Feminist New Materialism

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Theoretical framework
What is feminist new materialism?

It is grounded in feminist theory and is seen as a method, a conceptual frame, and a
political stand that stresses the concrete yet complex materiality of bodies immersed in
social relations of power Feminist new materialism is a recent term that refers to a
group of diverse and often significantly divergent approaches within feminist theory¹².
It is a theoretical framework that grapples with the complexity of materiality, and it
draws from various sources, including phenomenology, postmodern thought, the
sciences, and Marxist-inspired conceptions of materiality¹².
The term "materialism" in feminist new materialism refers to the attention given to the
materiality of the world, including the embodied nature of subjects and the complex
exchanges between bodies and power¹². The modifier "new" signifies a shift from
traditional materialist perspectives, emphasizing the complexity, indeterminacy, and
interconnectedness of material phenomena¹.
Feminist new materialism challenges the boundaries between disciplines and is
developed by people, ideas, and approaches from many different disciplines and
practices². ².
Key thinkers in the field of feminist new materialism include Karen Barad, Rosi
Braidotti, Elizabeth Grosz, Jane Bennett, Vicki Kirby, and Manuel DeLanda³. Their
work has significantly influenced the understanding and application of feminist new
materialism in various fields of study³.
(1) 31 Feminist New Materialisms - Oxford Academic.
https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/37184/chapter/324122162.
(2) Feminist New Materialist Practice: The Mattering of Methods.
https://maifeminism.com/feminist-new-materialisms-the-mattering-of-methods-
editors-note/.
(3) New Materialism - Literary and Critical Theory - Oxford Bibliographies.
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/abstract/document/obo-9780190221911/
obo-9780190221911-0016.xml.
(4) Materialist feminism - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialist_feminism.
(5) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190628925.013.30.
(6) undefined. https://www.instagram.com/rourgant/.
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What is the difference between feminist new materialism and traditional

feminism?
Feminist new materialism and traditional feminism are both branches of feminist
theory, but they approach the concept of materiality and agency differently¹²⁴⁵.
Traditional feminism often focuses on social, political, and cultural structures,
examining how these structures contribute to gender inequality. It tends to view
agency as primarily a human attribute, and it often emphasizes the role of discourse
and language in shaping social realities¹².
On the other hand, feminist new materialism challenges these traditional views. It
emphasizes the active role of matter and biology, viewing them as having agency in
their own right⁴. It proposes a shift from a unidirectional account of agency, where the
agency of bodies and material objects is understood largely as an effect of power, to a
framework within which culture and biology have reciprocal agentive effects upon
one another⁴.
Feminist new materialism also differs from traditional feminism in its approach to
materiality. Elizabeth Wingrove explains that for traditional feminist materialisms, "to
speak of materiality is to speak of structural logics and constitutive contradictions,
systematic relationality, and social totalities," whereas for the feminist new
materialisms, "to speak of materiality is to speak of contingencies, web-like meshes
and multidirectional flows that suggest fluctuating connections and a rich 'messiness'
whose complexity and indeterminacy preclude the notion of a totality"³.
In essence, while traditional feminism often focuses on social structures and human
agency, feminist new materialism emphasizes the complexity, indeterminacy, and
interconnectedness of material phenomena, and the reciprocal agency of culture and
biology¹²⁴⁵.
editors-note/.
(3) The Implications of the New Materialisms for Feminist Epistemology ....
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-6835-5_4.
(4) New Material Feminisms and Historical Materialism: A Diffractive ....
https://academic.oup.com/nyu-press-scholarship-online/book/30147/chapter/
257089386.
(5) 31 Feminist New Materialisms - Oxford Academic. https://bing.com/search?
q=difference+between+feminist+new+materialism+and+traditional+feminism.
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What is the role of matter in feminist new materialism?

In feminist new materialism, matter plays a central and dynamic role¹²⁴.
Feminist new materialism challenges the traditional view of matter as passive and
mechanistic². Instead, it proposes a more dynamic understanding of matter, viewing it
as active and vital²⁴. This perspective acknowledges that matter and biology are active
in their own right, pushing for a model in which causation is conceived as complex,
recursive, and multi-linear³.
The term "mattering" is proposed to describe the generative process through which
matter comes into being⁴. Material stuff — bodies, tools, objects — are understood as
imbued with vitality and dynamic force⁴. This is a philosophical claim, but one that
entails a political sensibility⁴.
In feminist new materialism, matter is not just a passive recipient of human action, but
an active participant that can affect and be affected². This perspective allows for a
richer understanding of the complex exchanges between bodies and power¹, and it
opens up new ways of thinking about agency, embodiment, and the material world².
(2) Toward a New Materialism: Matter as Dynamic - Center for Humans and
Nature. https://humansandnature.org/toward-a-new-materialism-matter-as-
dynamic/.
(3) Mirroring and Mattering: Science, Politics, and the New Feminist ....
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/mirroring-and-mattering-science-politics-and-
the-new-feminist-materialism/.
(5) Marxist / Materialist Feminism. http://cddc.vt.edu/feminism/mar.html.
Examples of a traditional feminist approach to studying gender?

One example of a traditional feminist approach to studying gender is through the lens
of **liberal feminism**¹.
Liberal feminists writing about education use concepts of equal opportunities,
socialization, sex roles, and discrimination¹. Their strategies involve altering
socialization practices, changing attitudes, and making use of relevant legislation¹.
Critics of the liberal school point to conceptual limitations and the liberal reluctance to
confront power and patriarchy¹.
Socialist Feminism: Another example is **socialist feminism**. Socialist feminists
analyze the role of the school in the perpetuation of gender divisions under
capitalism¹. Major concepts are socio-cultural reproduction and to a lesser extent
acceptance of and resistance to gender-based patterns of behavior¹. So far socialist-
feminist educational writing is mainly theoretical rather than practical and has
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therefore been criticized for its over-determinism and insufficient empirical

foundation¹.
Radical feminism is another traditional feminist approach. Radical feminists in
education have concentrated mainly on the male monopolization of knowledge and
culture and on sexual politics in schools¹. Strategies involve putting women's and
girls' concerns first, through separate-sex groups when necessary¹. Critics argue that
radical feminism tends towards biological reductionism, description rather than
explanation, and also contains methodological weaknesses¹.
These approaches represent different ways that traditional feminism has sought to
understand and challenge gender inequality. They each offer unique insights into the
ways that gender shapes our social world, but they also have their own limitations and
have been subject to various criticisms¹.
(1) Feminist Theory and the Study of Gender and Education.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3444244.
(2) Gender Studies: Foundations and Key Concepts - JSTOR Daily.
https://daily.jstor.org/reading-list-gender-studies/.
(3) Research made simple: an introduction to feminist research.
https://ebn.bmj.com/content/26/3/87.
(4) Feminist Theories - Criminology - Oxford Bibliographies.
obo-9780195396607-0013.xml.
(5) Feminist Therapy: Definition, Techniques and Efficacy - Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-feminist-therapy-5204184.
Examples of a traditional feminist approach to studying gender in Vietnam?

