Soupçon II.vii.b

                       Soupçon II.vii.b                            Feminist Response to the Public Sphere 

Sorry, to begin with, regarding the hiatus. The Soupçon series WILL continue. It is just that some of my students wanted it to be more NET- focussed. 

Hence I would try herein a brief outline of the major issues with which feminists confronted Habermasizn ideas. Henceforth till the NET exam is through, Soupçon would deal with the NET oriented mcq's. 

The feminists argue that the Habermasian public sphere is "essentially"  exclusionary. To begin with, it stresses the rational, the abstract, and the monolithic format of the universal. Despite its democratic and participatory promises, the Habermasian public sphere thus prioritises the patriarchal hegemonic hierarchy. 

Next, it excludes hence all the marginalised of all possible shades and shapes. Much worse is its overlooking of the politics of the private space. That is to say, the Habermasian definition seems to overlook the fact that the private space, too, has unmistakable 'sign'atures of the patriarchal oppression and gender de'sign'ed narratives. 

  It is but obvious hence that the Habermasian analysis cannot avoid giving a berth (not to forget the homophonic 'birth') to small little islets of oppositional alternatives that cannot in the final analysis efficiently fulfill the democratic participatory promise. 

Pratima Agnihotri.                                                    Pune 

P.S.: The Soupçon is a  weekly, Monday to Friday series.