After reading the essay by Sandra Harding" From the woman question in Science to the science question in feminism" I was further educated on the racist and sexist scientific world, yet I had already believed this to be true. Harding talked about the forefathers of science on how woman struggled to break into science and thus had little impact on the earlier stages of science. Science and health has regarded the female body as the other, and is compared to the male body, the perfect model. All in all we know that women have always and will continue to be ignored by society and especially when being compared to men and whatever nature calls perfection.
Looking back on history this essay reminds me of the "Hottentot Venus" aka Sartaje Baartman whose body was put on display as a freakish specimen. Baartman was coerced into a exploiting her body in order to survive and support her family. Yet scientists decided to take this into their own hands making her a case study of the "othered" female body. This was a prime example of what Harding refered to as "racist sexism".
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3 comments:
Its really interesting how you connected Baartman to this article. After reading your Blog I realized the extent that "racist sexism" plays in our society and that science seems to be a weapon to fight the views of the sexism.
Do you think nature determines "perfection?" Do you think that women will continued to be ignored by science? Is feminist critique a futile project?
It is always interesting to read the "logic" behind these cruel acts inflicted on minority groups. It seems as if such cruelty was somehow justified because our ancestors' differences were seen as curses (currently envied resulting with all the plastic surgery & implantations) and primitive. When people like Sara Baartman were classified like animals, people are able to detach themselves from such inhumane behaviors.
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