Date of Award

6-2025

Document Type

Thesis (Master's)

Department or Program

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Klaus Milich

Second Advisor

Leslie Butler

Third Advisor

Donald Pease

Abstract

“Feminist Fatalism: Subordination and Womanhood in 19th Century America” explores the history and concept of womanhood in United States society. From the nation’s founding to the early years of identity building and westward expansion to the country’s reconstruction after the Civil War and the rise of the Women’s Movement, this thesis considers how and why women often embraced their subordinate role. Building on the work of philosophers like Allison Jagger, Paula Rothenberg, and Charlotte Knowles, this piece considers the external and internal motivations of self-subordination across a variety of American women in the 19th century. For some, it was a fear of the unknown and an embrace of familiar societal norms; for others, it was a tool to weaponize in their push for change. For all, though, their acceptance of submission leads one to ask an important question: Are they complicit victims in an inescapable system of oppression or are they conspiratorial victims upholding that very system?

With the current turmoil of world events, many American women are embracing traditional notions of femininity yet again, leading to a surge in self-subordination across the nation. As such, this study is more relevant than ever, allowing us to look to the past to consider the roots of the nation’s gendered thinking and women’s embrace of that submissive role. Through this, one can discover that Americanism and womanhood have always been intimately entwined, making the fight for equality different than one might expect – it is not just a revolution of social norms but rather a revolution of national identity.

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