Feminist Standpoint Theory Analysis

Introduction
Feminist standpoint theory came into being in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The genealogy of feminist standpoint theory however began with Hegal’s account of the slave/master dialectic, and after that with Marx and, Lukacs’ development of the idea of a standpoint of the proletariate. Hegal’s argument was that a slaves can in time reach a state “freedom of consciousness” due to their realisation of self-consciousness through struggles against the master, and through physical labour that enables him/her to fashion the world - to affect it in various ways. Hegal’s analysis of the slave/master relationship and the struggle that took place gave rise to the idea that oppression is better studied and analysed from the point of view of the oppressed,

Some feminist read Hartsock as a claim to articulate “the” feminist standpoint, meaning there is only one and that it is the same for all women. This type of universal truth claim is criticised as it does not take into account differences such as race, ethnicity, culture, class or sexuality. Feminist standpoint also comes under attack from anti-essentialist who accuse Hartsock of basing the standpoint on biology, reproduction, or “nature” (Grant, 1993) Hartsock’s central contention is that a standpoint does not come “naturally” or is not spontaneous, it must be achieved through struggle. Sandra Harding also defends feminist standpoint theory stating it’s goal is “not to” act out women’s experiences but to theorise them critically and to learn about women’s response to oppression as much as about oppression it’s

Some feminists see a conflict between embracing and address difference but still being able to hold onto and keep the concept of “woman” which retains a concept of communality across these various differences. Multiple feminist standpoints can hold the answer to this conflict. Feminist standpoint as a way of seeing the world, naming and renaming experience, redefining knowledge, is a powerful methodology in understanding that reality is an ongoing process.
Conclusion
Feminist standpoint, as a research methodology, would be very valuable in contemporary feminist research. It would allow for the creation of an alternative knowledge which would destabilise the current dominating knowledge. This alternative knowledge is vital, especially when the dominant knowledge ignores or excludes the marginalised to underprivileged groups. Standpoint forces feminist researchers to understanding power relationships and acknowledging them as obstacles to the production of scientific knowledge. Using multiple standpoints will also help understand