Traditional feminist approaches to studying gender in Vietnam have been influenced
by the country's unique cultural and historical context. Here are a few examples:
1. **Gender Equality and Women's Issues in Vietnam**: This research explores
women's issues in Vietnam and strengthens the emerging voice of the "exotic other
female" in contemporary international feminist discourse¹. It argues that any women's
movement in Vietnam today must be cast as the revitalization of the Vietnamese
woman's collective cultural identity, rather than as a Western imported feminist
doctrine¹. The Vietnamese woman's collective cultural identity is based on the history
and cultural folklores of Vietnam, including expressions of feminist ideas in law and
literature, and a long history of warfare and collective sufferings, wherein women
have been seen as martyrs, national treasures, and laborers in war and in peace¹.
2. **Beyond Combat: Women and Gender in the Vietnam War Era**: This book
investigates how the Vietnam War both reinforced and challenged the gender roles that
were key components of American Cold War ideology². It refocuses attention onto
women and gender to paint a more complex and accurate picture of the war's far-
reaching impact beyond the battlefields².
3. **Deserting Gender: A Feminist Rhetorical Approach to Vietnam War Novels**:
This research proposes an alternative genealogy of American war literature in which
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narratives since the end of the nineteenth century initiate two related patterns of
gender representation that Vietnam War literature dramatically expands³.
These examples illustrate how traditional feminist approaches have been applied to
the study of gender in Vietnam, taking into account the country's unique cultural,
historical, and socio-political context.
(1) Gender Equality and Women's Issues in Vietnam: The Vietnamese Woman ....
https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wilj/vol10/iss2/2/.
(2) Women and Gender in the Vietnam War Era - Cambridge University Press ....
https://assets.cambridge.org/97805217/62755/frontmatter/9780521762755_frontma
tter.pdf.
(3) Deserting Gender: A Feminist Rhetorical Approach to Vietnam War Novels.
https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/handle/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-05-9179.
(4) Research made simple: an introduction to feminist research.
https://ebn.bmj.com/content/26/3/87.
Examples of traditional feminist approach to studying gender in Vietnamese

education
Traditional feminist approaches to studying gender in Vietnamese education have been
influenced by the country's unique cultural and historical context. Here are a few
examples:
1. **Complexities of Vietnamese Femininities**: This research explores the
distinctiveness of a historically produced Vietnamese gender order as reflected in
current university women’s experience¹. Three main themes are explored: (1) the
Vietnamese woman as ‘General of the Interior’; (2) the ‘Woman behind the throne’;
and (3) ‘Behind a woman is another woman’¹. These themes illustrate the
distinctiveness of a historically produced Vietnamese gender order as reflected in
current university women’s experience¹.
2. **Gender Equality in Vietnamese and English High Schools**: This study
comparatively examines the issue of gender equality in high schools in Vietnam and
England². Data were analysed using a combination of grounded theory, cross-cultural
study and narrative analysis within a liberal feminist framework². The main findings
from Vietnam include that despite a strong commitment to gender equality by the
central government, both pedagogy and curriculum in Vietnamese high schools fail to
promote gender equality, and that gender equality is, therefore, espoused rather than
enacted².
3. **Gender Research in Vietnam**: This paper maps the predominant interpretations
and characteristics of Vietnamese research on gender issues³. Through a review of
recent articles from the Vietnamese-language journal Women's Studies, it profiles the
main topics, intellectual influences, methods, and conceptual approaches of women's
studies and gender research³.
These examples illustrate how traditional feminist approaches have been applied to
the study of gender in Vietnamese education, taking into account the country's unique
cultural, historical, and socio-political context.
6
(1) Complexities of Vietnamese femininities: A resource for rethinking ....

https://vuir.vu.edu.au/27790/3/Do+Brennan-pre-publicationGender+Ed2015.pdf.
(2) The challenge of ensuring gender equality in Vietnamese and English ....
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJCED-09-2017-0025/full/
html.
(3) Gender research in Vietnam: Traditional approaches and emerging ....
https://www.academia.edu/723247/Gender_research_in_Vietnam_Traditional_appr
oaches_and_emerging_trajectories.
(4) Feminism in Vietnam: Women’s Studies, Gender Research, and ....
https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/feminism-in-vietnam-womens-studies-
gender-research-and-intersecti.
(5) Gender Equality and Women's Issues in Vietnam: The Vietnamese Woman ....
https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wilj/vol10/iss2/2/.
(6) undefined. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/27790/.
(7) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCED-09-2017-0025.
Một số ví dụ về cách tiếp cận nữ quyền truyền thống được áp dụng trong nghiên
cứu giới tính trong giáo dục Việt Nam
Dưới đây là một số ví dụ về cách tiếp cận nữ quyền truyền thống được áp dụng trong
nghiên cứu giới tính trong giáo dục Việt Nam:
1. **Nghiên cứu giới tính ở Việt Nam: Các phương pháp tiếp cận truyền thống và xu
hướng mới mẻ**: Bài viết này vẽ lên những diễn giải và đặc điểm nổi bật của nghiên
cứu giới tính ở Việt Nam¹. Thông qua việc xem xét các bài viết gần đây từ tạp chí
Nghiên cứu Phụ nữ tiếng Việt, chúng tôi mô tả các chủ đề chính, ảnh hưởng trí tuệ,
phương pháp, và cách tiếp cận khái niệm của nghiên cứu phụ nữ và giới¹.
2. **Phức tạp của nữ tính Việt Nam: Một nguồn lực để suy nghĩ lại về thực hành lãnh
đạo đại học của phụ nữ**: Bài viết này phát triển một cuộc đối thoại giữa các lý
thuyết phương Bắc và sự phân biệt lịch sử và văn hóa của Việt Nam được xác định
thông qua sự hiện diện của matriarchy trong các xã hội cổ đại và sự phổ biến của nó
trong dân gian và chính trị hiện đại².
3. **Nữ quyền ở Việt Nam: Nghiên cứu Phụ nữ, Nghiên cứu Giới và...**: Bài viết này
cho thấy sự tương đồng với các dòng chảy toàn cầu, ví dụ, cách mà các học giả Việt
Nam đã hiểu về mục tiêu xã hội và chính trị lâu dài là đạt được 'sự bình đẳng giữa
nam và nữ' (nam nữ bình quyền), trong đó chúng ta quan sát được sự chuyển đổi từ
việc tập trung rõ ràng vào phụ nữ - theo truyền thống của nghiên cứu phụ nữ, đến một
sự tập trung lớn hơn vào mối quan hệ giữa phụ nữ, nam giới và các nhóm khác - theo
truyền thống của nghiên cứu giới³⁴.
Những ví dụ này minh họa cách tiếp cận nữ quyền truyền thống đã được áp dụng
trong nghiên cứu giới tính trong giáo dục Việt Nam, dựa trên bối cảnh văn hóa, lịch sử
và xã hội độc đáo của đất nước.
(1) Gender research in Vietnam: Traditional approaches and emerging ....
https://www.academia.edu/723247/Gender_research_in_Vietnam_Traditional_appr
oaches_and_emerging_trajectories.
7
(2) Complexities of Vietnamese femininities: A resource for rethinking ....

