Anne Donadey with Francoise Lionnet “Feminisms, Genders, Sexualities”
Attempted topoi: Antecedent and Consequence
In their essay, “Feminisms, Genders, Sexualities,” Anne Donadey and Francoise Lionnet create a timeline that follows the birth and continual growth of feminism, gender, and sexual studies. The purpose of their essay is to not add a new element into the discussion of these theories, but to “reconceptualize and contribute to more sophisticated theories for [the] understanding of our world” (225). Throughout their essay, Donadey and Lionnet discuss how these three theories have changed and have added new terms and ideas because of their continual growth and increasing prevalence within the world of literary criticism.
When Donadey and Lionnet begin their discussion regarding the history of queer theory, they talk about how queer theory originally encompassed Foucault’s ideas of male homosexuality and then broaden to include lesbianism. However, through the years, queer theory has had to reexamine itself and include the perspectives of bisexuals, trangenders, and transsexuals. Because homosexuality has been included within the feminist critique, queer theory has been forced to redefine its original definition of “just” gay and lesbianism. There has been hesitation and silence for queer theory redefinition and the reason for such is the fact that “bisexuality has to do with gay and lesbian scholars’ avoidance of the fact that sexuality rarely fits in established categories” (232). Even within the umbrella terms of feminism, sexuality, and genders there is dissension because as a society we feel the need to categorize and identify all that does not fit within the projected binaries.
With new and developing perspectives being introduced in a post colonial world, there is going to be dissension within the developing genres and the consequences of these dissensions allow for other marginalized voices to be heard and represented. That is why the voices of women, color, and sexuality have been heard and studied as the years and decades have progressed.
