Leotta-Cascone, Natascia (2024). The Achievement of Women’s Liberty as Self-Realization: from Masculinist Concepts of Freedom towards Feminist Neo-Republicanism. (Thesis). Universität Bern, Bern
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Abstract
Since ancient times the discussion about the meaning of freedom has been present in the philosophical debate. This term often Iigures in political discussions as though it is an idea with a single transparently clear meaning, but this is far from being the case. Together with the ambiguity of the term in its popular usage, a vast disagreement among political philosophers arises over its different meanings. The negative concept of freedom, whether deIined as non-interference or as non- domination, is considered the most widespread way to identify freedom in political philosophy. To contrast, advocates of the positive conception of liberty have generally been in the minority. These concepts of freedom are considered as ‘masculinist’. But why is this the case? These notions, as found within canonical texts of political philosophy, were not only developed and framed predominantly by white, male philosophers, but they also reIlect the historical marginalization of women from philosophical and political discourse. This exclusion has profound implications, mainly because the classical notions of freedom fail to adequately capture or explain the unique and systemic nature of women’s domination. Both liberal and republican traditional frameworks have thus been shaped by a distinctly masculine perspective, one that often overlooks or marginalizes the unique experiences and struggles of women under patriarchal dominance. The recent challenge of so-called ‘republican’ and more speciIically ‘neo-roman’ theories of freedom (or liberty) to standard ‘liberal’ theories has met with skeptical reactions by most feminist theorists. Feminists who regard the old conception of freedom as hostile to women overall don’t think of the ‘new’ republican theories as a signiIicant improvement. The central questions of this dissertation are: Is the feminist criticism of republican theories of freedom justiIied? Or is it possible to create an allyship and reconcile feminism with republicanism after all? More speciIically, is neo-republicanism as conceived by Philip Pettit with its negative concept of freedom as non-domination able to acknowledge the importance of positive liberty, and more speciIically the vital role this kind of freedom plays in women’s self-realization? If a ‘feminist neo-republicanism’ appears possible, which features must Pettit’s notion include to make it more open and sympathetic to feminist concerns about male domination in actual societies?
| Item Type: | Thesis |
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| Dissertation Type: | Single |
| Date of Defense: | 24 September 2024 |
| Subjects: | 100 Philosophy 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology |
| Institute / Center: | 06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Art and Cultural Studies > Institute of Philosophy |
| Depositing User: | Hammer Igor |
| Date Deposited: | 17 Dec 2024 07:16 |
| Last Modified: | 17 Dec 2024 07:16 |
| URI: | https://boristheses.unibe.ch/id/eprint/5694 |
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