Monique Wittig
Encyclopedia
Monique Wittig was a French author
and feminist theorist
who wrote about overcoming socially enforced gender roles
and who coined the phrase "heterosexual contract". She published her first novel, L'Opoponax, in 1964 . Her second novel, Les Guérillères
(1969), was a landmark in lesbian feminism
.
in Haut-Rhin
, France
. She was one of the founders of the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (MLF) (Women's Liberation Movement). On August 26, 1970, accompanied by numerous other women, she put flowers under the Arc de Triomphe
to honour the wife of The Unknown Soldier
; this symbolic action was considered to be the founding event of French feminism.
Wittig earned her Ph.D.
from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
, after completing a thesis named "Le Chantier littéraire"
In 1971, she attended the Gouines rouges
("Red dykes"), the first lesbian
group in Paris
. She was also involved in the Féministes Révolutionnaires ("Revolutionary feminists"), a radical feminist
group.
In 1976, she left Paris for the United States
where she taught at numerous universities, including Vassar College, where she taught a course in Materialist Thought through the Program in Women's Studies, wherein her students were immersed in the process of correcting the American translation of The Lesbian Body. She was a professor in women's studies
and French
at the University of Arizona
in Tucson
, where she died of a heart attack on January 3, 2003.
." This sensibility can be found throughout her books, where she depicted only women. To avoid any confusion, she stated:
A theorist of material feminism
, she stigmatised the myth of "the woman", called heterosexuality
a political regime, and outlined the basis for a social contract
which lesbians refuse:
For Wittig, the category "woman" exists only through its relation to the category "man", and "woman" without relation to "man" would cease to exist.
Wittig also developed a critical view of Marxism
which obstructed the feminist struggle, but also of feminism itself which does not question the heterosexual dogma
.
Through these critiques, Wittig advocated a strong universalist
position, saying that the rise of the individual and the liberation of desire require the abolition of gender categories.
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
and feminist theorist
Feminist theory
Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, or philosophical discourse, it aims to understand the nature of gender inequality...
who wrote about overcoming socially enforced gender roles
Gender studies
Gender studies is a field of interdisciplinary study which analyses race, ethnicity, sexuality and location.Gender study has many different forms. One view exposed by the philosopher Simone de Beauvoir said: "One is not born a woman, one becomes one"...
and who coined the phrase "heterosexual contract". She published her first novel, L'Opoponax, in 1964 . Her second novel, Les Guérillères
Les Guérillères
Les Guérillères is a 1969 novel by Monique Wittig. It was translated into English in 1971.-Plot introduction:Les Guérillères is about a war of the sexes, where women 'engage in bloody, victorious battles using knives, machine guns and rocket launchers'...
(1969), was a landmark in lesbian feminism
Lesbian feminism
Lesbian feminism is a cultural movement and critical perspective, most popular in the 1970s and early 1980s , that questions the position of lesbians and women in society. It particularly refutes heteronormativity, the assumption that everyone is "straight" and society should be structured to serve...
.
Biography
Monique Wittig was born in 1935 in DannemarieDannemarie, Haut-Rhin
Dannemarie is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is the principal town in the canton of the same name and the seat of the Communauté de communes de la Porte d'Alsace.-Geography:...
in Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin is a département of the Alsace region of France, named after the Rhine river. Its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less populated of the two departements of Alsace, although is still densely populated compared to the rest of France.-Subdivisions:The department...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She was one of the founders of the Mouvement de Libération des Femmes (MLF) (Women's Liberation Movement). On August 26, 1970, accompanied by numerous other women, she put flowers under the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
to honour the wife of The Unknown Soldier
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier refers to a grave in which the unidentifiable remains of a soldier are interred. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-profile national monuments. Throughout history, many soldiers have died in wars without their remains being identified...
; this symbolic action was considered to be the founding event of French feminism.
Wittig earned her Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
, after completing a thesis named "Le Chantier littéraire"
In 1971, she attended the Gouines rouges
Gouines rouges
The Gouines Rouges are a French radical feminist lesbian movement.The Gouines Rouges were founded in April 1971, responding to a desire to assert themselves in the heart of both the feminist movement and the homosexual movement, and the fear that lesbians were in danger of disappearing.- History...
("Red dykes"), the first lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
group in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She was also involved in the Féministes Révolutionnaires ("Revolutionary feminists"), a radical feminist
Radical feminism
Radical feminism is a current theoretical perspective within feminism that focuses on the theory of patriarchy as a system of power that organizes society into a complex of relationships based on an assumption that "male supremacy" oppresses women...
group.
In 1976, she left Paris for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where she taught at numerous universities, including Vassar College, where she taught a course in Materialist Thought through the Program in Women's Studies, wherein her students were immersed in the process of correcting the American translation of The Lesbian Body. She was a professor in women's studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, where she died of a heart attack on January 3, 2003.
Theories
Monique Wittig called herself a "Radical lesbianRadical lesbians
Two movements of radical lesbians are known. One was the U.S.-based movement of the mid to late 1960s. The other was the Radical lesbian movement, or , which began in France in 1980 and became organized in 1981 under the name Front des lesbiennes Radicales...
." This sensibility can be found throughout her books, where she depicted only women. To avoid any confusion, she stated:
- "There is no such thing as women literature for me, that does not exist. In literature, I do not separate women and men. One is a writer, or one is not. This is a mental space where sex is not determining. One has to have some space for freedom. Language allows this. This is about building an idea of the neutral which could escape sexuality".
A theorist of material feminism
Material feminism
Material feminism examines the "material conditions under which social arrangements, including those of gender hierarchy, develop" It argues that "material conditions of all sorts play a vital role in the social production of gender"....
, she stigmatised the myth of "the woman", called heterosexuality
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
a political regime, and outlined the basis for a social contract
Social contract
The social contract is an intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments. Social contract arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept...
which lesbians refuse:
- "...and it would be incorrect to say that lesbians associate, make love, live with women, for 'woman' has meaning only in heterosexual systems of thought and heterosexual economic systems. Lesbians are not women." (1978)
For Wittig, the category "woman" exists only through its relation to the category "man", and "woman" without relation to "man" would cease to exist.
Wittig also developed a critical view of Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
which obstructed the feminist struggle, but also of feminism itself which does not question the heterosexual dogma
Dogma
Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, or a particular group or organization. It is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from, by the practitioners or believers...
.
Through these critiques, Wittig advocated a strong universalist
Universalism
Universalism in its primary meaning refers to religious, theological, and philosophical concepts with universal application or applicability...
position, saying that the rise of the individual and the liberation of desire require the abolition of gender categories.