Feminist Standpoint Theory

Feminist standpoint theory was developed in the 1970s and 1980s. It served as the epistemological backbone of women's studies. In fact, the theory soon became prescriptive in women's studies circles. Feminist standpoint theory prioritizes thinking from women's or marginalized lives. The theory considers these lives as privileged sites of knowledge production. Hence, feminist standpoint theory focuses on the intersection of everyday practices of exercising power and the production of knowledge. The working hypothesis of feminist standpoint theory can be summarized as follows: a social disadvantage implies an epistemological advantage. Standpoint theory has been the motor behind the feminist attempt at making the relation between the knowing subject and the object of knowledge horizontal. This aspect of the theory is particularly important in the human sciences because these sciences work with people or people's products (cultural artifacts). When marginalized people are privileged producers of knowledge, they must also be the ones who ask the questions. As a result, feminist standpoint theorists try to produce socially relevant research. Sandra Harding is the main canonizing force behind feminist standpoint theory.