“Feminism” as Ideology: Sarah Palin’s Anti-feminist Feminism and Ideology Critique

  • Michelle Rodino-Colocino Penn State University
Keywords: Ideology, Feminism, Postfeminism, Patriarchy, Abortion, Marx, Sarah Palin, Political Campaigns, US Elections

Abstract

The point of this essay is threefold: to describe the main tenets of Marx’s theory of ideology by critically engaging in the work of Marx and Engels, to flesh out the claim that Sarah Palin’s  “feminism” works ideologically as Marx and Engels describe, and consequently, to demonstrate that ideology critique is important intellectual work for feminist Marxist scholars. As I suggest in the conclusion, this is work that should inform scholars’ political activism.

Author Biography

Michelle Rodino-Colocino, Penn State University
Michelle Rodino-Colocino is Assistant Professor in Film/Video and Media Studies in the College of Communications and the Department of Women’s Studies at Penn State, where she teaches courses on media and culture. Her research explores media, gender, feminism, technology, ideology, labor, and ways to integrate activism into scholarship. Her work has appeared in Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Communication, Culture & Critique, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Democratic Communiqué, Feminist Media Studies, New Media and Society, and more.
Published
2012-05-25
Section
Marx is Back-The Importance of Marxist Theory and Research for Critical Comm. Studies Today, ed C. Fuchs & Vincent Mosco