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Deconstructing'hegemonic Feminism': the Emergence Of Deconstructing ‘Hegemonic Feminism’: The Emergence of ‘Second Wave’ Feminism in Canada (1965-1975) by Bronwyn Bragg A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Bronwyn Bragg 2011 Deconstructing ‘Hegemonic Feminism’: The Emergence of ‘Second Wave’ Feminism in Canada (1965-1975) Bronwyn Bragg Master of Arts Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto 2011 Abstract Drawing on a collection of interviews with Canadian feminists, this thesis explores the emergence of a ‗second wave‘ of feminist organizing in Canada from 1965 to 1975. Using insights from poststructural feminism and critical race theory, I deconstruct the notion of ‗hegemonic feminism‘ and examine how certain women came to inhabit a position of hegemony during the movement‘s early years. I focus on key events in feminist organizing during the 1960s-1970s: The Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the founding of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Drawing on oral history interviews and a close reading of the report on the RCSW, I suggest that more nuanced approaches are needed to move beyond the binary thinking that inflects accounts of Canadian feminist history. I conclude with a series of feminist narratives which aim to complicate linear histories and offer an alternative reading of this movement. ii Acknowledgments All work is collaborative. This thesis was no exception. First and foremost, this work would not have been possible without the existence of the Second Wave Archival Project. The three years that I have spent interviewing women across the country have provided not only the academic fodder for my research, they also challenged me to rethink feminist politics and activism in ways that were unimaginable to me when I began. I am grateful to the women who shared their stories with me and for their willingness to put their histories on the public record. There is a great risk when we tell our stories – a vulnerability and trust that we must assume – and I owe a great debt of gratitude to the women who took this risk. It is hard to believe that a work such as this would have been an academic impossibility a mere forty years ago, this fact bears remembering and I give thanks to the courageous women who made our place within the academy not only possible but essential. In addition to the women whose stories are recounted here, I would like to thank project organizers Senator Nancy Ruth and Beth Atcheson. That the project grew from its initial ten interviews to the 100 that now live at the Canadian Women's Movement Archives is a testament to their belief in importance of documenting this history. I am thankful also for their continued trust in me – not only to conduct the interviews but to use them for my own research. The encouragement to use these interviews in my thesis research comes from Dr. Margrit Eichler. As an early advisor on the project, she was willing to take on a graduate student during her the last year of her academic career (a risky proposition to be sure!). To her role of supervisor, Margrit brought the perfect amount of direction, support and encouragement. I consider myself fortunate to have been one of her last advisees and am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from her wisdom and deep understanding of the movement. iii I am equally grateful to Dr. Kari Dehli who acted as my second committee member and whose careful comments helped make this thesis stronger. Her class on poststructural feminism also helped me productively rethink my methodological and theoretical approaches. I am grateful to the following faculty the University of Toronto who contributed to my success this year: Alissa Trotz and Roland S. Coloma. Also to Deb Cowen who provided not only valuable intellectual direction and feedback but whose open door and generous encouragement ensured that I remained committed to (and believing in) my work. Thanks to Marian Reed and Kristine Pearson for the administrative support I received. Special thanks to my colleagues at OISE, the Women and Gender Studies Institute at U of T and a delightful band of critical geographers – all who pushed me to think more critically and in different ways about my research. Thanks is owed to my family: my parents who are both ardent feminists and who raised me to be intellectually curious and political engaged. They are also the only people I trust to read my first drafts and I am grateful for the patience and generosity they bring to this task. Thanks to Ms. Meredith Bragg for always keeping it real and helping me stay focused on the bigger picture. Also to Sue Ramondt and Al Dickie who made sure I remained housed, nourished and generally well taken care of. Big thanks to three men who helped me keep it together this year: David Seitz for his sense of humour, his sincere political commitment (to say nothing of his introducing me to Jackie Brown) and his constant support. Andrew Shmuely for providing an academic shoulder to cry on and sound advice whenever asked. And Dev Aujla - running buddy, best friend, support team – this year was infinitely more fun thanks to him. iv Lastly, thanks to the many friends who inspire, support and encourage: Sarah Chênevert- Beaudoin, Andréane Sabourin-Laflamme, Catherine Wilson, Jennifer Smith, Victoria Keller, Karol Cheetham, Alissa Perry, Kate Rice, Kendall Quantz, April Elliot, Neasa Coll, Carissa MacLennan, Taarini Chopra and Emma Feltes. v Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ........................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1 : Introduction: Research Question and Literature Review ............................................. 1 Chapter 2 : Poststructural Feminist Methodologies: Poststructural feminism; Oral History; Discourse, Agency and Power. Joan Scott (1992); Judith Butler (1992); Linda Cullum (2003)....... ................................................................................................................................ 30 Chapter 3 : Conditions of Possibility: RCSW and the Discursive Terrain of 1960s Canada....... ............................................................................................................................... 56 Chapter 4 : Consolidating 'Hegemonic' Feminism: The Establishment of the National Action Committee in the 1970s....... .................................................................................................... 81 Chapter 5 : Hegemonic Feminism and the ‗Imaginary Mainstream‘: Narratives of the Canadian Feminist Movement....... ........................................................................................ 106 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 126 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 139 Appendix A ............................................................................................................................... 1455 Appendix B ............................................................................................................................... 1477 vi List of Appendices Appendix A: Second Wave Archival Project. Oral History Consent and Release Form Appendix B: Second Wave Archival Project. Oral History Interviews vii 1 Chapter 1 Introduction: Research Question and Literature Review Question: What were the conditions of emergence that led to the establishment of a 'hegemonic' feminist movement in Canada (1965-1975)? Summary: The goal of my MA thesis research is twofold. First, I want to examine social conditions that led the emergence of a Canadian women's movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I will do this by examining a collection of oral history interviews with women who were involved in the movement at this time. The aim, as my research question indicates, is to unpack the conditions - social, political, discursive and economic - that led to the emergence of a 'second wave' of feminist activism in Canada. The decade from 1965 to 1975 (culminating with 1975 being declared International Women's Year by the United Nations) saw an upswing in feminist activism in Canada (Robbins et al. 2008; Bégin 1998; Andersen 2010; Rebick 2005). With the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (tabled in 1970) and the establishment of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (1971) this period can also be read as the entrenchment of a particular mode of feminist organizing in Canada. Under the leadership of white, middle-class women who worked through state-sanctioned channels, this mode of feminist organizing has become a site of critique for its hegemonic and exclusionary nature. This leads to the second goal of my research: to explore how this mode of feminist organizing came to be seen as hegemonic and how this hegemony has been reinforced and rearticulated in the historiography of the Canadian women's movement. These two goals are inextricably linked and the latter cannot be undertaken without considering the
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