https://vuir.vu.edu.au/27790/3/Do+Brennan-pre-publicationGender+Ed2015.pdf.
https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/feminism-in-vietnam-womens-studies-
gender-research-and-intersecti.
https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/publication/3ebf639b-3819-4aa5-bb79-ccc42be65edd.
(5) undefined. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/27790/.
Feminist new materialism_Theoretical concepts

Feminist new materialism is a complex and diverse theoretical framework within
feminist theory. Here are some of its key theoretical concepts:
1. Materiality in Philosophical Traditions: This concept pays attention to
materiality in the philosophical traditions of phenomenology and postmodern
thought¹. It emphasizes the importance of embodiment and its situatedness and rejects
dichotomies such as mind/body or nature/culture.
In the context of feminist new materialism, the concept of materiality's embodiment
and its situatedness is quite significant. Here's what it entails:
Embodiment: This refers to the physical manifestation of a living entity, emphasizing
that the body is not just a vessel for the mind, but an active participant in its
environment¹². It acknowledges that our bodies are not separate from our minds, but
rather, they are intertwined and mutually influential¹².
Situatedness: This concept recognizes that our bodies exist within specific contexts or
situations¹. It means that our experiences and identities are shaped by the specific
circumstances and environments in which we find ourselves¹.
A key component of feminist new materialism is the attentiveness to the importance of
embodiment and its situatedness¹. This is reflected in feminist phenomenological
accounts of embodiment, which are an important element of a widespread feminist
suspicion of dichotomies such as mind/body or nature/culture¹. These approaches
resulted in a rich attunement to materiality in terms of the embodied nature of the
subject¹. In the hands of feminists, this attunement to materiality was accompanied by
attention to the complex exchanges between bodies and power¹.
Feminist phenomenological accounts of embodiment and situatedness play a
crucial role in challenging traditional dichotomies such as mind/body or
nature/culture. Here's how:
Challenging Dualisms: Feminist phenomenology destabilizes and deconstructs the
dualisms that underwrite modernist epistemological projects³. These dualisms,
such as nature/culture, rational/irrational, subject/object, and masculine/feminine,
have been critiqued as they often lead to hierarchical thinking and the
marginalization of certain groups³.
Embodiment as Active and Situated: Feminist phenomenology emphasizes that the
body is not just a passive recipient of experience, but an active, sensing entity that
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is always situated within a specific context¹². This challenges the mind/body

dichotomy by asserting that our bodies are not separate from our minds, but rather,
they are intertwined and mutually influential¹².
Bridging the Gap: Embodiment theory in anthropology, which shares roots with
feminist phenomenology, aims to bridge perceived gaps produced by dualistic
ways of thinking about the world using binary groupings such as nature/culture
and mind/body⁴.
Rethinking the Body: Feminist phenomenology contributes to the critical feminist
project of rethinking embodiment beyond these dichotomies¹. If the body has been
the silenced side of a dichotomy upon which the supremacy of the (masculinist,
patriarchal) mind has been constructed, then feminisms that disavow embodiment
risk upholding the dichotomy that has traditionally subordinated women¹.
Embodied Ways of Knowing: Feminist phenomenology also contributes to the
development of embodied ways of knowing². This approach recognizes that
knowledge is not just a product of abstract reasoning (mind), but is also deeply
intertwined with our embodied experiences (body)².
In essence, feminist phenomenological accounts of embodiment provide a
powerful tool for challenging and rethinking traditional dichotomies, thereby
opening up new ways of understanding and experiencing the world¹²³⁴⁵.
(1) Feminist Epistemology | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
https://iep.utm.edu/fem-epis/.
(2) Bodies and sensings: On the uses of Husserlian phenomenology for ....
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11007-010-9135-8.
(3) Embodied Ways of Knowing: Revisiting Feminist Epistemology.
https://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10289/12927/
Barbour2018_Chapter_EmbodiedWaysOfKnowingRevisitin.pdf?sequence=2.
(4) Embodiment theory in anthropology - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embodiment_theory_in_anthropology.
(5) The Mind in the Body: Feminist and Neurocognitive Perspectives on ....
https://www.academia.edu/7622845/The_Mind_in_the_Body_Feminist_and_N
eurocognitive_Perspectives_on_Embodiment.
(6) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53318-0_14.
In essence, feminist new materialism highlights the dynamic relation between mind
and matter (including will, intention, intellect, and social and cultural forces), showing
how these interact in important and dynamic ways³. This relational, interactive matter
is not and cannot be inert and passive. Instead, matter is dynamic and has its own kind
of agency³.
9
dynamic/.
Engagement with Sciences: Feminist new materialism turns to the sciences to better
understand materiality¹. This approach aims to acknowledge that matter and biology
are active in their own right, pushing feminists to adopt a model of causation that is
complex, recursive, and multi-linear³.
Feminist new materialism turns to the sciences to better understand materiality in
several ways:
Interdisciplinary Approach: Feminist new materialism is inherently interdisciplinary,
drawing from fields such as biology, physics, and environmental science to inform its
understanding of materiality⁵.
Active Materiality: It acknowledges that matter and biology are active in their own
right³. This pushes feminists to relinquish the unidirectional model of causation in
which either culture or biology is determinative and instead to adopt a model in which
causation is conceived as complex, recursive, and multi-linear³.
Engagement with Scientific Concepts: Feminist new materialism engages with
scientific concepts such as affect, assemblage, intra-action, and thing-power to counter
the linguistic focus of post-structuralism; to underpin active engagement with
materiality and bodies; and to re-think gender, race, class, and sexualities as flows of
power and resistance within a messy, heterogeneous, and emergent social world⁴.
Influence of Scientific Theories: The theories of scientists have significantly
influenced feminist new materialism. For instance, the work of quantum physicist
Karen Barad has been instrumental in shaping feminist new materialist thought⁵.
In essence, feminist new materialism turns to the sciences to gain a more nuanced and
comprehensive understanding of materiality, challenging traditional dichotomies and
offering new ways of conceptualizing the world¹²³⁴⁵.

obo-9780190221911-0016.xml.
(3) New Materialism - The Sociological Review.
https://thesociologicalreview.org/magazine/september-2020/texture/new-
materialism/.
(5) Social Sciences | Free Full-Text | Feminist New Materialisms ....
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/11/296/htm.
(7) undefined. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8110296.
10
Marxist-Inspired Conceptions of Materiality: This concept draws from Marxist

materialism, focusing on the emergence of materiality and power¹. It traces its roots to
the neo-materialism of Foucault with his attention to biopower, and the neo-vitalist
materiality proposed by Deleuze¹.
Feminist new materialism is a complex theoretical framework that draws from various
sources, including Marxist-inspired conceptions of materiality¹².
Marxist-inspired materiality, as referred to in feminist new materialism, is one of the
three different sources for the conception of materiality engaged in the feminist new
materialisms¹². The other two sources are attention to materiality in the philosophical
traditions of phenomenology and postmodern thought, and a turn to the sciences to
better understand materiality¹².
Elizabeth Wingrove makes a distinction between Marxist-inspired materialist
feminists and the feminist new materialists. For historical materialist feminisms,
which are influenced by Marxist thought, "to speak of materiality is to speak of
structural logics and constitutive contradictions, systematic relationality, and social
totalities"¹. In contrast, for the feminist new materialisms, "to speak of materiality is to
speak of contingencies, web-like meshes and multidirectional flows that suggest
fluctuating connections and a rich 'messiness' whose complexity and indeterminacy
preclude the notion of a totality"¹.
In essence, while Marxist-inspired conceptions of materiality focus on structural
aspects and systematic relations, feminist new materialism emphasizes the complexity,
indeterminacy, and interconnectedness of material phenomena¹.
(2) Feminist new materialisms — Penn State.
https://pure.psu.edu/en/publications/feminist-new-materialisms.
(3) 31 Feminist New Materialisms - Oxford Academic. https://bing.com/search?
q=Marxist-Inspired+Conceptions+of+Materiality+and+feminist+new+materialism.
(4) New Materialism: Interviews & Cartographies - University of Michigan.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/o/ohp/11515701.0001.001/1:4.1/--new-materialism-
interviews-cartographies?rgn=div2;view=fulltext.
https://thesociologicalreview.org/magazine/september-2020/texture/new-
materialism/.
(7) undefined. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/o/ohp/11515701.0001.001/1:4.1/--new-
materialism-interviews-cartographies?rgn=div2.
Dynamic Relation between Mind and Matter: Feminist materialism highlights the
dynamic relation between mind and matter (including will, intention, intellect, and
social and cultural forces), showing how these interact in important and dynamic
ways⁵.
Mattering of Methods: Feminist new materialisms are beginning to explore and
develop a range of research methods and practices that both put new materialist
11
concepts to work, and reflect on them, reshaping what new materialisms means as an
approach².
These concepts are not exhaustive and the field continues to evolve with ongoing
scholarly discourse¹²³⁴⁵.
dynamic/.
editors-note/.
(5) New Materialism – GLOBAL SOCIAL THEORY.
https://globalsocialtheory.org/topics/new-materialism/.
Or
Feminist new materialism is a recent term that refers to a group of diverse and often
significantly divergent approaches within feminist theory¹. It's a theoretical framework
that focuses on the materiality of bodies and objects, and their agency⁴. Here are some
key concepts:
1. Materiality in Philosophical Traditions: Feminist new materialism draws from

phenomenology and postmodern thought, focusing on the materiality of the embodied
subject¹. This includes an attentiveness to the complex exchanges between bodies and
power¹.
2. Turn to Sciences: There's a turn to the sciences to better understand materiality¹.
This includes a stronger engagement with science⁵.
3. Marxist-Inspired Conceptions: Marxist-inspired conceptions of materiality are
also a source for feminist new materialism¹. This includes attention to the emergence
of materiality and power in Marxist materialism¹.
4. Material Agency: Feminist new materialism appreciates the agency of matter⁵. It
shifts the framework from a unidirectional account of agency to a framework where
culture and biology have reciprocal agentive effects upon one another⁴.
5. Posthumanist Perspective: The emergence of a posthumanist perspective is
another distinctive feature of feminist new materialism⁵.
6. Reevaluation and Revision of Ethics: Feminist new materialism involves a
reevaluation and revision of ethics⁵.
The reevaluation and revision of ethics in feminist new materialism is a significant
aspect of this theoretical approach. Here are some key points:
6.1. Engagement with Science: Feminist new materialism involves a stronger
engagement with science³. This includes a reevaluation of traditional ethical
frameworks that may not fully account for scientific perspectives¹.
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6.2. Material Agency: The appreciation of material agency in feminist new

materialism leads to a revision of ethics that takes into account the agency of matter³.
6.3. Posthumanist Perspective: The emergence of a posthumanist perspective in
feminist new materialism involves a reevaluation and revision of ethics³.
6.4. Power Relations and Politics: The feminist new materialisms approach power
relations, politics, and ethics in non-dualistic and potentially affirmative ways⁴.
6.5. Ontology and Ethics: Some feminist new materialists have articulated an
approach to metaphysics and ethics⁵.
6.6. Activating Ethico-Politics: Feminist new materialisms activate ethico-politics to
diagnose, infer, and transform gendered, environmental, anthropocentric, and social
injustices from a multidimensional angle².
It's important to note that these points represent broad trends within feminist new
materialism, and individual theorists may approach these issues differently¹²³⁴⁵.
(1) Feminism and New Materialism: The Matter of Fluidity - Academia.edu.

https://www.academia.edu/4250266/Feminism_and_New_Materialism_The_Matter_o
f_Fluidity.
editors-note/.
(4) New Feminist Materialism and a Theology of Sex and Sin after #MeToo ....
https://academic.oup.com/book/44689/chapter/378796507.
(5) Social Sciences | Free Full-Text | Feminist New Materialisms ... - MDPI.
The term "new" in feminist new materialism refers to these novel approaches and
perspectives¹. It's important to note that feminist new materialism is a complex and
evolving field, with ongoing debates and critiques¹.

(3) Feminism and New Materialism: The Matter of Fluidity - Academia.edu.
https://www.academia.edu/4250266/Feminism_and_New_Materialism_The_Matter_o
f_Fluidity.
editors-note/.
(5) New Materialism – GLOBAL SOCIAL THEORY.
https://globalsocialtheory.org/topics/new-materialism/.
13
The emergence of materiality and power in feminist new materialist

In feminist new materialist research, the emergence of materiality and power is
discussed in a complex and nuanced manner¹²³⁴.
Feminist new materialism challenges the linear models of causation that underlie
constructivist analyses of the ways power shapes the subjects and objects of
knowledge¹. It provokes feminist epistemologists to develop models of causation and
explanation that can account for the complex interactions through which the social,
the biological, and the physical emerge, persist, and transform¹.
New materialists aim to shift feminist critical analysis from a framework within which
the agency of bodies and material objects is understood largely as an effect of power –
a unidirectional account of agency – to a framework within which, for example,
culture and biology have reciprocal agentive effects upon one another¹. In calling for
feminists to acknowledge that matter and biology are active in their own right, new
materialists push feminists to relinquish the unidirectional model of causation in
which either culture or biology is determinative and instead to adopt a model in which
causation is conceived as complex, recursive, and multi-linear¹.
Moreover, feminist new materialism is invaluable in highlighting the social structures
of power relations³. It makes a decisive contribution to the understanding of
domination, such as the social relations and hierarchies³. It helps to investigate aspects
such as corporeality, human/non-human interaction and textures³.
In essence, feminist new materialist research emphasizes the active role of matter and
biology, viewing them as having agency in their own right¹. It proposes a shift from a
unidirectional account of agency, where the agency of bodies and material objects is
understood largely as an effect of power, to a framework within which culture and
biology have reciprocal agentive effects upon one another¹.
(3) Feminist New Materialisms: Activating Ethico-Politics Through ....
https://www.academia.edu/90521207/Feminist_New_Materialisms_Activating_Ethico
_Politics_Through_Genealogies_in_Social_Sciences.
(4) New Materialist Methods and the Research Process.
How does feminist phenomenology relate to the concept of intersectionality?

Feminist phenomenology and intersectionality are both critical frameworks within
feminist theory, and they intersect in several ways:
14
1. **Challenging Dualisms**: Both feminist phenomenology and intersectionality

challenge traditional dualisms and hierarchies, such as those between mind/body or
nature/culture². They emphasize the importance of understanding identities and
experiences as multifaceted and interconnected².
2. **Emphasizing Embodiment and Situatedness**: Feminist phenomenology
emphasizes the importance of embodiment and its situatedness¹². Intersectionality, on
the other hand, highlights how various forms of discrimination intersect and affect
individuals' lives¹. Both frameworks recognize that individuals' experiences are
shaped by their specific circumstances and environments¹².
3. **Centering Marginalized Voices**: Intersectionality centers the voices of those
experiencing overlapping, concurrent forms of oppression¹. Similarly, feminist
phenomenology focuses on the lived experiences of individuals, particularly those
who have been marginalized or oppressed².
4. **Understanding Power Dynamics**: Both intersectionality and feminist

phenomenology are concerned with understanding and challenging power dynamics².
Intersectionality looks at how different forms of discrimination intersect and reinforce
each other¹, while feminist phenomenology examines how power is embodied and
experienced².
5. **Methodological Approaches**: Intersectionality has been employed by feminist
scholars from different disciplines and theoretical perspectives, including
phenomenology⁴. It provides a lens to understand the interaction between gender, race,
and other categories of difference in individual lives, social practices, institutional
arrangements, and cultural ideologies, and the outcomes of these interactions in terms
of power⁴.
In essence, feminist phenomenology and intersectionality both offer nuanced ways of
understanding identities, experiences, and power dynamics. They highlight the
complexity and interconnectedness of different forms of oppression and privilege, and
center the voices and experiences of those who are often marginalized¹²³⁴⁵..
(1) Intersectionality | The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Theory | Oxford ....
(2) Intersectional feminism: what it means and why it matters right now ....
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/6/explainer-intersectional-feminism-
what-it-means-and-why-it-matters.
(3) Troubling Intersectionality for Visible Leadership | SpringerLink.
https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-99097-8_118.
(4) What is "Intersectional Feminism"? | Article | Denison University.
https://denison.edu/academics/womens-gender-studies/feature/67969.
(5) Intersectionality - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality.
(7) en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality.
15
What are some criticisms of feminist phenomenology?

Feminist phenomenology, like any theoretical framework, has been subject to various
criticisms. Here are some of them:
1. **Limited Engagement with Gender**: Some critics argue that certain strands of
phenomenology have a problematic relationship with the study of gender ⁵. It's not
clear how they can allow for a phenomenology of gender at all, rendering "feminist
phenomenology" an oxymoron⁵.
2. **Challenges with Articulation**: Feminist phenomenology goes beyond other

representation-focused discourses by centering personal and embodied experiences³.
However, it recognizes that experience often operates outside of language, so it can be
difficult to articulate³.
3. **Lack of Gender Neutrality**: Feminist philosophers have concluded that the

discourses of philosophy are not gender-neutral⁴. Philosophical narratives do not offer
a universal perspective, but rather privilege some experiences and beliefs over others⁴.
4. **Potential Oversights**: Given the rich possibilities promised by the interaction

between phenomenology and feminism, it is remarkable that so little attention has
been paid to this connection². This suggests potential oversights in the exploration of
the interaction of feminism and phenomenology².
These criticisms are part of the ongoing scholarly discourse and contribute to the
evolution and refinement of feminist phenomenology¹²³⁴⁵.
Source: Conversation with Bing, 29/12/2023

(1) Feminist Phenomenology Futures - University of Notre Dame.
https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/feminist-phenomenology-futures/.
(2) Feminist philosophy - Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_philosophy.
(3) Feminist Interpretations of Maurice Merleau-Ponty | Reviews | Notre ....
https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/feminist-interpretations-of-maurice-merleau-ponty/.
(4) Phenomenology and Feminism: Perspectives on their Relation.
(5) FeminisT Phenomenology | The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Philosophy ....
16

What are counter-arguments to this criticism?
There are several counter-arguments to the criticisms of feminist phenomenology:
1. **Engagement with Gender**: While some critics argue that phenomenology has a
problematic relationship with the study of gender⁵, proponents of feminist
phenomenology assert that it provides a valuable framework for exploring gendered
experiences¹. They argue that phenomenology's focus on lived experience allows for a
nuanced understanding of gender that goes beyond abstract theorizing¹.
2. **Articulation of Experience**: Critics point out that feminist phenomenology

often operates outside of language, making it difficult to articulate³. However,
proponents argue that this is actually a strength of the approach, as it acknowledges
the complexity and richness of embodied experiences¹. They assert that not all
experiences can be neatly categorized or described, and that feminist phenomenology
provides a way to engage with this complexity¹.
3. **Gender Neutrality**: Some critics argue that philosophical narratives are not
gender-neutral⁴. However, feminist phenomenologists argue that this is precisely why
feminist phenomenology is needed¹. They assert that feminist phenomenology
provides a way to challenge and deconstruct these narratives, and to center the
experiences of those who are often marginalized¹.
4. **Potential Oversights**: Critics argue that there has been little exploration of the
interaction of feminism and phenomenology². However, proponents of feminist
phenomenology argue that this is changing, with more and more scholars recognizing
the value of combining these approaches¹. They assert that feminist phenomenology
offers a rich and nuanced way to explore gendered experiences, and that its potential is
only just beginning to be realized¹.
In essence, proponents of feminist phenomenology argue that it provides a valuable

framework for exploring gendered experiences, challenging traditional narratives, and
centering the voices of those who are often marginalized¹²³⁴⁵.

(2) Phenomenology and Feminism: Perspectives on their Relation - Springer.
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-94-015-9488-2_2.pdf.
17
(3) Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument ....

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2158244020927029.
(4) What is Feminist Phenomenology? - The Rotman Institute of Philosophy.
https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/what-is-feminist-phenomenology/.
(5) FeminisT Phenomenology | The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Philosophy ....
How are the embodiment and situatedness and the rejection of dichotomies such as mind/body
of feminist new materialism applied in art-based research in girls/ women's subjectivity formation
Feminist New Materialism (FNM) in art-based research and the formation of girls/women's
subjectivity are interconnected in several ways:
1. **Embodiment**: FNM emphasizes the importance of the body and its materiality. It challenges
the traditional mind/body dichotomy by asserting that our bodies are not separate from our minds
but are integral to our experiences and identities¹. This perspective is applied in art-based research
by focusing on the physical, embodied experiences of women and girls, and how these experiences
shape their identities¹.
2. **Situatedness**: FNM recognizes that our experiences and identities are shaped by our specific
social, cultural, and historical contexts¹. In art-based research, this means acknowledging that the
experiences of women and girls are not universal but are influenced by their specific circumstances
and environments¹.
3. **Rejection of Dichotomies**: FNM rejects traditional dichotomies such as mind/body and

nature/culture, arguing that these categories are not separate but are intertwined¹. In art-based
research, this can involve challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes, and exploring the
complex interplay between biology and culture in the formation of women's and girls' identities¹.
4. **Subjectivity Formation**: FNM and art-based research both play a crucial role in the formation
of girls/women's subjectivity. Subjectivity refers to how a woman herself (the "subject") lived and
saw her role in life⁶. It takes seriously the experience of women as human beings and individuals⁶. It
looks at how women saw their activities and roles as contributing (or not) to her identity and
meaning⁶.
In conclusion, FNM provides a framework for understanding and exploring the complex ways in
which the material world, including our bodies and our environments, shape our experiences and
identities. This approach is particularly relevant in art-based research, which often involves exploring
and expressing personal and embodied experiences¹.

(1) Feminist New Materialist Practice: The Mattering of Methods. https://maifeminism.com/feminist-
new-materialisms-the-mattering-of-methods-editors-note/.
18
(2) Subjectivity in Women's History and Gender Studies - ThoughtCo.

https://www.thoughtco.com/subjectivity-in-womens-history-3530472.
(3) Feminist New Materialist Practice: The Mattering of Methods. Special ....
https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/26457/.
(4) New Materialism, Ethnography, and Socially Engaged Practice: Space-Time ....
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1077800418810728.
(5) Sexuality Education and Feminist New Materialisms | Oxford Research ....
https://oxfordre.com/education/abstract/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-
9780190264093-e-1390.
(6) Subjectivity and Subjectivation | The Oxford Handbook of Feminist ....
(8) undefined. https://maifeminism.com/issues/focus-issue-4-new-m.
(9) undefined. https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/26457.
How do lived experiences of the female participants in art-based research help us to understand
their subjectivity formations?
Art-based research is a powerful tool for understanding the subjectivity formations of female
participants through their lived experiences. Here's how:
1. **Expression of Lived Experiences**: Art-based research allows participants to express their lived
experiences in a tangible form³. This can include various art forms such as painting, drawing,
sculpture, dance, theater, and more³. These artistic expressions provide a window into the
participants' subjective experiences, offering insights that might not be accessible through traditional
research methods³.
2. **Understanding Beyond Words**: Art can convey complex emotions, experiences, and identities
that may be difficult to articulate in words³. For example, in social work research, women who have
experienced coercive control can use self-portrait to explore and (re)construct their sense of self and
other embodied feelings that may not be easily translatable into words³.
3. **Empowerment and Agency**: Art-based research can empower participants by giving them
agency in the research process⁵. The act of creating art can be a form of self-expression and self-
discovery, helping participants to understand and articulate their own identities⁵.
4. **Contextual Understanding**: Art-based research recognizes that experiences are multi-sensory,

multifaceted, and related in complex ways to time, space, ideologies, and relationships with others¹.
This approach helps to understand the subjectivity of human experience in its full context¹.
19
5. **Co-creation of Knowledge**: Art-based research often involves a collaborative process between

the researcher and the participants³. This co-creation of knowledge allows for a deeper
understanding of the participants' subjective experiences³.
In conclusion, art-based research provides a rich, nuanced, and empathetic approach to

understanding the subjectivity formations of female participants through their lived experiences³..

(1) Why Arts-Based Research? | SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-
13-8008-2_2.
(2) Arts-Based Research, Resilience and Well-being Across the Lifespan.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-26053-8.
(3) Arts-Based Research | Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.
https://oxfordre.com/education/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-
9780190264093-e-29.
(4) Art-based research - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art-based_research.
(5) Revealing Researcher’s Positionality and Perception.
https://openpublishing.psu.edu/arteducation50/content/revealing-researcher%E2%80%99s-
positionality-and-perception.
(6) en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art-based_research.
What is thing-power in feminst new materialism?
In the context of Feminist New Materialism (FNM), "thing-power" refers to the concept that matter,
or "things," are not just passive or inert, but have their own agency and capacity to condition and
enable social worlds and human experiences⁴. This concept challenges traditional views of matter as
a uniform, inert substance or a socially constructed fact⁴.
"Thing-power" foregrounds novel accounts of matter's agentic thrust, processual nature, formative
impetus, and self-organizing capacities⁴. It suggests that matter as an active force is not only shaped
by, but also co-productive in conditioning and enabling social worlds and expression, human life, and
experience⁴.
This concept is a key component of FNM's engagement with the sciences, as it invites a rethinking of
the deeply held assumptions about causation that have structured feminist critique for generations².
It provokes feminist epistemologists to develop models of causation and explanation that can
account for the complex interactions through which the social, the biological, and the physical
emerge, persist, and transform².
In conclusion, "thing-power" in FNM provides a rich, nuanced, and empathetic approach to

understanding the agency of matter and its role in worldly phenomena and social and political
behavior²⁴.
20

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/abstract/document/obo-9780190221911/obo-
9780190221911-0016.xml.
(4) Money, Sex and Power: Toward a Feminist Historical Materialism. By ....
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2130837.pdf.
How does feminist new materialism underpins active engagement with materiality and bodie to
re-think gender, race, class, and sexualities as flows of power and resistance within a messy,
heterogeneous, and emergent social world?
Feminist New Materialism (FNM) underpins active engagement with materiality and bodies to re-
think gender, race, class, and sexualities as flows of power and resistance within a messy,
heterogeneous, and emergent social world in several ways:
1. **Active Engagement with Materiality and Bodies**: FNM emphasizes the importance of
materiality and bodies¹⁴. It counters the linguistic focus of post-structuralism and underpins active
engagement with materiality and bodies⁴⁶. This engagement includes attention to the embodied
nature of the subject and the complex exchanges between bodies and power¹.
2. **Re-thinking Gender, Race, Class, and Sexualities**: FNM uses concepts such as affect,
assemblage, intra-action, and thing-power to re-think gender, race, class, and sexualities⁴⁶. It
recognizes that these aspects are not fixed or static, but are fluid and constantly changing⁴⁶. They are
seen as flows of power and resistance within a messy, heterogeneous, and emergent social world⁴⁶.
3. **Flows of Power and Resistance**: FNM views gender, race, class, and sexualities as flows of
power and resistance⁴⁶. It acknowledges that these aspects are not just determined by social
structures, but are also shaped by individual and collective actions⁴⁶. This perspective allows for a
more nuanced understanding of the dynamics of power and resistance in society⁴⁶.
4. **Emergent Social World**: FNM recognizes that the social world is not a fixed or static entity, but
is constantly emerging and changing⁴⁶. It views the social world as a complex, heterogeneous, and
messy network of relations, where matter, bodies, and social constructs are entangled in complex
ways⁴⁶.
In conclusion, FNM provides a rich, nuanced, and empathetic approach to understanding the
complex dynamics of power and resistance in the formation of gender, race, class, and sexualities in
an emergent social world⁴⁶.

