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I was extremely frustrated with Linda Kauffman's essay and it was reassuring to see that others in class had problems with it too. I do agree that the personal testimony should never act as the be all and end all, but she seems to take all value away from it as she develops her argument. I find that to be hypocritical of her because she starts out by telling us about her own history. It may be that we are shaped by the institutions that surround us, but everyone, given their histories and genetic makeup, will be shaped differently. I can't go along and throw out uniqueness altogether. I also wonder, if she asks us to give up our personal feelings AND the authority of "institutions" what do we possibly have to build on? You have to start somewhere. She even proclaims that feminism has been institutionalized and that we cannot ignorantly follow that wave. She also seems to scorn "us," we that sit around a seminar table discussing these issues. She says "We can't do political work within the university unless we constantly remind ourselves that it is a sphere of relative privilege and entitlement..." So I ask what is the point of her own theorizing?

I think what we should take out of this essay is that we should always be aware when talking about feminism. Aware of ourselves, as well as the circumstances of those around us, aware of how we come to think the way we do. But I say that we should embrace the personal, that you need to in order to be aware.

That brings me back to the issue of trust that we discussed last week. As a side note I would like to say that I think it is really important for a classroom environment, but that I think it takes time to develop. But in reference to the article, I think we should trust ourselves, to know that our ideas can change and also to know what we want to gain from an exploration of feminism. As I said before, I think you need to have a strong base within in order to successfully bring your ideas out.