Existenz - Differenz - Konstruktion. Phänomenologie der Geschlechtlichkeit bei Beauvoir, Irigaray und Butler

This study will investigate the extent 20th century phenomenology can contribute to three key issues in modern feminist philosophy and gender studies: sexual existence, sexual difference, and the construction of gender. In terms of method, the French phenomenologist, with his specific phenomenology of the body, is the primary source of this examination. He is especially applicable here because much of feminist discussion centers on the human body. In order to analyze gendered existence, sexual difference, and the construction of gender, the study concentrates chiefly on three influential feminist 20th century philosophers: Simone de Beauvoir, Luce Irigaray, and Judith Butler who are the main representatives of the existential ethics, the difference feminism and the poststructuralist feminism. Usually, up to now these lines of reasoning have been viewed as mutually exclusive. However, this study takes a radically different approach with the premise that (from the phenomenological perspective of lived experience, existence, difference and construction) they do not exclude each other but find a common ground in the phenomenology of gender. This opens new perspectives on philosophical gender research. However, my intention is not to set up a system of the phenomenology of gender. I will also not attempt to synthesize the views of the different approaches by Beauvoir, Irigaray and Butler. Ruther, the real emphasis of this study is to clarify the central issues of modern philosophical gender research by viewing them through phenomenological philosophy. This study is made up of two parts: The first introduces key terms of feminist and phenomenological philosophy (Chapter 1-3). The second part examines, in detail, Beauvoir`s, Irigaray`s und Butler`s thesis (Chapter 4-14). It does more than just cover their phenomenological background. Insight will also be provided into the scope of Merleau- Ponty`s phenomenology of the body and how it constructively interacts with the development of feminist theory; illuminating arguments and going into more depth or correcting and complementing it. This work spans the fields of modern phenomenology and gender studies. It hopes to give important impulses in both directions: towards phenomenology since it bears the challenges of gender studies and towards gender studies since they can apply phenomenology for their research on the phenomenon of gendered existence.