Julka Hlapec Đorđević je bila filozofkinja, književnica i feministkinja.
Julka pripada redu naših najobrazovanijih žena. Doktorsko zvanje stiče sa svega 24 godine u Beču. Govorila je nekoliko jezika: engleski, češki, mađarski, francuski, nemački i bavila se prevođenjem.
Julka je pisala o ambivalentnom položaju žene svog doba (prva polovina 20. veka), koja iako samosvesna i intelektualno emancipovana, i dalje nije oslobođena stega postojećih predrasuda i društvenih kalupa u koje se od nje očekuje da se uklopi. Kao primere navodi knjževnicu i novinarku Adelu Milčinović, književnicu Isidoru Sekulić i filozofkinju Kseniju Atanasijević – sa kojom je imala posebno blizak odnos tokom života.
Njeno feminističko stanoviše se razvilo pod uticajem evropske kulture i misli. Julka je pripadala takozvanom drugom talasu feminizima koji se bavio temama koje do tog perioda nisu bile na listi prioriteta feministkinja, poput ženske seksualnosti, kontrole rađanja, promene porodičnih odnosa, erotike, ženskog identiteta, pluralističkog shvatanja ženske prirode itd. Ovo su ujedno bila i pitanja kojima su se bavile tadašnje evropske i svetske feminističke organizacije, čiji je rad Julka aktivno pratila. Julkino teorijsko stanovište zasnivalo se na individualizmu i odbijanju „polnog“ i „biološkog“ razlikovanja. U domenu književnosti je takođe analizirala prikaz žene i polnih razlika.
Ono što je interesantno jeste izostanak pominjanja njenog književnog rada u istoriji srpske književnosti, iako je pisala romane i prozu, kroz koje je preispitivala postojeće uređenje, tradiciju, vrednosti i odnose. Njeni feministički stavovi su prožimali svaki aspekat njenog rada i karijere.
Julka Hlapec Đorđević was a philosopher, writer and a feminist.
She is amongst most educated women in Serbian history. Julka became a PhD at the age of 24 in Vienna and she spoke several languages: English, Czech, Hungarian, French, German and she did some translating as well.
Julka wrote about the ambivalent situation of a woman of her era (the first half of 20th century), whereas although women had gained certain emancipation and became self-conscious, they were still expected to fit into traditional social moulds. As examples she mentioned writer and journalist Adela Milčinović, writer Isidora Sekulić and philosopher Ksenija Atanasijević – with whom she was close her whole life.
Julka’s feminist views were influenced by European culture and thought. She belonged to the so called second-wave feminism, which was dealing with subjects that were not until then a priority amongst feminist, such as woman’s sexuality, birth control, family relations, erotics, feminine identity, pluralism of women’s nature etc. Those were also the questions that were occupying international feminist associations, whose work Julka followed. Her theoretical stand was based on individuality and rejection of “gender”/“biology” difference. She also analysed the representation of women in the literature.
What is interesting is that her name and literary work is not portrayed in Serbian history of literature, although she also wrote novels and fiction, through which she had questioned existing social setup, tradition, values and relations.