lcobb

[lcobb]

Reflection: Transnational Feminism

Throughout this eight-week course, I feel as though I have really learned a lot. I learned that intersectionality means that a person or group is not categorized into one category but rather can be categorized into many different categories. I learned that gender and race are both social constructs that were essentially driven by historical and cultural views. I learned how powerful storytelling really is, how it can impact how people view others, and how it offers an outlet for the authors. However, the topic that really stood out to me the most was the topic of transnational feminism and third-world feminism. This was the topic that I was constantly thinking about and referring back to when it came time to do the readings, the assignments, and the discussions. Transnational feminism will be the topic and main focus of my reflection essay as I reflect on what I have learned through this eight-week course. 

Transnational feminism and third-world feminism are at times used interchangeably and both essentially can relate to each other and go hand-in-hand. Third-world feminism refers to the feminist movements in third-world countries and cultures. Transnational feminism refers to the feminist movements around the world that affects people across many different cultures, races, classes, religions, genders, etc. One main aspect of transnational feminism looks at how western feminism relates to and affects third-world feminism. More specifically, it looks at how western feminism overshadows third-world feminism. Many people, including myself, thought or think that feminist movements are a western world kind of thing while most likely also thinking that they originated in the western world. However, this is far from the truth as there are feminist movements in all corners of the world and they have existed long before we even knew what to call them. This way of thinking has caused third-world feminist to be overlooked or, even worse, to not even be noticed at all. It has caused their problems and their needs to be overlooked and overshadowed by western feminist problems and needs. Before I started this course, I thought that most feminists around the world were all pushing for the same issues to be resolved and were all struggling or dealing with the same issues. When I thought of feminist, I honestly mostly thought about feminist in the United States and didn’t even really think about feminist in other parts of the world, especially feminists in third-world countries. After taking this course, I now learned that none of that is true and that my thinking was close-minded and filled with biases. I now understand that feminists all around the world are all fighting for their own issues that are different as every culture is different rather than the same. I also now don’t only think of feminists in the United States when I hear about feminists, I also think about feminists all around the world, including those in third-world countries. Another way that this course has changed my thinking as it relates to feminism is that I now see feminists as being more than one thing and standing for more than one issue. More specifically, I can now relate intersectionality to feminism. I now see that we should look at feminists as we should look at people, meaning we should look at them as a collection of who they are rather than just focusing on one aspect or characteristic of them. We should not put feminists into boxes based on their race, gender, class, culture, religion, etc. They should also not be seen as having to fight for only one issue rather than being able to fight for multiple different issues. If we continue to put feminists in boxes then we are taking away what makes them unique and their perspective on what is happening. Race, gender, class, culture, religion, experiences, sacrifices, struggles, accomplishments, etc. are all that make a person unique and allows each person to have their own perspective on everything. This means that every feminist might have a different issue they are fighting for and a different solution to that issue they are fighting for. This is why I feel it is important for every feminist to have their own voice and to be able to share their unique perspective with everybody else. 

In my second blog entry, I posted a quote that said: “You don’t have to be the voice for the voiceless, just pass the mic” - Dr. Suad Abdul Khabeer. When I first saw this quote it really stuck out to me. It made me think about how when we feel people don’t have a voice, our first instinct is to just speak for them instead of trying to allow them to speak for themselves. When it comes to transnational feminists, most often western feminists are seen as superior and the ones with a voice while third-world feminists are often seen as being inferior and having no voice. Most often, western feminists think that they are helping third-world feminists by trying to be their voice and speak for them when in reality they are not helping and could actually be making the situation worse. Western feminists are not exactly helping because they don’t know exactly what third-world feminists are going through, how they feel about it, and what would be the best solution for their issue. All they are doing is assuming they know what is best when they have no clue because they don’t live it. Instead, I feel it would be best if western feminists would just listen to third-world feminists and work to better educate themselves in order to try to get an understanding of what it is like for them and what would be the best solution for them. Then western feminists could use their voice to “pass the mic” to third-world feminists so that they are able to speak for themselves instead of having others speak for them. 