21

https://thesociologicalreview.org/magazine/september-2020/texture/new-materialism/.
(3) New Materialism – GLOBAL SOCIAL THEORY. https://globalsocialtheory.org/topics/new-
materialism/.
(4) Matter in the Shadows: Feminist New Materialism and the Practices of ....
https://academic.oup.com/nyu-press-scholarship-online/book/30147/chapter/257089099.
(6) Feminist New Materialisms, Sport and Fitness - Springer.
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-56581-7.
(7) Social Sciences | Free Full-Text | Feminist New Materialisms .... https://www.mdpi.com/2076-
0760/8/11/296/htm.
(8) Feminist New Materialism, Girlhood, and the School Ball.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/in/feminist-new-materialism-girlhood-and-the-school-ball-
9781350165731/.
(9) Feminist New Materialism, Girlhood, and the School Ball.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/feminist-new-materialism-girlhood-and-the-school-ball-
9781350165724/.
(10) Feminist new materialisms — Penn State. https://pure.psu.edu/en/publications/feminist-new-

materialisms.
(11) materialist perspective Young bodies, power and resistance: a new.
https://dspace.brunel.ac.uk/bitstream/2438/14706/3/Fulltext.pdf.
(12) (PDF) Resistance, Materiality and the Spectre of Cartesianism. A ....
https://www.academia.edu/38353038/Resistance_Materiality_and_the_Spectre_of_Cartesianism_A
_Contribution_to_the_Critique_of_Feminist_New_Materialism_Journal_of_Resistance_Studies_4_2
_2018_54_83_.
(14) undefined. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479833498.003.0002.
(15) undefined. http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjys20.
(16) undefined. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1316362.
(17) undefined. http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=cjys20.
The emergence of materiality and power discussed in new materialism.
New Materialism is an interdisciplinary, theoretical, and politically committed field of inquiry that
emerged around the turn of the millennium¹. It has its roots in feminism, philosophy, science studies,
and cultural theory, and it intersects with both the human and natural sciences¹.
22
The emergence of materiality and power in New Materialism is discussed in several ways:
1. **Reworking of Matter**: New Materialism reworks the traditional notion of matter as a uniform,
inert substance or a socially constructed fact¹. It proposes novel accounts of matter's agentic thrust,
processual nature, formative impetus, and self-organizing capacities¹. Matter is seen as an active
force that is not only shaped by, but also co-productive in conditioning and enabling social worlds
and expression, human life, and experience¹.
2. **Intra-actions**: New Materialism seeks to account for the co-constitutive "intra-actions"

between meaning and matter, which leave neither materiality nor ideality intact¹. This approach
moves beyond the constructivist-essentialist impasse, deeming the polarized positions of
postmodernist constructivism and positivist scientific materialism as untenable¹.
3. **Embodiment and Power**: Feminist New Materialism draws attention to the importance of
embodiment and its situatedness². It recognizes the roots of attention to the emergence of
materiality and power in Marxist materialism, but also traces its radical transformation in the neo-
materialism of Foucault with his attention to biopower, and the neo-vitalist materiality proposed by
Deleuze².
4. **Materiality in Philosophical Traditions**: Feminist New Materialism identifies three different

sources for the conception of materialism: attention to materiality in the philosophical traditions of
phenomenology and postmodern thought, a turn to the sciences to better understand materiality,
and Marxist-inspired conceptions of materiality².
In summary, New Materialism discusses the emergence of materiality and power by rethinking the
nature of matter, exploring its interaction with meaning, and examining its role in embodiment and
power relations. It draws on various philosophical traditions and scientific insights to provide a more
nuanced understanding of materiality¹².

https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/abstract/document/obo-9780190221911/obo-
9780190221911-0016.xml.
(3) New Materialism | Definition, Examples & Analysis - Perlego.
https://www.perlego.com/knowledge/study-guides/what-is-new-materialism/.
(4) New Materialism. https://newmaterialism.eu/almanac/e/emergence.html.
how is the emergence of materiality and power discussed in feminist new materialism
Feminist New Materialism discusses the emergence of materiality and power in several ways:
23
1. **Three Lineages of Materialism**: Feminist New Materialism identifies three different sources
for the conception of materialism¹²:
* Attention to materiality in the philosophical traditions of phenomenology and postmodern
thought.
* A turn to the sciences to better understand materiality.
* Marxist-inspired conceptions of materiality.
2. **Embodiment and Power**: Feminist New Materialism emphasizes the importance of

embodiment and its situatedness¹. It recognizes the roots of attention to the emergence of
materiality and power in Marxist materialism, but also traces its radical transformation in the neo-
materialism of Foucault with his attention to biopower, and the neo-vitalist materiality proposed by
Deleuze¹.
3. **Materiality as Dynamic**: Feminist materialism highlights the dynamic relation between mind
and matter (including will, intention, intellect, and social and cultural forces), showing how these
interact in important and dynamic ways⁴.
4. **Agency and Causation**: New materialists aim to shift feminist critical analysis from a
framework within which the agency of bodies and material objects is understood largely as an effect
of power to a framework within which, for example, culture and biology have reciprocal agentive
effects upon one another². This requires feminists to relinquish the unidirectional model of causation
in which either culture or biology is determinative and instead to adopt a model in which causation is
conceived as complex, recursive, and multi-linear².
In summary, Feminist New Materialism discusses the emergence of materiality and power by
rethinking the nature of matter, exploring its interaction with meaning, and examining its role in
embodiment and power relations. It draws on various philosophical traditions and scientific insights
to provide a more nuanced understanding of materiality¹².

(3) Toward a New Materialism: Matter as Dynamic - Center for Humans and Nature.
https://humansandnature.org/toward-a-new-materialism-matter-as-dynamic/.
(4) Materialist feminism - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialist_feminism.
Karen Barad
24
Karen Barad’s work that discusses the concept of objects or phenomena emerging through specific
intra-actions is her theory of Agential Realism1. In this theory, Barad proposes that the universe
comprises phenomena which are “the ontological inseparability of intra-acting agencies”. She
introduces the term intra-action to signal an important challenge to individualist metaphysics1.
Intra-action challenges individualist metaphysics. Apparatuses, which produce phe-

nomena, are not simply assemblages of humans and nonhumans. Rather, they are the
condition of possibility of 'humans' and 'non-humans', not merely as ideational con-
cepts, but in their materiality¹².
Apparatuses are 'material-discursive' in that they produce determinate meanings and
material beings while simultaneously excluding the production of others. What it
means to matter is therefore always material-discursive¹².
Barad's agential realism is at once an epistemology (theory of knowing), an ontology
(theory of being), and an ethics. For this, Barad employs the term onto-
epistemology¹²³.
Because specific practices of mattering have ethical consequences, excluding other
kinds of mattering, onto-epistemological practices are always in turn onto-ethico-
epistemological¹².
Barad's work draws a great deal on the works of physicist Niels Bohr, one of the
founders of quantum physics¹². Her theories hold importance for many academic
fields, including science studies, STS (Science, Technology, and Society), feminist
technoscience, philosophy of science, feminist theory, and physics¹².

