Feminist Theory in Neoliberal Times: New Approaches to the Subject

Abstract

Since the 19th century feminism that aimed at improving the rights of women evolved in two dimensions: the philosophical and activist movement. Hence, feminism is an ideological movement which aims at analyzing multi-dimensional relationships between female subject and power in historical times and focusing on body, sexual roles, sexual orientation, or class/racial differences. One of the philosophical impact of neoliberal era is postmodernism —both normative conditions of producing the information and also the subject of producing this information has led to the debate. The postmodern effect which offers the criticism is based on the dualism of the Enlightenment such as rationalism / irrationalism, mind/body, subject/object created a new subject category of social constructionism context which has also been deconstructed female subject in feminist theory. This study will therefore discusses the loss of ‘subject’ and the discussion line that leads to new possibilities of performative subject in feminist theory as it relates to postmodernist times. The question of ‘where the discussions of new subject are situated in the neoliberalizing power?’ will attempt to be answered in terms of the criticism of the periodic proximity.