問題詳情

Seeking to identify the circumstances that spurred the emergence of feminist movement, some students of United States history investigated the mid-nineteen-century American economic and social conditions that are believed to have had impact on the status of women. These junior historians, however, have less fully analyzed the development of specifically feminist ideas and activities during the same period. Even when these historians did carefully examine those feminist ideas and activities taking place within the United States, they failed to take into account the fact that feminism was then an inherently international movement centered in Europe. As a result, the ideological origins of feminism in the United States have been obscured.American feminist activists who used to be portrayed as “solitary” and “individual” theorists were in reality connected to a movement -- utopian socialism, which popularized feminist ideas in Europe that reached their climax in the first women’s rights conference held at Seneca Falls, New York. Thus, a complete understanding of the origins and development of nineteenth-century feminism in the United States requires that the geographical focus be widened to have Europe included and that the detailed study already conducted based on social conditions be expanded to encompass the ideological development of feminism.The earliest and most popular of the utopian socialists were the Saint-Simonians. The specifically feminist part of Saint Simonianism, however, has been less studied than the group’s contribution to early socialism. This is considered regrettable in two aspects. By 1832, feminism had been the central concern of Saint-Simonianism and thoroughly absorbed its adherents’ energy; hence, by ignoring its feminism, European historians have misinterpreted Saint-Simonianism. Moreover, since many feminist ideas can be traced back to Saint-Simonianism, European historians’ appreciation of later feminism in France and the United States remain limited.Saint-Simon’s followers, the majority of whom were females, based their feminism on the prerequisite of reorganizing the world by replacing brute force with spiritual powers. The new world order would be ruled together by a male, which represents reflection, and a female, which represents sentiment. This complementarity reflects the fact that Saint-Simonians foresaw an equally important social and political role for both sexes in their utopia. The envisioned result was that sexual equality would reward men as well as women with an improved way of life.
How does the author consider those American historians who made attempts to probe into American feminism?
(A) They are less aware of the international origins and development of 19th century feminism.
(B) They are insufficiently aware of the economic and social conditions in mid-19th century.
(C) They are not concerned about the movement advocated in the Seneca Falls conference.
(D) They are overtly focused on the contemporary feminist activities in Europe.

參考答案

答案：A
難度：適中0.526316
統計：A(10),B(5),C(2),D(2),E(0)

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