Feministisk teori kan utmana medicinsk kunskap

Abstract

Feminist theory has achieved a prominent position in gender studies. But questions about aims and domains for utilization of the theories that would be necessary to assess their strength and relevance are often lacking. In this artide, I discuss feminist theory from my own position as a feminist researcher in family medicine. I explore some epistemological foundations of medical theory and practice, focusing the conceptual understanding of facts, objective findings, and knowledge. Drawing on the theorists Donna Haraway and Lorraine Code, I demonstrate how feminists can challenge significant medical questions where gender is on the agenda. I provide some examples of how feminist theory can offer sharper perspectives enabling a new and relevant understanding of hitherto medically unexplained disorders. Finallly, I raise some questions about the relationship between academic rhetoric and political action in gender research at present.