Date of Award
5-2019
Document Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies
Second Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Lori J. Marso
Keywords
Happiness, Feminist Theory, Freudianism, Firestone, Ahmed, Political Theory, Gender Studies, Psychotherapy, Feminist Political Theory, Right to Pursuit of Happiness
Abstract
“What do Women Want?” My thesis asks whether women can genuinely seek freedom while also hoping for happiness. I look closely at how male theorists define happiness and liberty for themselves and for others, and in particular for feminized others. My two central chapters focus on theories of individual happiness, happiness sought through another or others, and the ways feminist thinkers reimagine happiness in relationship to women’s freedom. I apply feminist critiques to the concept of psychodynamic therapy as an anti-revolutionary tool designed to isolate and silence women into believing that coping with oppression is equivalent to genuine happiness. I argue that internal mental readjustment is a result of male-designed structures which force women to be happy with what makes men happy. Throughout, I engage the work of thinkers such as Sigmund Freud, Shulamith Firestone, Emma Goldman, Sarah Ahmed, Virginia Woolf, and Simone de Beauvoir.
Recommended Citation
Ellen, Hannah Ruth, "What Do Women Want? The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness" (2019). Honors Theses. 2292.
https://digitalworks.union.edu/theses/2292
Included in
American Film Studies Commons, American Politics Commons, Epistemology Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, History of Gender Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons, Other Political Science Commons, Philosophy of Language Commons, Philosophy of Mind Commons, Political Theory Commons, Theory and Philosophy Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons