Higher Ground: From Utopianism to Realism in American Feminist Thought and Theory

Women in Culture and Society

by Sally L. Kitch

Many feminists love a utopia—the idea of restarting humanity from scratch or transforming human nature in order to achieve a prescribed future based on feminist visions. Some scholars argue that feminist utopian fiction can be used as a template for creating such a future. However, Sally L. Kitch argues that associating feminist thought with utopianism is a mistake.

Drawing on the history of utopian thought, as well as on her own research on utopian communities, Kitch defines utopian thinking, explores the pitfalls of pursuing social change based on utopian ideas, and argues for a "higher ground" —a contrasting approach she calls realism. Replacing utopianism with realism helps to eliminate self-defeating notions in feminist theory, such as false generalization, idealization, and unnecessary dichotomies. Realistic thought, however, allows feminist theory to respond to changing circumstances, acknowledge sameness as well as difference, value the past and the present, and respect ideological give-and-take.

An important critique of feminist thought, Kitch concludes with a clear, exciting vision for a feminist future without utopia.

Genres: Feminism, Utopia

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2000

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A STIMULATING STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF FEMINISTS WITH "UTOPIA"

Sally Kitch (chair of the Women's Studies dept. at Ohio State University) has also written several other books relating to utopias (e.g., 'This Strange Society of Women'). In the Foreword by Catharine Stimpson (author of books such as 'Women and the American City'), she summarizes, "Because Kitch has come to doubt utopianism, the fact of its pervasiveness in feminist action, theory, and pedagogy deeply concerns her."

Kitch begins by stating, "Feminists love a utopia. At least many of us do. And why not? In order to think about feminist ideas and goals, we are almost forced, like utopian planners, to imagine societies that have never existed." But she adds, "I remain fascinated with utopian designs in both experimental communities and fiction, but I no longer consider utopianism the best approach for conceptualizing feminist social change, and I no longer consider feminist utopian fiction or designs the primary sources of responsible and constructive feminist theory."

Her thesis is that "without utopianism, feminism becomes a richer and more dynamic system of thought. It allows the continual interplay of simultaneously held but diverse and sometimes contradictory 'truths' about women's lives and the concept of gender, gender differences, equality in the face of difference ... and scores of similar contingencies."

This book will be of considerable interest to those interested in women's studies and utopian studies.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh, just... ugh. Academic feminism is full of ridiculous crap. Kitch takes aim at the worst of it under the rubric of utopianism, but while her critiques of The Movement are generally spot on, as best as I can tell utopianism and realism are interchangeable. Can't we just tell people not to be intellectually lazy fanatics?

[University of Chicago Magazine]

Sally L. Kitch, AM'68
Author

From our pages (Oct/00): "The author challenges feminist ideas of social change based on utopianism by explaining the failures of utopian societies. Rather, she argues for a "higher ground," a contrasting approach she calls realism, to help feminist theory respond to changing circumstances and respect ideological exchanges."