I am so sad to hear of the death of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, a wonderful woman, writer, former feminist, historian and Catholic convert. Nicest words found here. In part:
As for feminism, it is not a coincidence that one of Betsey’s most important books was called Feminism Without Illusions. It was in fact a critique of individualism, grounded in the insistence that no workable notion of equality between men and women could be based on an assumption of the interchangeability of men and women, and the reduction of marriage and childbearing and family life to contractual relationships. It also pointed out the presumptuousness of the feminist movement, in assuming that the concerns of a small number of elite academic women spoke for all women. This theme took on added prominence in her 1996 book “Feminism is Not the Story of My Life”, which simply listened to the concerns of a wide range of American women, and found that the standard feminist narrative simply didn’t touch these women’s lives. With the publication of that book, she had ensured that her status as a lioness of American feminism had come to an end.
He assures us that her stature remained, despite being thrown out of the sisterhood for being a "dissident." I loved her work, especially her wisdom in this realm:
Marxism spoke much truth about the degradation of a world where all human relations are reduced to the exchange of inert commodities. Even after their conversions, both of the Genoveses retained their strong aversion to the deification of the market and the exaltation of “choice”; and one reason for their lifelong interest in proslavery ideology was precisely because of its precapitalist eschewal of the cash nexus as an adequate basis for human relations.
She recognised one element that allowed the monstrosity of slavery to endure in the "Christian" south. It was partly due to the "chattel" nature of even women in that society. In the pecking order, women were given an unjust place, but one above the slaves, and in order to ensure their own status, they had to keep the blacks safely one notch below. Thus, they squared slavery with their consciences in order to square themselves in the very scheme of family life.
Her conversion is explained by Jody Bottum:
Her turn to Catholicism may have been the most interesting development in her thought. It was born, in part, from admiration of John Paul II, and, in part, from a growing horror at abortion and euthanasia. But—as she recounted in her conversion story—the key was something more: “A decisive moment in my journey in faith came when, one day, seemingly out of nowhere, the thought pierced me that Jesus had died for my sins. And, immediately on its heels, came the devastating recognition that I am not worth his sacrifice. Only gradually have I come truly to understand that the determination of worth belongs not to me but to him. God’s love for us forever exceeds our control and challenges our understanding. Like faith, it is His gift, and our task is to do our best to receive it.”
Fascinating insights by a brutally honest woman, and thus we mourn her loss -- our loss, actually, and no doubt her gain.
UPDATE: I found a priceless interview with Betsey and her husband here. Please find the time to savour it, for a glimpse of the whole picture -- academic, philosophical, and political -- in words that are down to earth and funny. They were a marvelous pair!
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