Feminism as a movement to expand the public sphere

Abstract

This article proposes a reflection on feminism as a theoretical-political perspective capable of broadening and challenging the understanding of the public sphere. This proposal resonates with Jürgen Habermas’s formulations, particularly about the problematization and expansion of the public sphere beyond the limits of the dominant class. It begins by discussing the emergence of the public sphere according to the model outlined by this author, as well as the historical and normative foundations that structure his conception. Drawing on Habermas’s principal works and the subsequent reformulations of his model, the article seeks to understand the public sphere as a deliberative arena for the formation of public opinion and collective will, whose development occurred gradually, becoming a privileged locus of social communication, collective action, and mediation between conflicts and consensuses. Within this context, it analyzes how such a historical configuration entailed processes of exclusion, especially with regard to women’s participation. Thus, the study highlights the struggle of the feminist movement to overcome women’s invisibility within the public sphere and to consolidate itself as a structured political movement capable of challenging patriarchy and unequal gender relations. It further argues that feminism developed a complex network of communication and social mobilization, grounded in discursive practices and protests that fostered cultural and social transformations. Such actions contributed significantly to the achievement of rights, the strengthening of women’s citizenship, the recognition of their specific demands, and the formulation of public policies aimed at their development.