Paper Summary:

The paper looks at the principles of postmodern feminism, highlighting this tradition's important break from traditional liberal feminism. The paper examines the writings of postmodern writers such as Simone de Beauvoir and Judith Butler, especially their writings on the social construction of the "masculine" and "feminine." It then looks at traditional public administration's "hard" approach that conflicts with ideas that have been referred to as "soft." The paper argues that postmodern feminism can help to create a synthesis between these two approaches, one that combines the best features of both the "hard" and "soft" styles of public administration. It also contends that postmodern feminism jars administrators from their comfort zones and in the process, generates new and innovative modes of thinking.

Outline:
Postmodern Feminism
Public Administration
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Far from being a monolithic entity, feminism has a variety of traditions and focuses. This diversity is reflected in the various approaches of feminism towards studying and criticizing the representation of women in public life. Traditional liberal feminism, for example, has focused on key questions of access. This first wave of feminism believed that when women had access to public institutions such as education and the work place, then gender inequity would be erased. The period of "modernity" was therefore characterized by women's access to areas of public life that was traditionally reserved only for men."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Connell, Robert W. 1987. Gender and Power. Cambridge: Polity Press. \
• de Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex. London: Picador, 1988 edition. (Original work published 1953).
• Hood, Christopher. The Art of the State: Culture, Rhetoric and Public Management. Oxford: Claredon.
• Kristeva, Julia. Strangers to Ourselves. New York: Columbia University Press, 1995

Visitors who viewed this Term Paper also liked these:

• Term Paper # 26152 : "Equality and Public Administration"
• Essay # 16338 : "De Tocqueville and Public Administration"
• Analytical Essay # 133149 : "Leadership Theories in Public Administration"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: