An analysis of popular mainstream feminist writers and the "crisis" within feminism

This thesis examines the question of a crisis within feminism. This so-called "crisis," is influenced and promoted by such controversial popular feminist writers as Camille Paglia, Christina Hoff Sommers, and Katie Roiphe. Through the study of the recent popularization of feminism in mainstream presses, including Susan Faludi and Naomi Wolf, and the role of feminism in the academy, I will explore what is being described as a "crisis" within feminism. I am interested in how some of these authors came to be labeled "anti-feminist," specifically, Sommers, Roiphe and Paglia, while Faludi and Wolf remain firmly accepted in feminist circles. This study is initiated with a brief overview of the historical roots of feminism, reviewing as well, how the history of the women's movement has come to be written. Chapters Two and Three analyze the recent publications of popular writers, Sommers, Roiphe and Paglia, who constitute the foundation of this examination. The fourth and concluding chapter considers the recent proliferation of the terms: "postfeminism," and "anti-feminism"and how and what these terms mean to contemporary feminism. Finally, postmodern theory is employed to aid in interpreting the current dynamic in feminism; as well, postmodemism is used to recast the work and personae of Camille Paglia. I argue that the critical work of Sommers, Roiphe and Paglia is useful to contemporary feminism, in that it challenges feminists to enter the terrain of popular culture in order to disseminate feminism throughout mainstream society.