The Contentious Subject of Feminism: DefiningWomenin France from the Second Wave to Parity

Doing Intersectionality

“…So far, two factors have been identified in the literature as conducive to greater inclusion of minority women's interests in coalitions or political platforms. A second important dimension is the political and historical context within which the identity of a women's movement develops, shaping how it defines patriarchy and gender oppression with relation to class or race (Lépinard 2007;Nelson 2003;Roth 2004). A second important dimension is the political and historical context within which the identity of a women's movement develops, shaping how it defines patriarchy and gender oppression with relation to class or race (Lépinard 2007;Nelson 2003;Roth 2004).…”

For Women Only? Gender Quotas and Intersectionality in France

“…The lack of data for other levels of political elections limits the analysis. But both Bird (2003) and Lépinard (2006) suggest that, at the local level, the parity emphasis on descriptive representation might have encouraged mayors also to include ethnic minorities on their candidate lists. through to other minorities.…”

“…Therefore, to understand the lack of intersectionality in the parity debate, we need to explore the genealogy of the absence of intersectionality within the legacy of the French women's rights movement. I have argued elsewhere that prior conceptualizations of differences among women elaborated in the heated debates of the French second wave prevented the emergence of an intersectional approach in the 1990s (Lépinard 2007b). In other words, the harsh conflict over the proper hierarchy between gender oppression and class domination, which characterized the French second wave, left no room to think about multiple oppressions or the intersection of gender and race relations.…”

“…To do so, she had to "find a type of exploitation that was common to all women, which would constitute this group as a group" (Delphy 2001, 58; translation mine, italics added). This preeminence granted to gender by materialist feminists prevented them from theorizing how relations such as class, race, or sexuality intersect with and shape gender relations (Lépinard 2007b).…”

“…It came at a time when anti-racist organizations were beginning to explore legal mobilization (rather than just political activism) as a potential route for redress. The emergence of this new theme on the political scene fueled a new politicization of race relations as well as the creation of new ethnic lobby groups (Lépinard 2008). Debates about the inclusion of ethnocultural minorities in higher education also emerged (Sabbagh 2002), as well as heated controversies about ethnic statistics (Sabbagh and Peer 2008).…”