In my ninth blog entry, I posted a photo of a Muslim woman holding a sign that says “Nudity DOES NOT liberate me and I DO NOT need saving #MuslimahPride #FEMEN”. This photo really made me think about transnational feminism as it relates to Muslim women.  The media plays such a huge role in how we portray much of the world and different groups of people. As far as Muslim women go, the media mainly portrays them as being oppressed by their religion and culture, in need of saving, required to cover up, and having essentially no right. However, the media portrayals of Muslim women are not correct and are based on false stereotypes and biases. What most people don’t understand, even I didn’t understand before I took this course, was that Muslim women are not oppressed, not in need of saving, not required to cover up, and actually do have rights. Before I took this course I believed the stereotypes that the media portrayed as Muslim women. I thought that they were required to cover up because their religion and culture told them too. However, after taking this course, I found that most Muslim women actually choose to cover themselves and are not forced to. That their choice to cover up can actually be seen as taking a stand against their culture. After learning this, I saw Muslim women in a whole new light. I no longer believe the stereotypes the media tries to get us to believe, and I see Muslim women as being strong and independent women rather than being oppressed and trapped by their culture. 

“For in the context of a first/third-world balance of power, feminists analyses which perpetuate and sustain the hegemony of the idea of the superiority of the west produce a corresponding set of universal images of the ‘third-world woman’, images like the veiled woman, the powerful mother, that chaste virgin, the obedient wife, etc.” - Chandra Mohanty, “Under Western Eyes”.  This quote from one of the Perusall Annotation assignments really stuck with me and was one that I found really powerful and eye-opening. Before I took this course I had never thought about how western feminists really impacted third-world feminists. I never thought about how we, as a first world country, looked at women from third-world countries. Reading this quote made me think about how we actually view women from third-world countries. I started to think that images such as “the veiled woman”, “the obedient wife”, “the powerful mother” and “the chaste virgin” are the images that most first-world women think of when they think of third-world women. These are some of the images that the media portrays third-world women to be despite them being laced with stereotypes and biases. It is these stereotypes and biases that can prevent third-world feminists from being heard and understood by first-world feminists. It can cause them to be overlooked and seen as fragile or helpless. 

Throughout this course I have learned a lot about women all around the world and how writing impacts women’s lives. Throughout all the topics we have covered during this course, transnational feminism was the one topic that really stood out to me. It was the one topic that I was constantly thinking about and relating everything back to. I now feel, after taking this course, that I am better able to understand feminists around the world and am in a better place to educate myself by listening. 

[lcobb]

“Just because you are different than Doesn’t mean you are less than”

- Chesim

I thought that this quote related well with transnational feminism as everybody, including feminists, are different. And just because people are different doesn’t make them an better or less than others. As it relates to feminism, western feminist tend to think they are better and superior than third-world feminists because they are different than them. They tend to think that because of third-world traditions and history of oppressing women that they are less superior. Western feminist also tend to think that they know more than third-world feminists. They sometimes think that they know what is best for women all around the world and what issues they need solved even if those women are from different cultures with different needs.

[lcobb]

I really loved what this person said about how “it is possible to be covered and not need saving”. The media portrayed Muslim women to be oppressed, in need of saving, and required to cover up when that it not true at all. For most Muslim women it is actually their choice to cover up and not their societies. I think that this is a huge display of power and feminism that Muslim women are displaying but not getting recognized for. This is why I think that it is important for us, as a society and as people, to educate ourselves rather than just assuming and believing everything the media tells us. 

This!! Yes! It is possible to be covered and not need saving! I think we tend to box in what we believe are these wonderful feminist values without regard to A. how other counties actually function and B. some women prefer modesty. And this goes far beyond the middle east! As an American woman, I often find feminist marches obscene and offensive. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. #coverthemthingsup

[lcobb]

When I first saw this post I thought it was sad that we live in a world today where women are still oppressed and some women are still even oppressed in western societies. I agree with the person who posted this that it is unfair that false prejudices still exist and have so much control over some women's lives. People should not be controlled or judged by what others think they are like, they should be allowed to be themselves without that fear of judgment. This relates to transnational feminism as women are still being oppressed all around the world and are still being stereotyped. 

