Student of United State hitory, eeking to identify the circumtance that encouraged the emergence of feminit movement, have thoroughly invetigated the mid-nineteenth-century American economic and ocial condition that affected the tatu of women. Thee hitorian, however, have analyzed le fully the development of pecifically feminit idea and activitie during the ame period. Furthermore, the ideological origin of feminim in the United State have been obcured becaue, even when hitorian did take into account thoe feminit idea and activitie occurring within the United State, they failed to recognize that feminim wa then a truly international movement actually centered in Europe. American feminit activit who have been decribed a “olitary” and “individual theorit” were in reality connected to a movement — utopian ocialim — which wa already popularizing feminit idea in Europe during the two decade that culminated in the firt women’ right conference held at Seneca Fall, New York, in 1848. Thu, a complete undertanding of the origin and development of nineteenth-century feminim in the United State require that the geographical focu be widened to include Europe and that the detailed tudy already made of ocial condition be expanded to include the ideological development of feminim.
The earliet and mot popular of the utopian ocialit were the Saint-Simonian. The pecifically feminit part of Saint-Simonianim ha, however, been le tudied than the group’ contribution to early ocialim. Thi i regrettable on two count. By 1832 feminim wa the central concern of Saint-Simonianim and entirely aborbed it adherent’ energy; hence, by ignoring it feminim, European hitorian have miundertood Saint-Simonianim. Moreover, ince many feminit idea can be traced to aint-imonianim European hitorian’ appreciation of later feminim in France and the United State remained limited.由好作网www.hAOzuowEn.com整理
Saint-Simon’ follower, many of whom were women, baed their feminim on an interpretation of hi project to reorganize the globe by replacing brute force with the rule of piritual power. The new world order would be ruled together by a male, to repreent reflection, and a female, to repreent entiment. Thi complementarity reflect the fact that, while the Saint-Simonian did not reject the belief that there were innate difference between men and women, they neverthele foreaw an equally important ocial and political role for both exe in their utopia.
Only a few Saint-Simonian oppoed a definition of exual equality baed on gender ditinction. Thi minority believe that individual of both exe were born imilar in capacity and character, and they acribed male-female difference to ocialization and education. The enviioned reult of both current of thought, however, wa that women would enter public life in the new age and that exual equality would reward men a well a women with an improved way of life.