Discussant 2

Abstract

  The author’s comments on the lectures focused on two key points: first, the limitations of the critique of gender binarism, and second, the trajectory of the vision for a “genderless society.” Second-wave feminism (referred to as the “second paradigm” in Sato’s framework) viewed gender as a hierarchical order and aimed for a genderless society, which was the starting point for women’s studies. Contemporary gender studies, on the other hand, emphasizes the coexistence of diverse gender identities and advocates for the “freedom to choose one’s gender.” A central focus here is the critique of the gender binary. According to the conventional view, this critique evolved from the perspective of gender hierarchy. However, the author challenges this understanding by asking whether these perspectives are inherently incompatible. Moreover, the dominant vision in recent gender studies is one of a “society where one can choose their gender” rather than a “genderless society.” The simultaneous realization of both “freedom to gender” and “freedom from gender,” though, seems achievable only in a “genderless society.” From this perspective, the author calls for a reevaluation of the vision of a “genderless society.”