FEMINISMS IN PAM GEMS’ PLAY DUSA, FISH, STAS AND VI

Year 2018, Issue: 30, 17 - 27, 15.01.2018

Ayça Ülker Erkan

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine Pam Gems’ Play Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi (1977), which portrays the inner lives of
four women, through a blend of three major feminist perspectives; namely liberal feminism, radical feminism, and socialist
feminism. The play supports the “the personal is political” feminism as well, since the reason of the oppression of women is
the political decisions of men that have great impact on the lives of each individual woman. The four title characters represent
a spectrum of female experience and women narratives in a style of biographical theatre. The common foreground for them
is their struggle to survive in a male-dominated society. The play depicts friendship as a bond intended for solving individual
problems with men rather than collectives fight against patriarchal power. The unbalanced gap between the political and the
personal life causes Fish’s downfall when she realizes women have no complete liberation in the private life.

Keywords

Liberal feminism, radical feminism, socialist feminism, personal is political, women’s theatre, Pam Gems

PAM GEMS’İN DUSA, FISH, STAS AND VI ADLI OYUNUNDA FEMİNİZMLER

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı üç ana feminist perspektiften olan liberal feminizm, radikal feminizm ve sosyalist feminizmi harmanlayarak
dört kadının iç yaşantılarını tasvir eden Pam Gems’in Dusa, Fish, Stas and Vi (1977) adlı oyununu incelemektir. Oyun, aynı
zamanda “kişisel olan politiktir” feminizmini destekler, çünkü kadınların baskılanmasının sebebi her kadının yaşantısında büyük
bir etki bırakan erkeklerin politik kararıdır. Başlıkta isimleri geçen dört karakter, kadın deneyimlerinin çeşitliliği ve biyografik
tiyatro stilinde kadın söylemlerini temsil eder. Onların ortak planı erkek egemen toplumunda ayakta kalma mücadelesidir.
Oyun, ataerkil topluma karşı müşterek savaşımdan çok erkeklerle yaşanan bireysel sorunları çözmek amaçlı bir bağ olan
arkadaşlığı gösterir. Politik ve kişisel hayat arasındaki dengesiz boşluk, Fish’ın kadınların özel hayatında hiçbir özgürleşmenin
olmayacağını fark ettiğinde çöküşüne sebep olur

Keywords

Liberal feminizm, radikal feminizm, sosyalist feminizm, kişisel olan politiktir, kadın tiyatrosu, Pam Gems

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