As noted by others, feminists generally have followed one of two paths when they address such statements by male predecessors: apologia or critique. The first option usually involves a sort of explaining away in which the thinker is said either to have “really” meant something else, or simply to have been a product of his time. The second option accepts no excuses, but instead offers a counter-attack in which the thinker is read and interpreted through feminist eyes. Both approaches have their merits. But here I offer a third alternative which neither apologizes for nor blames Hegel, but instead asks: What were the practical effects of his ideas? As suggested by Seyla Benhabib I want to look at Hegel from the point of view of “the victims” - i.e., women. How did Hegel's ideas about men/women, public/private, objective/subjective affect women in the nineteenth century who were familiar with his work?
Hegel and His “Victims” on Women in the Private Sphere
JVF Conference Papers
