conceptualize the notions of
gender, ethics and communications, and divulge a means to incorporate
women’s contributions as a key to developing novel approaches and
alternatives to existing political, social and economic structures,
to not only alter the perception of women’s role, but to also consider
other groups who equally have been neglected from participating within
a universal dialogue. An in depth investigation will ensue that will
focus upon the underlying commonality among different feminist philosophies
in order to demonstrate feminism’s humanistic approach, and will
discern the means by which a new humanism, utilizing an ethics of care,
will enhance a philosophy of peace that seeks to use difference as a
tool for advancement rather as an excuse for violence. The hypothesis
to be considered is the philosophy of communicative ethics that updates
the legacy of Kant, that will be related with a feminine ethics that
intends to revise, reformulate or reconsider aspects of the traditional
western ethics that reject the moral experience of women who utilize
their own unique philosophy that uses principles based on affection;
these principles can also be applied rationally and logically to everyone.
The methodology that will be employed will be: to investigate the waves
of feminism and feminist theory with a focus on psychoanalytical, postmodern
feminism, and ecofeminism in order to discover mechanism for the creation
of novel paradigms against structural, cultural and direct violence.
To utilize the example of ancient history, specifically, Greek and Roman
societies, that are the basis of the present societies, and within these
to discuss the role of women, and slaves or the other members of societies
that did not form part of the patriarchal system, and to re-discover
the peaceful moments in history, and the means by which women have contributed
to and reflect this peace, as they were always relegated to the private
sphere, the house, whereas men have controlled the ruling political,
public sphere. Within this framework the paper will include a discussion
of ethics based upon gender differences, but focusing upon the diverse
roles attached to each gendered based on a socially constructed perception
of sexuality. Finally the main objective is to develop the concept of
feminism as a new humanism, to create formulas that provide justice
for everyone, regardless of gender, race, religion, to create a world
citizenship, in which all members can benefit based on the investigation
of the philosophy of peace according to the philosophy of communicative
ethics.e and Spanish (cum laude, departmental honors). I wrote my senior
thesis on Ethnic Conflict using the Basque Conflict as a case study.
I performed extensive research for this thesis in Spain during my terms
in the MA Program in Peace and Development Studies (then EPU). While
studying in Beaver I became a member of Phi Kappa Phi, a political science
honor society, as well as Sigma Delta Phi, a spanish honor society.
After graduation, I returned to Spain to complete my MA in Peace and
Development Studies of the Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain. I
am currently in the doctoral program, Peace, Conflicts and Democracy,
of the Philosophy and Sociology Department, of the Universitat Jaume
I, in Castellón. My broad investigation themes focus upon feminine ethics
as an alternative for conflict.