Introduction
The sociological perspective is a way of looking at human behaviour in relation to the general society (Centeno & Cohen, 2013). As such, the sociological perspective looks at how the behaviour of a single individual relates to the rest of society. While there is a general perspective that society is natural just like the rest of nature, human behaviour plays a very important role in the way society views things and responds to them. The aim of the sociological perspective, therefore, is to look at how human behavior determines the rest of society. Among the most important sociological perspectives are feminism and Marxism. These two perspectives carry important meanings for society, given that they influence the behavior of a large percentage of people. Each of them carries a different perspective that its proponents believe in to varying degrees.
Feminism
Feminism is a sociological perspective that sees society as being dominated and subjected to the will of men (Hannam, 2013). Feminism thus aims at bringing out the perspective that society, at its core, is dominated by the male gender and thus seeks to remedy this aspect. This perspective has doubled up both as a way of doing away with the subordination of women to men and as a political movement aimed at helping women overcome problems they face in relation to the rest of society.
Liberal or Reformist Feminism
One type of feminism is liberal feminism, which focuses on the individual in bringing about reforms for equality. Its focus is to bring about equality in the legal and political arenas. At its core, liberal feminism aims at informing women to work hard since they are not naturally weak as previously thought (LeGates, 2012, 4). Among the famous names in this regard are Martha Nussbaum, Rebecca Walker, Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Harriet Taylor, among others.
Radical Feminism
Another notable form of feminism is radical feminism. Unlike liberal feminism, which focuses on slow and consistent reforms, radical feminism is focused on radical changes in society to do away with male supremacy in society. The focus is also on economic and social arenas where radical feminists have identified the highest level of male domination. The most notable radical feminists in history include Andrea Dworkin, Kathleen Barry, Catherine MacKinnon, and many others who shared a similar opinion.
Marxist Feminism
The Marxist form of feminism is based on the theories of Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx, who argued for the radical change of the ordering of society to do away with the domination of the ruling class. Similarly, Marxist feminists vouch for the radical change in the capitalist society where a lot of female labor goes uncompensated for or poorly compensated (Vogel, 2013). They argue that a lot of labor, such as house chores and even low-level jobs, is not paid for sufficiently. Among the most influential Marxist feminists are Shulamith Firestone, Chizuko Ueno, Angela Davis, and Evelyn Reed.
Dual Systems Feminism
With the dual systems form of feminism, the aim is to combine an economic system (represented by capitalism) and a sex-gender system (represented by patriarchy) to form a single system that describes the reasons behind the oppression of women by men. On one hand, capitalism is tweaked in favor of men. On the other hand, patriarchy makes it difficult for women to rise above the oppression of their gender. The result is a system tightly created to favor men and oppress women. Dual systems oppression is aimed at dealing with capitalism and patriarchy in ways that can allow women to have equal bargaining rights to their male counterparts. Sylvia Walby and many others are known for proposing and advancing this form of feminism (Walby, 2011, 17).
Difference between Feminism and Poststructuralism
While the previous forms of feminism view women as a single group with similar needs, there are many differences between women that make their perspectives on feminism a whole lot different. For instance, there are heterosexual and lesbian women, black and white women, working and jobless women, among many other differences (Hannam, 2013, 81). As such, differences in these women make their approaches to capitalism, homophobia, and many other aspects of society different. While they all aim for gender equality, each woman has different perspectives on what feminism entails.
Opinion and Opposing Arguments
In general, feminism is a valid sociological perspective for various reasons. For one, it brings out the fact that society is skewed in favor of the male gender at the expense of the female gender. Secondly and most importantly, feminism prescribes ways in which society can do away with the problem of gender bias (LeGates, 2012). The many ways in which feminism aims to eliminate gender bias can be used by different people in different situations. The validity of feminism is given a major boost, given that even notable male scholars have agreed that there is a need to bring about gender equality.
The main argument against feminism is that the two types of gender can never be equal. This argument is often cited, with its proponents going as far as quoting religious books such as the bible, which states that women were created from men and that women should be submissive to men. What this argument misses is the fact that feminism does not aim to make everyone a man or woman. Rather, it is meant to ensure people live together in harmony and respect for one another.
