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Thanks
for your note to FEMINIST.COM.
That is a very general project
topic--good luck.
I will answer as best I can,
but wanted to say that to the
best of my knowledge there is
no one definition of these words/experiences.
As you have probably discovered--Consciouness
Raising developed mostly
in the form of Consiousness
Raising (or CR) groups.
In these groups, which were
popular in the early 1970s and
late 1960s, but have always
existed and continue to exist
in a different form, mostly
women would exchange ideas and
experiences. Mostly what would
result from these meetings is
a sense of community--and "I'm
not crazy, the system is crazy."
It was also a way of discovering
commonality among women and
out of these CR groups
grew a more vocal political
movement.
As for "Politics"--which, of
course, means many things--I
would guess that what your professor
is getting at is the feminist
credo of sorts---"the personal
is the political." This also
works in reverse--the "political
is the personal." Not until
this link is made will people
be movitated to work against
gender and racial caste systems.
As for the "State and Sexuality"---I
think you need him to clarify,
because Sexuality is really
about being sexual--regardless
of with whom. However, I have
often heard people misrepresent
sexuality for "gender." But
assuming that it is the former,
I would assume that he is getting
at whether or not the State
(i.e. politics) has the right
to regulate one's sexuality.
This means the choices we make
about our sexuality as much
as it means how sexuality is
represented--i.e. is it stereotyped;
victimized, etc....And what
effect do these representations
have on society as a whole?
Does the state have a responsibility
to regulate some of the misrepresentations
that happen around sexuality?
I hope this helps--and I hope
you can follow me. Good luck
with your paper.
—Amy
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