Composition: History & Theory: 1990 - 1999
Ritchie, Joy S. and Kathleen Boardman “Feminism in Composition: Inclusion, Metonymy, and Disruption”
Description
Joy Ritchie and Kathleen Boardman craft an article articulating a portion of feminism in composition. But in this history, they are also critical of composition neglecting gender in the 70s, even up to the late 80s. This constructs a paradox for them since many compositionists had feminist inclinations. As one notes from the title of the article, Ritchie and Boardman classify three “tropes” that point to feminism’s history in composition (589). First in the 70s-80s, it sought “inclusion and equality for women” (589). They, also, suggest feminism becomes “a subterranean unspoken presence” (using Emig and Phelps), while Jarrett and Brady “suggest the metonymy or contiguity of feminism and composition” (589). Lastly, they note postmodern feminists generate a “disruption and critique of hegemonic narratives” (589).
As Ritchie and Boardman describe each area, they are careful to observe that feminism (and by extension, composition) continue to be neglected areas within our departments and across the university, because the “discipline” of composition needed legitimacy first. Feminism, as they report, is only tangentially mentioned in the historical reviews of composition (e.g. Berlin); yet, feminism is there as an “unspoken presence” (604).
Date of Upload
3 Nov. 2009