Toward a Feminist Ethic of the Self in Dialogue with Mary Astell and Michel Foucault

1 Toward a feminist ethic of the self in dialogue with Mary Astell and Michel Foucault. Simone Webb University College London Gender Studies PhD 3 Declaration I, Simone Webb, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 5 Abstract This thesis puts the later work of Michael Foucault (1926-1984) into dialogue with the early-modern feminist philosopher Mary Astell (1666-1731). I read Astell’s key texts through the framework of care of the self and ethic of the self which Foucault develops in his later lectures, interviews, and other texts. I show how she is situated within the same tradition which Foucault identifies in the history of philosophy while at the same time gendering that tradition and turning it to feminist ends. Through my reading of the two philosophers I consider what they can offer a modern feminist ethic of the self. I draw out the potential of Astell’s regimen for women in the modern world, using its limitations as opportunities to interrogate and develop. My argument is that we could, today, benefit from a feminism which focuses on women’s ethical selves, and a structured askesis to facilitate self-transformation. The thesis comprises five chapters. Chapter One reads Astell’s Serious Proposal through Foucault’s lens of “care of the self”, arguing that Astell presents a feminist ethic of care for the self. Chapter Two examines Astell’s “practices of the self”, attending especially to her bodily practices and her practices of withdrawal and meditation. Chapter Three concerns philosophy as a spirituality and critical practice of the self in Astell’s work. Chapter Four addresses the relationship between self and other in Astell and Foucault, focusing particularly on the role of friendship as fundamental to an ethic of the self. Chapter Five considers the role of religion in Astell’s ethic of the self. Each chapter considers the relationship between Astell’s ethic and comparable modern experiences. I conclude by considering a possible model for a feminist ethic of the self drawn from Astell’s regimen, and by offering a critique of the project as a whole. 7 Impact statement This PhD thesis and the research I have undertaken to write it will deliver impact both inside and outside academia. Inside academia, my thesis contributes to two major fields of scholarship, on both Mary Astell and Michel Foucault. It brings these two philosophers into dialogue for the first time. Doing this, I provide a new reading of Astell’s ethics through Foucault’s ethical framework as well as a feminist critique of and addition to Foucauldian ethics using Astell’s thought. Additionally, I contribute a model for modern feminist ethics which could be further expanded and built on. In terms of my methodology, I integrate first-person reflections with textual analysis and philosophical argument in a way which provides new insights into Astell’s regimen for women and its potential relevance today. This impact will be brought about partly through journal articles: I have already published two journal articles based on research undertaken during my PhD, and have plans to develop chapters of my thesis for journal submission. I have also contributed through conference presentations I have delivered on my research: I have presented on Astell and Foucault at the “Philosophy as a Way of Life in the History of Philosophy” conference at KCL in 2019 as well as at the annual Society for European Philosophy conference in 2018. My research has already had public impact. I have written about Astell for popular outlets such as The Philosopher Queens (2020), and online venues such as 1000 Word Philosophy and The View, a magazine by and for women in prison. I have also led discussions on Astell and Foucault outside academic contexts: I have presented on both philosophers at the Stuart Low Trust Philosophy Forum, for instance, and led a teach out session on Mary Astell during the UCU strikes in 2018. I am working on a book proposal for a popular book about Mary Astell’s ethics of the self. Finally, I have been interviewed about both Astell and Foucault for popular philosophy podcast Embrace the Void. 9 Acknowledgements I have been very fortunate to be able to undertake and complete a PhD, and I have benefitted from a great deal of personal and institutional support throughout which enabled me to do so. Financially, I am grateful to have received UCL’s Graduate Research Scholarship which funded three years of my PhD. I also want to thank the Royal Institute of Philosophy: my receipt of a Jacobsen Studentship was invaluable in helping me to complete my final year. My supervisors, Dr. Angus Gowland and Professor Helen Hackett, have been supportive and constructively critical of my work throughout, and have provided both guidance and the latitude to change my mind and explore new directions in my thesis. I also want to thank the Stuart Low Trust Philosophy Forum: my volunteering with them has proved to be among the most fulfilling part of my philosophical life over the last three years. Several insightful comments made by participants when I presented a session on Mary Astell have stayed with me and guided my thoughts on the topic. The organisation has shown me what public and community philosophical engagement can be. I am very lucky to have several close friends, old and new, who have taken my mind off my research when need be and added to my life immeasurably: especially Sophie, Lyman, Rebecca, and Alex. My parents, Simon and Gill, have been behind me every step of the way. Two years into my PhD I met my partner, Joe. This was the best thing that could have happened to me, and my writing up year would have looked very different without him being by my side. 11 Note on the text Translations of Foucault’s writing and interviews use both “ascesis”, unitalicized, and “askesis”, in italics, to refer to the same concept: I have used both versions of the word when quoting Foucault directly, but made my own use consistent. I use “askesis” throughout. I use “they” as a singular pronoun in cases where gender is either unspecified or when referring to someone who uses they/them pronouns. List of abbreviations LG: Mary Astell, Letters Concerning the Love of God (1695) CR: Mary Astell, The Christian Religion (1717) FW: Mary Astell, A Fair Way With the Dissenters and Their Patrons (1996b) RM: Mary Astell, Reflections upon Marriage (1996a) SP I: Mary Astell, A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Part I (2002) SP II: Mary Astell, A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Part II (2002) ECCO: Eighteenth Century Collections Online EEBO: Early English Books Online 13 Table of contents Declaration ............................................................................................................. 3 Abstract .................................................................................................................. 5 Impact statement ................................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... 9 Note on the text ..................................................................................................... 11 List of abbreviations .............................................................................................. 11 Table of contents .................................................................................................. 13 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 17 The deaths of Mary Astell and Michel Foucault .............................................. 17 Thesis and methodology .................................................................................. 20 Who was Mary Astell? ..................................................................................... 24 Astell’s philosophy ........................................................................................... 26 Situating Astell’s ethics .................................................................................... 30 Astell’s feminism .............................................................................................. 32 Astell’s religion ................................................................................................. 34 Astell’s politics .................................................................................................. 37 Who was Michel Foucault?.............................................................................. 38 Foucault’s later thought ................................................................................... 39 Astell and Foucault’s key writings ................................................................... 45 Astell in the twenty-first century .................................................................... 46 What is a woman? ............................................................................................ 49 Astell, Foucault, and the “self” ......................................................................... 52 Resistance, freedom, autonomy ...................................................................... 55 14 Surveying the field of scholarship ................................................................... 56 Thesis and askesis: the doctorate as practice of the self ................................. 61 Thesis

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