Beauvoir scholarship’s one-way influence narrative is strategically motivated

Evidence

Fortunately, the tides are beginning to turn. Recent analyses of Beauvoir increasingly aim toward showing her contribution to various contemporary ethical and political debates, indicating a new stage in the Beauvoir studies renaissance. It is, aft er all, one thing to establish Beauvoir as a philosopher in her own right and entirely another to show her contemporary relevance. Until Beauvoir scholars decisively achieve this latter goal, Beauvoir’s work will reap little more than historical interest and will likely fade away, as so many fl eeting academic cottage industries do. Wholeheartedly behind the spirit of these eff orts, I am somewhat less so toward its letter. While the infl uence question has played an important role in calling attention to the force and originality of Beauvoir’s thought, it has sometimes been overstated, as if the infl uence might only go one way. Th is is understandable from a tactical point of view; however, the lack of any serious study of Sartre’s infl uence on Beauvoir, as problematic as this may be, makes such overstatement possible. — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre, 164

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the broader historiographical debate on intellectual influence and authorship attribution between paired thinkers — resonates with how secondary literature on co-authored or dialogue-based philosophy assigns credit. — connects to: A revisionist scholarly movement now challenges conventional Sartre-Beauvoir influence narratives — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre: The Riddle of…, 48; Recent Beauvoir scholarship works by reversing influence direction and defending her concepts — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre: The Riddle of…, 163; Beauvoir studies contests her subordination to Sartre as a mere follower — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre: The Riddle of…, 44
• SEED: Article angle: ‘the tactical overstatement problem’ in feminist philosophy’s recovery projects — when establishing a thinker’s worth requires exaggerating her independence from a canonized mentor.

Broader Connections

• Beauvoir studies contests her subordination to Sartre as a mere follower #corroborates (0.90) — Christine Daigle, Jacob Golomb (eds.), Beauvoir and Sartre, 44