Dissertations@Portsmouth - Details for item no. 14282
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Freiesleben, Sofia (2023) Are women’s social movements destined to fall into the traps of the very same structures they are attempting to change?: a critical analysis of women’s social movements and their achievements. (unpublished BA dissertation), University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth
Abstract
The purpose of my dissertation will be to critically examine, from a feminist perspective, why women’s movement, although they are able to achieve some of their demands, are not able to address systemic issues specifically by investigating two case studies: the women’s suffrage movement and the #MeToo movement. The movements will be utilised as case studies to illustrate what women's movements have not been able to address. Throughout the dissertation it will be analysed how capitalism, in that context specifically classism, the patriarchy and sexist ideologies, homo- and transphobia, ableism, colonial structures, white supremacy and racism influenced and continue to influence women's social movements. Furthermore it will be examined to what extent the women’s movements have achieved what they demanded and why they are not able to accomplish systemic change.
This study will contain a contextualisation of the #MeToo movement and women’s suffrage movement within social movements theory and postcolonial feminism. The case study of the women’s suffrage movement was able to show that the achievement of the right to vote was only able due to the act of political sacrifice. The right to vote, when it was introduced, often did not come with political equality or a shift in the perception of women. On the other hand the case study on #MeToo showed that through empathy and solidarity awareness of sexual misconduct was spread. In the context of postcolonial feminism it was unravelled that the #MeToo movement did not achieve structural change due to its neoliberal resource mobilisation and limited focus on systemic, legal and social change. Both movements additionally could not free themselves from patriarchal and racist structures but even reinforced them each in their own way.
Course: International Relations with Languages - BA (Hons) - C1806
Date Deposited: 2024-01-12
URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14282.html