In times like these, where racial injustices are being exposed, humanity needs to create change in order for the transformation of society to occur. It is very upsetting that there are so many stereotypes about different races that negatively impact how people live their daily lives. So many people live in fear because of false prejudices that seem to be written on their forehead. Women who live in third world countries are being oppressed and abused just because of their gender. Having all of these traits as a female really hurts your position in society because you are consistently being mistreated by things you cannot control. 

[lcobb]

I completely agree with the person who posted this. I think that third world women are so strong, so powerful, and so determined despite not getting the attention they deserve and despite being treated so badly in some of their cultures. This relates to the topic of transnational feminism and third-world feminism as they are continuing to stand and fight for what they deserve despite being overshadowed by first western feminists and being oppressed in their cultures. I find it inspiring reading about how these women continue to push and fight for what they deserve and for their rights while being treated so badly. They are risking so much, some even risking their lives as the picture shows, to stand up for themselves against all the people who are trying to keep them down. 

This picture is very powerful and connects with the readings we have read this week. In the Ted Talk we watched this week, Kavita Ramdas said something very powerful that stuck with me. She said that she was not going to speak about how she thinks women need saving, rather she was interested in how they are saving us. I found that really powerful as behind every women who is struggling with oppression, behind every women who is struggling with stereotypes, is a strong, independent, and driven women. She then went on to talk about how the same women who are constantly dealing with oppression and discrimination due to the color of their skin, gender, religion etc, are the same women who are out their preserving traditions, promoting nonviolent social change, and are constantly making positive impacts on their community and world. This picture was very powerful to me because there is so much truth behind it that without third world women, there will no longer be strong people to do what these women do, while still being constantly oppressed. This photo shows women, who most likely deal with oppression every single day, peacefully standing up for social change, despite the treatment they may have faced due to the identities they hold that are out of their control and traditions and cultures they represent and follow. These women are the strongest people on earth and I am glad I am taking a course that informs me more and more everyday on issues going on and making me aware of how there is still so much change to be done and so much more to be educated on.

[lcobb]

I think that in order for us, as a first world society, to try to help women in third world societies we first need to listen to them and try to understand things from their perspective. Women in third world societies are from different cultures, are fighting different issues, and need different solutions than women in first world societies. Some of these cultures contain many dated traditions and rituals that we, as a first world society may not know of or understand. This is why it is so important for us to listen to third world society women and try to educate ourselves instead of acting like we know what’s best. I agree with the person who posted this that it is hard to understand other cultures and to not judge them. This is another reason why it is important to just listen to them and to try to educate ourselves in order to erase our judgments and ego. This relates to transnational feminism as it is about feminist from many different countries, cultures, genders, religions, etc. 

I think it is hard to really understand cultures that are so drastically different than ours. It is so easy to judge other cultures and traditions by being outsiders and not actually being a part of that particular culture. We are so used to the world we live in and our daily lives, that seeing or hearing about things that are unfamiliar to us is often looked down upon. Traditions are very important and many cultures and families try and keep old traditions alive by passing them down from generation to generation. There is nothing wrong with traditions as long as they do not take away people’s human rights. Traditions that do take away human rights should not be allowed to continue, in my opinion. Women in third world countries should not have to worry about being killed or beaten on the way to school because education for women is frowned upon or the fact that young girls can be married off at the age of 12 and became their husbands “property” which allows them to be legally protected under the law to do what they want to their wife. These type of laws take away the women’s human rights. Women’s rights are human rights and no tradition, no matter how old, should be able to take that away. Traditions are a tricky subject because a lot of people think because they are tradition that makes them okay and justified. When debating whether a tradition should be able to continue or if it is outdated and should be abolished, I think taking the standpoint of human rights is a great way to decide if the tradition is good or not.

[lcobb]

After reading this article I looked at the term “third-world countries” differently. I had never really thought about the history or the reason behind the term, I just blindly assumed it based on fact rather than political gain. I had never thought of it being a term used to group different places and cultures just because they were different and deemed “less superior” than others. 

A little primer on 3W Feminisms, something we’ll delve into in Week 3! 

