fJu Yong has 12 post(s)

In her essay, “Skeletons in the Closet,” Londa Schiebinger stated that comparative anatomy of white women and men became an important research projects for the medical community in Europe during in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During this period, many scientists added a great attempt to define the position of the female in the European societies where they thought females were properties of mans. Although there were scientist who were supporting women’s social status, most scientists found the data to pull women down and discriminate them in the political and scientific areas since most scientists were male.

In the eighteenth century, there was a growth of democratic tendency which brought reorganization on social order, especially on women because there wasn’t exact women’s role in new social order. Therefore, there were scientists and philosophers who advocated women’s social equality. Some philosophers, such as Rousseau, tried to break the natural from the social in human nature. For example, Rousseau stated that women were not equal to man but they were supplementation of man. He argued that women have different inheritance of physical, moral, and intellectual difference which made them do the roles for society. Furthermore, drawing from Rousseau, Roussel, and Georges Cuvier, Pockels showed that men and women are both perfect and they complement each other. In addition, The Encyclopedie article of 1765 on the Skeleton showed that women have different skull, spine clavicle, sternum coccyx, and pelvis to have children and bring up them.

On the other hand, in nineteenth century, most scientists diminished the social status of women. There were a emerged tendency that science have right to decide an answer of social questions. For instance, Das Weib und das Kind, a book published by German doctor E. W. Posner, showed similarities of anatomy between women and children. This made society to treat women as weak and subordinate them.

I believe that Angela Davis is trying to show us that convention at Senaca Falls wouldn’t be effective as it was if there were no woman’s working classes. Of course, there were great assistance from upper classes females like Elizabeth Cady Stanton who aided the abolition of racism and inequality of sex. She stood up to fight against society because she also experienced that every efforts she did to get knowledge from law schools and excellence in studies became nothing as she married. It was important for high classes to fight against society to achieve same right as male. However, as Angela Davis mentioned in this chapter, it wasn’t a life-related problems to the people who are women at higher classes compared to working classes. Women at working classes wanted better quality of life, and it would be obvious that they were desperate to improve their lives and wanted to be treated same as male.
Furthermore, I think Angela Davis also trying to tell us that cooperation between Black and White was important. When abolition against gender inequality and racism happened, male anti-slavery leaders also fought with abolitionist for women right. For example, Fredrick Douglass, an African-American social reformer and abolitionist, helped Elizabeth Cady Stanton introduced a resolution on woman suffrage. There was no one but Fredrick Douglass who helped her to extend the right to vote to women. Furthermore, most of the African Americans who lived in this period were slaves and discriminated by racism. Therefore, they desperately wanted the right of women and black. Sojourner Truth, an African-American abolitionist and women’s right activist, did a speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” at 1851 women’s convention in Akron, Ohio, and I think it touched many people’s heart because she had preparedness for death to achieve the right.
In conclusion, I believe that Angela tell us that outcome of this convention was successful because there were groups who had same ideas like they wanted to get educated.