Utopian Feminism: Envisioning Alterative Social Structure and Gender Roles in Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Abstract

Utopian Feminism comprehended as a sub genre of science and speculative fiction includes narratives exploring societies free from the shackles of patriarchy and subordination of women on the grounds of socio cultural norms that impart a secondary status to women in society. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) American humanist, novelist and eugenicist, an renowned figure of the suffrage movement has composed narratives of a society free from feminist fabulation and Herland is a characteristic contribution in the field imagining a women and no men land to posit a world of gender equality being inherently utopian idea as no one has ever witnessed a gender free society historically. The paper attempts to critically examine Perkins' idea of Utopian Feminism to enact political changes in order to challenge patriarchal world orders and new ways of creating world. While the critics view traditional utopias as distasteful, some reflect feminist utopian thinking as 'the not yet conscious' ideas and an alternative construction of gender . The paper attempts to throw light on these two views of the critics through Herland by Perkins.