Carol G Cox - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Carol G Cox

The translation of Jürgen Habermas’s "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inqu... more The translation of Jürgen Habermas’s "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society" into English in 1989 generated much discussion on the historical nature and development of the public sphere. Historians integrated Habermas’s model into their studies on European politics and culture, the French Revolution, and women’s place in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European society (and to a lesser extent in American society). However, historians did not use Habermas’s model unquestioningly or without criticism. One of the most vigorous responses came from feminist historians and political theorists who argued that Habermas’s conception of the bourgeois public sphere excluded women (both in his book and in the model itself) from participation and, in fact, the public sphere was predicated on masculinist assumptions about men and women’s proper roles in society and politics. This paper will first examine the models established by Habermas and Arendt, including the historical origins and transformation of their conceptions of the public sphere, the defining characteristics of each, and the relationship of the public sphere to the state, the economy, and the household/family. I will then consider several feminist critiques of both models, as well as arguments put forth by Carole Pateman and Joan Landes that the public sphere is inherently and intrinsically masculinist. I will subsequently examine each scholar’s (Habermas, Arendt, Pateman, and Landes) understanding of the relationship of the public sphere to modernity and the emancipatory nature of the public sphere. Finally, in agreement with Habermas’s later work and Nancy Fraser’s modifications of it, I will propose a move away from dualistic, oppositional thinking of “public” and “private” to replace that with a model that reflects the interconnections between four institutions: the public sphere, the state, the economy, and the household/family.

Drafts by Carol G Cox

In recent years, historians of twentieth-century France have become increasingly interested in an... more In recent years, historians of twentieth-century France have become increasingly interested in analyzing the interwar period, no longer as a mere interregnum between the First and Second World Wars but as worthy of study in its own right. Works on far-right groups like the Croix de feu/Parti Social Français and the veterans’ ligues have flourished. Women and gender have been part of much of this historiography, as scholars have attempted to understand the effect interwar crises had on policies towards women, as well as society’s conceptions of women’s roles in the family and in the workplace as a result of these events. However, women’s relationship to the political realm, particularly the Left, during this period has been less examined. My dissertation proposes to study how the French Communist Party (Parti Communiste Français, PCF) used rituals, symbols, commemorations, rallies, festivals, and other activities to create a party culture that both challenged and reinforced prevailing political, social and cultural traditions, including gender roles.

Talks by Carol G Cox

As a society, why are we so ambivalent and uncomfortable about women in power? My TEDx talk exami... more As a society, why are we so ambivalent and uncomfortable about women in power? My TEDx talk examines our deep-rooted fears about women striving for powerful positions, our myths through the ages about powerful women, and how this came to a head in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

The translation of Jürgen Habermas’s "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inqu... more The translation of Jürgen Habermas’s "The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society" into English in 1989 generated much discussion on the historical nature and development of the public sphere. Historians integrated Habermas’s model into their studies on European politics and culture, the French Revolution, and women’s place in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European society (and to a lesser extent in American society). However, historians did not use Habermas’s model unquestioningly or without criticism. One of the most vigorous responses came from feminist historians and political theorists who argued that Habermas’s conception of the bourgeois public sphere excluded women (both in his book and in the model itself) from participation and, in fact, the public sphere was predicated on masculinist assumptions about men and women’s proper roles in society and politics. This paper will first examine the models established by Habermas and Arendt, including the historical origins and transformation of their conceptions of the public sphere, the defining characteristics of each, and the relationship of the public sphere to the state, the economy, and the household/family. I will then consider several feminist critiques of both models, as well as arguments put forth by Carole Pateman and Joan Landes that the public sphere is inherently and intrinsically masculinist. I will subsequently examine each scholar’s (Habermas, Arendt, Pateman, and Landes) understanding of the relationship of the public sphere to modernity and the emancipatory nature of the public sphere. Finally, in agreement with Habermas’s later work and Nancy Fraser’s modifications of it, I will propose a move away from dualistic, oppositional thinking of “public” and “private” to replace that with a model that reflects the interconnections between four institutions: the public sphere, the state, the economy, and the household/family.

In recent years, historians of twentieth-century France have become increasingly interested in an... more In recent years, historians of twentieth-century France have become increasingly interested in analyzing the interwar period, no longer as a mere interregnum between the First and Second World Wars but as worthy of study in its own right. Works on far-right groups like the Croix de feu/Parti Social Français and the veterans’ ligues have flourished. Women and gender have been part of much of this historiography, as scholars have attempted to understand the effect interwar crises had on policies towards women, as well as society’s conceptions of women’s roles in the family and in the workplace as a result of these events. However, women’s relationship to the political realm, particularly the Left, during this period has been less examined. My dissertation proposes to study how the French Communist Party (Parti Communiste Français, PCF) used rituals, symbols, commemorations, rallies, festivals, and other activities to create a party culture that both challenged and reinforced prevailing political, social and cultural traditions, including gender roles.

As a society, why are we so ambivalent and uncomfortable about women in power? My TEDx talk exami... more As a society, why are we so ambivalent and uncomfortable about women in power? My TEDx talk examines our deep-rooted fears about women striving for powerful positions, our myths through the ages about powerful women, and how this came to a head in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.