In 1949, the publication of Beauvoir groundbreaking essay sparked a scandal that was much written about. She was accused by François Mauriac of wanting to pervert young people, and by Albert Camus of “ridiculing the French male”. Slowly, however, throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the book began to make headway: it was read by “ordinary” readers, especially women, and commented on by feminist associations, various intellectual journals and the mainstream press. When the second wave of feminism swept in from 1970 onwards, The Second sex was turned into a feminist manifesto. Nevertheless, it never ceased to polarize the French intellectual, social and feminist landscapes, and continues to do so to this day.
In this conference, I shall retrace the itinerary of the essay’s reception, influence and appropriation from its publication to the present day, to show how it has in turn played the role of consciousness-raiser, revealed gendered oppressions, helped claim new rights for women – particularly in matters of sexuality – but also, more recently, has been considered a problematic tool of Western feminism.
The conference will be given by Marine Rouch, PhD in Contemporary History (Toulouse – Jean Jaurès University), post-doctoral researcher at Labex SMS/Framespa (UT2J). She specialises in the contemporary history of women and gender and the history of feminism. Further information
