Most feminists have mastered the intricacies of Einstein’s theory of relativity, having taken a minimum of 24 hours of 300 level or higher Gender Studies courses. Unlike a patriarch, a well-educated feminist can explain Einstein’s groundbreaking concept, the question of its veracity as well as its scientific significance, in only a few words, such as these:
“Everything is relative, right?”
“Einstein proved that, didn’t he?”
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So get with the post-modern program. Don’t be patriarchal; study
critical theory. It is progressive! Wayyyy progressive!
Gramsci rules! The “long march though the institutions”continues. Oppressors beware.
“Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere
social conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the
windows of my apartment. (I live on the twenty-first floor.)”
– Alan Sokal (“A Physicist Experiments With Cultural Studies,” Lingua
Franca. May/June 1996)
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The title is definitely provocative, but the broader discussion around critical theory and feminism can be interesting when it focuses on the ideas rather than labels. I’d check chicken road to see which specific arguments and thinkers the article is responding to. These debates are most useful when the claims are examined carefully and different perspectives are represented fairly.
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