Millett, Kate

Millett, Kate

▪ American feminist, author, and artist
in full  Katherine Murray Millett 
born Sept. 14, 1934, St. Paul, Minn., U.S.

      American feminist, author, and artist, an early and influential figure in the women's liberation movement (women's movement), whose first book, Sexual Politics, began her exploration of the dynamics of power in relation to gender and sexuality.

      Millett earned a bachelor's degree with honours in 1956 from the University of Minnesota, where she was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Two years later she was awarded a master's degree with first-class honours from the University of Oxford. After teaching English briefly at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Millett moved to New York City to pursue a career as an artist. To support herself she taught kindergarten in Harlem. In 1961 she moved to Tokyo, where she taught English at Waseda University and also studied sculpting. By the time she married Japanese sculptor Fumio Yoshimura in 1965, however, Millett was back in New York City, teaching English and philosophy at Barnard College. (The couple divorced in 1985.) At the same time, she pursued a doctorate at Columbia University, and in 1970 she was awarded her Ph.D. with distinction. Her thesis, a work combining literary analysis with sociology and anthropology, was published that same year as Sexual Politics. The book, which defined the goals and strategies of the feminist movement, was an overnight success, transforming Millett into a public figure.

      The celebrity came at a personal cost, as Millett revealed in a 1974 autobiographical work, Flying, which explains the torment she suffered as a result of her views in general and of her disclosure that she was a lesbian in particular. She wrote two more autobiographical books, Sita (1977) and A.D.: A Memoir (1995). The Basement (1979) is a factual account of a young woman's abuse, torture, and murder at the hands of a group of teenagers led by an older woman who had been appointed her protector. Millett's subsequent books have dealt with the political oppression in Iran after the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Going to Iran, 1982), with her own personal experiences as a psychiatric patient (The Loony Bin Trip, 1990), and with the issue of cruelty in general (The Politics of Cruelty, 1994).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Millett,Kate — Mil·lett (mĭlʹĭt), Kate. Born 1934. American feminist leader who wrote Sexual Politics (1970), a classic work of feminist theory. * * * …   Universalium

  • Kate Millett — (born Katherine Murray Millet on September 14, 1934 in St. Paul, Minnesota) is an American feminist writer and activist. She is best known for her 1970 book Sexual Politics .CareerKate Millett received her B.A. at the University of Minnesota in… …   Wikipedia

  • Kate Millett — (* 14. September 1934 in St. Paul, Minnesota) ist eine US amerikanische Feministin. Bekannt wurde sie durch ihr Buch Sexus und Herrschaft (Originaltitel: Sexual Politics, 1969). Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Millett — is a surname, and may refer to: People Anthea Millett Arthur Millett Charisse Millett Frederick Millett John D. Millett, president Miami University Kate Millett (1934 – ), American feminist writer and activist Larry Millett (1947 – ), American… …   Wikipedia

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  • Kate Millett — (née le 14 septembre 1934 à St Paul, Minnesota) est une écrivaine féministe américaine. Biographie Elle poursuit de brillantes études à l université du Minnesota en 1956, puis à l université d Oxford en 1958. En 1961, elle part pour le Japon d où …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kate (Vorname) — Kate [keɪt] ist ein weiblicher Vorname. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Herkunft und Bedeutung 2 Bekannte Namensträgerinnen 2.1 Feminismus …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kate Millett — ➡ Millett * * * …   Universalium

  • Millett —   [ mɪlet], Kate, eigentlich Katherine Murray [ mʌrɪ], amerikanische Schriftstellerin, * Saint Paul (Minnesota) 14. 9. 1934; Studium an der University of Minnesota und in Oxford; 1961 63 Aufenthalt in Japan; Dozentin am Barnard College in New… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Kate Millett — Katherine Murray Millet (Kate) Nacimiento 14 de septiembre de 1934 (77 años) …   Wikipedia Español

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