[lcobb]

When I saw this post I thought about how it is portrayed that all feminists are united when that is not the case. As whoever posted this said, most feminists movements only actually include the group of people that they support rather than including everybody even if they don’t have the same beliefs and values as you. This relates to transnational feminism as many western feminist don’t support or acknowledge feminist from other parts of the world. They don’t try to listen to their issues and ways that they need to be solved, instead they just push their own issues and solutions on them. I think that feminists movements would be significantly more powerful if they were inclusive and feminists actually supported one another despite being different or having different beliefs. 

I really liked this picture because it spoke to the intersectionality of feminism by using a plan on the word sisters. The word sisters has united the feminist movement, however it is very exclusive to only cis-gendered women therefore leaving a powerful subgroup of people out of the movement. This is also in relation to the transphobic history of the feminst movement, and the constant seniment that that who are not straight, cis gendered, white women must way because they are “not ready” for them yet.

[lcobb]

I thought that this picture was really powerful as it related to the topic of transnational feminism. I thought that it represented how feminists can be from all different countries, different cultures, can be different races, different genders, and have different religions. They can be completely different but yet still be fighting together to improve women's rights in whatever way needed in their county or culture. I also agree with who posted this that it is sad that some cultures still believe women to be less than men. There is no basis in today’s society to prove that women are less than men and can’t accomplish anything that they set their minds too. 

This picture shows a variety of different races, but they are all sharing the same message. We Are Women. This message needs to be loud and clear to anyone that believes that women are less than men. Like men, women can be strong and accomplish anything that they can. Just because you are a female or you have a different race or culture, doesn’t mean that you deserve less than the “majority”. This week we are talking about global feminism, and unfortunately there are still some cultures that believe women can’t achieve anything. What I believe is that being female doesn’t have anything to do with what you can achieve. The gender doesn’t matter. What matters is the drive that you have to accomplish any task that is given to you. Anyone can achieve anything as long as they put the work in and try. 

[lcobb]

I found this quote really powerful and eye-opening. We, as a society, think that we are helping by speaking up for those who don’t have a voice, but in reality we aren’t helping and could actually be making it worse. We don’t know exactly what these people are thinking or feelings, so how can be their voice when we can’t actually know what it’s like for them. It is much more powerful and beneficial for us to act as a bridge and use our voice to “pass the mic” onto those who don’t have a voice. This relates to transnational feminism as feminists in some countries are being overshadowed by feminist in the western world and not having their voiced heard. I think that it’s important that we, as a society do better and instead of trying to speak for them we instead “pass the mic” to them. 

I thought that this quote was really interesting and was relevant to what is going on in the world today. It made me think about all the protests going on and how people are standing up for what is right and for the people who are not being heard. The message behind this quote was also something I found powerful. The voiceless shouldn’t have to be heard by people who are trying to be the voice for them, they should get the opportunity to speak for themselves. They deserve the right to stand up and tell their story on their own. As far as relating to this course, we learned this week about discrimination and intersectionality of women all over the world. Some of these women don’t have voices and are silenced for trying to speak out. I think it’s important to not only help give all women a voice but a chance to speak for themselves and not just let others speak for them. 

[lcobb]

The feminism that has mattered to the media and made magazine headlines in recent years has been the feminism most useful to heterosexual, high-earning middle- and upper-middle-class white women. Public ‘career feminists’ have been more concerned with getting more women into ‘boardrooms’, when the problem is that there are altogether too many boardrooms, and none of them are on fire.

Laurie Penny, Unspeakable Things: Sex, Lies and Revolution

This speaks to me and our class. So many times I say that feminist have a PR issue, but it hasn’t been for this reason. I have come to realize I could be part of the problem. Ive got to rewire to think of intersectionality rather than just feminism. 

(via womenwritingsu2020)

This post made me think about just how big an impact media has on our lives and on how we view things in the world. Before I took this course, I used to think of feminists as being how the media portrayed, which were mostly straight, middle-class, white women, rather than who they actually are. After taking this course, I now see how biased the media is and how they stereotype groups of people in false ways. This relates to my topic of transnational feminism as the media falsely stereotypes third-world feminists. We rarely see or hear about feminists in other countries, especially third-world countries.