Benedykt Dybowski i Włodzimierz Popiel, albo o pewnym dyskursie profeministów polskich przełomu XIX i XX wieku
Benedykt Dybowski and Włodzimierz Popiel or about Some Polish Male Profeminists at the Turn of 19th Century

Summary/Abstract: The article is devoted to the participation of males in Polish women emancipation movement at the turn of 19th century. At that time we may distinguish several strategies used by male profeminists, namely pedagogical movement (A. Świętochowski, A. Wiślicki), economical (L. Biliński, L. Krzywicki) and legal (E. Prądzyński, J. Lange, L. Petrażycki). The subject of the article is an analysis of “biologial” discourse. Benedykt Dybowski and Włodzimierz Popiel in their papers wanted to find arguments for women equality in natural and medical phenomena. The first one adopted the strategy of misandry in that he claimed women to be better than man, and which he evidenced in the world of nature and in egalitarian cultures. The second resorted to the strategy of misogyny as, in spite of his declarative support for women, he lead his argumentation in the way that discriminated women. Undoubtedly, they advocated women anticipation and granted them full rights, though they were unable to properly argument their views. As a result, Skucha sees both texts as a representative of a more general phenomenon, i.e. as an attempt of including males into women feminist movement of the turn of 19th century and as a mode of striving for a proper language to validate the rights of women.

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