Marxism
Marxism refers to a method of analyzing economic, sociological, philosophical, and political aspects of society with a focus on class and the conflicts in society (Bloch, 2013). This societal perspective places its emphasis on material possessions and the way they affect the development of society. Marxism is based on the research findings of Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. This societal perspective pitches the ruling class (called the bourgeoisie) against the ruled class (called the proletariat) while urging the ruled to institute radical methods to bring about justice and equality in society.
Maoism
Mao Zedong was a Chinese revolutionary who led the communists to power in 1948. While his way of thinking was at the root Marxist, he focused his efforts on the contradictions that came about between what the people actually needed and what the ruling class was offering them. His idea of a permanent revolution meant that Marxism would remain an ongoing struggle to rid society of the efforts of the ruling class (Blackledge, 2012). In the end, his form of Marxism would be named after him: Maoism.
Cuban Marxism
Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro came up with a mixture of communist ideas from Karl Marx, Simon Bolivar, and Lenin to form his own form of Marxism called Castroism. Castroism focused more on warfare than party politics to overthrow the ruling class, which he successfully did (Fontova, 2013). Like Mao in China, Castro would go on to be his nation’s hero for his acts of valor. His ideologies are still practiced in Cuba and many other countries around the world.
Marxism in The Developing World
Marxism has also widely manifested in the developing world and in response to colonial powers. Like the original ideas shared by Karl Marx, the ruled can only thrive by overthrowing the rulers. This has been the case from the late 1800s to the late 1900s, when most colonial powers were overthrown by their subjects, with each nation setting itself up differently. Colonial masters aimed to suppress the will of their subjects, as stated by Marx, Engels, Lenin, and many more (Blackledge, 2012). The result was that more nations won their freedom and set up governments to benefit their own people.
Western Marxism
Marxist ideas in the West have a unique aspect different from the other forms discussed above: the fact that they were propagated by intellectuals rather than the traditional working class. In a way, Western Marxism largely focused on mixing several ideas to create a situation whereby all parties would be satisfied with whatever the ruling class was doing (Centeno & Coen, 2012). This effectively prevented revolutions and bloodshed. Idealists such as Jean-Paul Sartre of France, Gyorgy Lukacs of Italy, Theodor Adorno of Germany, and many others saw the effect of Marxist ideas in their respective countries.
Opinion and Opposing Arguments
Marxism is quite complex as a social perspective. Besides having ideas that may be conflicting at times, it tends to preach anarchy and revoltagainsto the authorities. These radical ideas may make it difficult to implement in most societies (Fontoya, 2013). Critics such as Leszek Kolakowski and Noam Chomsky have been vocal in stating that some of Marx’s ideas have no scientific backing and may never work in some cases.
Conclusion
Both feminism and Marxism, even with their inherent weaknesses, continue to play major roles in politics, economics, and society in general. Their effects on society and its direction cannot be denied since they tackle some of the most fundamental issues in society. Some of the most iconic events in history have been instigated by feminist and Marxist ideas. Iconic figures such as Fidel Castro, Sylvia Walb, and Mao Zedong are also the products of these two ideologies.
References
Blackledge, P. 2012. Marxism and Ethics: Freedom, Desire, and Revolution. New York: Suny Press.
Bloch, M. 2013. Marxism and Anthropology: The History of a Relationship. New York: Routledge.
Centeno, M. & Cohen, J. 2013. Global Capitalism: A Sociological Perspective. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Fontova, H. 2013. The Longest Romance: The Mainstream Media and Fidel Castro. New York: Encounter Books.
Hannam, J. 2013. Feminism. New York: Routledge.
LeGates, M. 2012. In Their Time: A History of Feminism in Western Society. New York: Routledge.
Vogel, L. 2013. Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Toward a Unitary Theory. Boston: BRILL.
Walby, S. 2011. The Future of Feminism. Cambridge: Polity Press.
