‘La Querelle des Femmes’ in the Late Twentieth Century

Abstract

This article examines the feminist debates on the parity movement in France in the 1990s. It shows how French and North-American feminists deploy stereotypes in articulating theoretical and political arguments for and against parity. Drawing comparisons between historical debates women’s political representation in France during the foundation of republicanism with more contemporary discussions, the author focuses on the arguments offered by contemporary defenders and opponents of the parity movement, including those advanced by feminists intellectuals situated on both the left and the liberal sides of the political spectrum. The author analizes how these arguments rely on binary oppositions such as equality and difference, and communitarism and universalism, claiming that the parity movement has opened a new conversation about the future of French politics and the universalist premises upon which its republicanism has been based.