Open AccessA Feminist's Call for Anarchy
Author(s) -
Marlee Jacocks
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
digital literature review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2692-904X
DOI - 10.33043/dlr.6.0.73-88
Subject(s) - oppression , agency (philosophy) , feminism , capitalism , utopia , sociology , politics , state (computer science) , political science , gender studies , law , social science , algorithm , computer science
While Ursula Le Guin’s novel The Dispossessed has been categorized as a science fction and utopiannovel, I argue that it should also be considered a feminist utopia. With infuences from feminismand Marxism, Le Guin uses both theories to create a comparison between two political systems—anarchy and democracy—to ultimately reveal that anarchy is more conducive for feminism. Theanarchic system of government provides women with more agency than capitalism, becausewomen are free from class and gender oppression. Theorists such as Lewis Call and Daniel Jaeckledefne the anarchy that is established in The Dispossessed. The distinct female characters in TheDispossessed demonstrate the clear diferences between the two political systems. Additionally,I argue that The Dispossessed is a feminist text with the ultimate purpose of demonstrating howwomen can reach equality and ultimate agency in an anarchic state due to Le Guin's example