Tocqueville e la subordinazione delle donne

Beginning with some methodological considerations on the status of modern political concepts, the essay discusses the relevance of Tocqueville’s reflection on the subordination of women and their political and social role in stabilizing democratic disorder. The aim is to distance ourselves from interpretations that have attempted to establish the author’s conservatism or progressivism on this topic, rather focusing on Tocqueville’s involvement in the semantic dispute over the concept of “woman”, as it is part of the dispute over democracy. Through a brief reconstruction of women’s positions in this dispute, it is shown that the relevance of Tocqueville’s stance on the female condition today concerns the persistence of the struggle surrounding this concept.