(1) Agential realism - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agential_realism.
(2) Karen Barad - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Barad.
(3) Karen Barad - Agential Realism - LiquiSearch.
https://www.liquisearch.com/karen_barad/agential_realism.
"apparatuses" by Karen Barad

In Karen Barad's theory of **Agential Realism**, the term "apparatuses" plays a
significant role¹². Apparatuses are fundamentally a material-discursive dynamic
enactment entangled with processes of materialisation¹. They are the material
conditions of possibility and impossibility of mattering; they enact what matters and
what is excluded from mattering¹.
Apparatuses perform inclusions and exclusions¹. They include the larger material
arrangement (i.e., set of material practices) that effects an agential cut between
'subject' and 'object'¹. By performing these materialisations, apparatus determines the
im/possibilities of how and what matter comes to matter¹. The intra-active
performance of an agential cut is key to Barad's conceptualisation, whereby
apparatuses are "boundary-drawing practices" (ibid., p. 140)¹.
25
The dynamics of "cutting 'things' together/apart" (ibid., p. 179) is where onto-

epistemology gets entangled with ethico-politics: apparatuses create certain relations
and distributions of power, as well as "practices of knowing in being", in other words,
"situated knowledges" (Haraway, 1988)¹. This relationship between agential
enactments and practices of knowing, on the one hand, relates to Foucault's and
Deleuze's analyses of diagram and archive, and, on the other, pursues feminist theory
of science and objectivity¹.

(1) New Materialism. https://newmaterialism.eu/almanac/a/apparatus-x-
assemblage.html.
(2) Agential realism - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agential_realism.
(3) Karen Barad - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Barad.
why do dualisms, including nature/culture, rational/irrational, subject/object,

and masculine/feminine foster hierarchical thinking and marginalizing certain
groups through the lens of feminist new materialism?
Dualisms, including nature/culture, rational/irrational, subject/object, and
masculine/feminine, foster hierarchical thinking and marginalize certain groups
through the lens of feminist new materialism for several reasons:
1. **Hierarchical Thinking**: Dualisms inherently create a binary opposition where
one side is often privileged over the other². This leads to hierarchical thinking, where
the privileged side is considered superior, and the other side is marginalized².
2. **Marginalization of Certain Groups**: These dualisms often result in the
marginalization of certain groups. For example, the masculine/feminine dualism has
historically privileged masculinity over femininity, leading to the marginalization of
women².
3. **Anthropocentric Thinking**: Dualisms like nature/culture and subject/object
often lead to anthropocentric thinking, where human beings are considered the most
significant entity in the universe². This results in the marginalization of non-human
entities².
4. **De-centralizing Knowledge Production**: Feminist new materialism is deeply

committed to de-centralizing knowledge production, cutting across pre-established
dichotomies, and focusing on processes transversing hierarchies of power relations
that organize diverse forms of life².
5. **Challenging Dualistic Thinking**: Feminist new materialism challenges the
oppressive patterns of thought generated by anthropocentric dualistic thinking ⁴. It
draws on the influential works of ecofeminist Val Plumwood, science studies scholar
26
and feminist Donna Haraway, and feminist theorist Karen Barad within the material
turn⁴.
In summary, dualisms foster hierarchical thinking and marginalize certain groups by
creating binary oppositions that privilege one side over the other. Feminist new
materialism critiques these dualisms and offers alternative ways of understanding that
challenge these hierarchies and marginalizations.

(1) Social Sciences | Free Full-Text | Feminist New Materialisms ... - MDPI.
(2) "The Case for Working with Feminist New Materialisms against the ....
https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol25/iss2/12/.
(3) Feminist New Materialisms | The Oxford Handbook of Feminist Philosophy ....
(4) The Case for Working with Feminism New Materialisms against the ....
https://www.academia.edu/102570926/The_Case_for_Working_with_Feminism_New
_Materialisms_against_the_Dualisms_that_Divide_Us.

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1

What is feminist new materialism?

What is the difference between feminist new materialism and traditional

What is the role of matter in feminist new materialism?

Examples of a traditional feminist approach to studying gender?

therefore been criticized for its over-determinism and insufficient empirical

Examples of a traditional feminist approach to studying gender in Vietnam?

Examples of traditional feminist approach to studying gender in Vietnamese

(1) Complexities of Vietnamese femininities: A resource for rethinking ....

(2) Complexities of Vietnamese femininities: A resource for rethinking ....

Feminist new materialism_Theoretical concepts

is always situated within a specific context¹². This challenges the mind/body

(1) New Materialism - Literary and Critical Theory - Oxford Bibliographies.

Marxist-Inspired Conceptions of Materiality: This concept draws from Marxist

1. Materiality in Philosophical Traditions: Feminist new materialism draws from

6.2. Material Agency: The appreciation of material agency in feminist new

(1) Feminism and New Materialism: The Matter of Fluidity - Academia.edu.

(1) 31 Feminist New Materialisms - Oxford Academic.

(7) undefined. https://www.instagram.com/rourgant/.

The emergence of materiality and power in feminist new materialist

How does feminist phenomenology relate to the concept of intersectionality?

1. **Challenging Dualisms**: Both feminist phenomenology and intersectionality

4. **Understanding Power Dynamics**: Both intersectionality and feminist

What are some criticisms of feminist phenomenology?

2. **Challenges with Articulation**: Feminist phenomenology goes beyond other

3. **Lack of Gender Neutrality**: Feminist philosophers have concluded that the

4. **Potential Oversights**: Given the rich possibilities promised by the interaction

Source: Conversation with Bing, 29/12/2023

(6) undefined. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190628925.013.5.

2. **Articulation of Experience**: Critics point out that feminist phenomenology

In essence, proponents of feminist phenomenology argue that it provides a valuable

Source: Conversation with Bing, 29/12/2023

(3) Philosophical Problems With the Gender-Critical Feminist Argument ....

3. **Rejection of Dichotomies**: FNM rejects traditional dichotomies such as mind/body and

Source: Conversation with Bing, 04/01/2024

(2) Subjectivity in Women's History and Gender Studies - ThoughtCo.

4. **Contextual Understanding**: Art-based research recognizes that experiences are multi-sensory,

5. **Co-creation of Knowledge**: Art-based research often involves a collaborative process between

In conclusion, art-based research provides a rich, nuanced, and empathetic approach to

Source: Conversation with Bing, 04/01/2024

In conclusion, "thing-power" in FNM provides a rich, nuanced, and empathetic approach to

Source: Conversation with Bing, 04/01/2024

Source: Conversation with Bing, 04/01/2024

(1) 31 Feminist New Materialisms - Oxford Academic.

(10) Feminist new materialisms — Penn State. https://pure.psu.edu/en/publications/feminist-new-

2. **Intra-actions**: New Materialism seeks to account for the co-constitutive "intra-actions"

4. **Materiality in Philosophical Traditions**: Feminist New Materialism identifies three different

Source: Conversation with Bing, 04/01/2024

2. **Embodiment and Power**: Feminist New Materialism emphasizes the importance of

Source: Conversation with Bing, 04/01/2024

Intra-action challenges individualist metaphysics. Apparatuses, which produce phe-

Source: Conversation with Bing, 06/01/2024

"apparatuses" by Karen Barad

The dynamics of "cutting 'things' together/apart" (ibid., p. 179) is where onto-

Source: Conversation with Bing, 06/01/2024

why do dualisms, including nature/culture, rational/irrational, subject/object,

4. **De-centralizing Knowledge Production**: Feminist new materialism is deeply

Source: Conversation with Bing, 08/01/2024

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