The Dialectic of Enlightenment & Gender Equality : Potentials of Critical Theory for the Re- and Deconstruction of Women's Roles in a Patriarchal Society

Abstract

This thesis examines the ambivalent nature of a supposedly enlightened society using the tools of Critical Theory. The work employs the dialectical method, drawing on Horkheimer and Adorno’s 'Dialectic of Enlightenment' to analyze the contradictory development of gender relations within a seemingly rational and emancipated modernity. The central thesis posits that the ideals of the Enlightenment—devoted to liberty, reason, and equality—dialectically reverse into their opposites. The focus lies on the social role of women, who experience societal subjugation as a result. Through a historical analysis of Early, High, and Late Enlightenment, two structural concepts are identified that emerge from Enlightenment thought: (1) the categorically dichotomized production of knowledge, and the (2) transition from monarchical to physiocratic bourgeois systems. It is shown how a complementarity of the sexes is legitimized on the basis of categorial-dichotomized knowledge production, which is divided into dichotomized social spheres in the sense of an equal society on the basis of their supposedly natural abilities. This creates a dialectical moment that places women in a seemingly natural, but actually ideologically shaped position of subjugation. The third part of the thesis applies Negative Dialectics to deconstruct prevailing gender relations. It questions the foundations of dichotomous knowledge production and explores the compatibility of feminist theories with Critical Theory. Furthermore, it critically engages with identity politics. The aim is to rethink the concept of “woman” from a dialectical-feminist perspective and to outline possibilities for a more equitable societal order beyond rigid categorical designations