Gender domination is a device.

Author: Yumiko Egawa
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Finally, the fourth collection of essays is completed. Over the past few years, many things have happened. The central argument of this book—the debate with Chizuko Ueno—has been accompanied by various criticisms from others, changes in the university, new work in a new environment, speeches at various seminars, meeting many new friends, and so on. Sometimes, I trembled with anger during the debates; sometimes, I was flustered by others' sharp questions; sometimes, I cursed myself for the delayed progress of the manuscript. Yet, how many times have I been exhilarated when suddenly given a completely new perspective in the debates? How many times have I felt as if I were bathed in sunshine and refreshed all over when someone pointed out the core issue with pinpoint accuracy? Now, I deeply feel how lucky I am to have stepped into this world full of "stimulation"—the field of feminism.
When writing the foundation of this book—the original manuscript—and compiling it into a book, I received much kindness from many people. The teachers of the Philosophy Research Room at Ochanomizu Women's University, especially Mr. Takashi Miyajima, offered valuable comments on several papers in this book. Moreover, through discussions in classes and daily conversations in the research room at Ochanomizu Women's University, I learned a great deal. During the proofreading of this book, Misumi Kajikawa gave me tremendous help, for which I am deeply grateful. Additionally, through daily interactions with the staff and teachers at the Social Research Room of Tokyo Metropolitan University, I gained many insights. The comments (including the sharp critiques from students and graduate students at Tokyo Metropolitan University) also contained rich revelations.
As a visiting lecturer, my discussions with graduate students in the Sociology of Education program at the Graduate School of Tokyo University were very pleasant and beneficial. Furthermore, the discussions at the "Feminism and Sociology" study group (FS) centered around Ms. Yoko Miyakubo at Sophia University were the direct impetus for several articles included in this book. Mr. Yasuhiko Yamada of Tokyo Gakugei University, who frequently appeared as the "male representative" in this text, has been greatly indebted to me. His candid opinions were both stimulating and highly beneficial in shaping my own thinking methods. From Mr. Keiichi Yamazaki of Saitama University, I received theoretical inspiration such as "behavioral multisystemacity," and so on. I have always been grateful to everyone for their kindness.
I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to those I have met in social education venues, to the employees of prefectural and municipal governments in Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokyo, and to the editors of the original publications. Lastly, I extend my sincere thanks to Ms. Motoyoshi Machida of Gensho Shuppan, who painstakingly waited for me for two years and provided me with invaluable feedback for the new manuscript of this book.
Yumiko Egawa
November 1994
The 21st century is already upon us. Amid the collapse of the Cold War system and the intensification of ethnic issues and regional conflicts, we begin to ask ourselves more and more: What was the 20th century? With the disappearance of the ideological confrontation, many things that were once taboo and rarely seen have gradually come to light in the media. However, the inapplicability of historical concepts such as "modernization" and "development," which were long taken for granted, has also become increasingly evident. Without a doubt, "history" has become increasingly opaque. When abstract terms no longer hold reliability, everyone is reaching out with their hands to explore "history." In my view, this is what is meant by modernity.
This book is composed of various writings on feminism that I have written impromptu since the publication of The Resurgence of Radical Feminism in 1991 (counting from The Thought of Women's Liberation in 1985, this is my fourth collection of essays on feminism). The work I have done during this period can essentially be seen as a continuation of the Ueno-Egawa debate in 1991 (see chapters such as "Critique of Chizuko Ueno's 'Cultural Critique'" and "Making the Theoretical Summary of 'Social Power' Possible" included in Part II of this book). This work has not yet concluded. In this sense, this book can be considered an interim summary of the debate from my perspective. At the same time, it is also an exploration of "history" with my own hands.
In Part I of this book, I will now...