Feminism's Fetishistic Disavowal
The Patriarchy is Dead, Long Live the Patriarchy!
Synopsis:
Capitalism smashed the rule of the despotic Father. Yet feminism keeps banging on an open door, beating a dead horse. Why can’t feminism let The Patriarchy rest in peace?
Tara van Dijk puts feminism on the couch and argues that The Patriarchy is feminism’s sublime object, its fundamental fantasy—both the villain it opposes and the fuel that sustains its desire. Without the spectral Father to fight, feminism risks confronting far messier truths about biology, desire, and capitalism.
This isn’t a term paper, nor a literature review. It’s an intervention that tasks feminists with confronting their desire.
Article available at Savage Minds