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How do social/cultural/national identities influence the gender issues presented in the texts we engage with in the course?

I chose this question for my final paper because I feel like I am best equipped to answer this one out of all the other ones and I am also not a woman so yes I can answer that first question but I don't necessarily know how it feels. But I feel like I have learned a lot this semester through all of our readings and in-class discussions as well as other people's Tumblr posts.

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Post #10

This quote contributed to my reflection on the question we discussed in class: How and why does storytelling help empower or limit women writers globally? Meghan Markle's quote strengthens my opinion on the empowerment storytelling plays on women writers. These women who are telling their stories have their voice, they are just simply the ones who have felt empowered to share it with the world. Those who are listening to these stories may then feel empowered to use their voice to share stories of their own. The more women continue to tell their stories from all different racial, social, and ethnic backgrounds, the more likely other women will feel empowered to do the same. To tell their story.

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Women=Women

Women's identities are deeply ingrained in the cultural tapestry of all cultures, representing the diversity that has been molded by social, religious, and historical factors. Traditional gender roles, which define women largely in domestic roles, are still prevalent in many societies. At the same time, progressive societies support women's active involvement in the workforce and in public life. Spiritual and religious views also have a big influence on women's identities. In some cultures, women are given hallowed positions in ceremonies, while in others, there are prohibitions. The way that people view femininity is changing, which is indicative of a movement worldwide to acknowledge women as complex people with a range of abilities and goals. Furthermore, the differences between patrilineal and matrilineal communities have a significant impact on inheritance rights, roles, and lineage, all of which shape women's identities.The complex thought of women's identities is further tied together by cultural standards of beauty, which impact both social expectations and self-perception. Finally, talks about women's rights and empowerment provide insight into the continuous international initiatives to close gaps and promote equity in the future. Through investigating these aspects, we are able to obtain a deep comprehension of the dynamic and changing character of women's identities worldwide, underscoring the significance of intercultural communication and inclusivity.

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Dear Peri Ijeoma and Dr. Richard,

I’m not really sure why I’m writing this letter, as two of y’all aren’t real so you’ll never read this. Yet here we are, me on a whim writing to my professor end people who don’t exist. Yet at the same time you all have touched me and changed the way I think about life.

Ijeoma,

No matter what happened and how scared you were, you still tried, you still explored, you still loved. I admire that you rarely if at all got angry, many people in your situation would have strayed away from their faith and blamed their pain on an unseen force, but you used what you had to free yourself and your child. I hope Chibundu forgave you for doing what you needed to do, I hope he really looked at himself and apologized for hurting you. I hope you look back on your time with Amina with the fondness that a first love always has. I hope you told your daughter the stories your dad once shared with you even if they now have different meanings as an adult. I hope you fall in love with Ndidi all over again every single day because that’s what you deserve.

Peri,

Sweet, inquisitive, stuck in the middle Peri, walking away from Azur was hard and calling him after all those years must’ve been even harder. You should be proud of yourself because not many people, even ones like Shirin, could've done that. I hope that that dinner party made you think, I hope you and your moms relationship continues to improve. I hope you find peace with your questions and your spirituality. I hope you can have and hold onto your own opinions and continue to explore what makes you…well…YOU. Keep your relationships with Mona and Shirin, I think you still need them in the way even if you’ve gotten the life you’ve chosen for yourself (or did Azur unintentionally choose it? Ask yourself that question)I hope you lean on them as your daughter grows up. Go back to school, become the professor you needed back in Oxford, make people think. The baby in the mist will forever remain a mystery but don’t be afraid of it, be curious instead. Thank you for making me think about who God is and about a greater world, you are pretty incredible.

Dr. Richard,

I mean no disrespect but in a way you are professor Azur. Not in any of the bad ways you don’t rip us apart to build us back up. But you made me think and you and me think about my faith and my relationship with spirituality and who I want to be as a person. You made me reflect on topics that I didn’t know were that important to me. You pushed me to see outside of my own Eurocentric lens. These stories of these characters felt like friends or mentors or people I knew. Class discussions felt like A safe space. I took this class to learn about different cultures but I learned a lot more about myself than I thought I would. Some of that I can’t even put into words. Thank you for answering my questions and allowing me to think freely in a safe way. I will always remember you as the teacher and confidant that gave me a new definition of what it means to have faith.

-Lillian

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I think this picture would be a proper way to wrap up the year. This class was able to highlight the modern struggle and breakthroughs made regarding the progress of women finding equity, adequate treatment, and intersectional understanding. All of which points back to the foundation on which it is laid, such as this picture right here. It is always good to remember where we have been.

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As the semester concludes, I want to take the time to reflect on the content we’ve covered this semester. I have learned a lot about different cultures and the impact feminism has globally. Thank you to Dr. Richard for putting together an amazing course.

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Rather than buy her a traditional present, every year around Christmas I donate to book related charity in my grandmother’s name. At 88 years old my Nana still works full time running her town library, and through this line of work spends a great deal of her time making sure every student in her town as access to books they need for school, as well as to read for fun. While looking for a charity to donate to this year, I stumbled across Girls Write Now. Based in New York, this organization sponsors girls and gender-non-conforming kids in order to “mentor the next generation of writers and leaders.”

I thought this would be fitting to share as my last Tumblr post as the non-profit fit the themes of our class as they work to foster freedom through writing, and encouraging storytelling. Like Adichie, the program teaching girls to tell their own story - not conform the what society tells them they should be. 

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Throughout the semester we have read quite a few stories from multifaceted lenses on religion, background, upbringing, education, personal opinions, perspectives, and the influences others may have on one's life to showcase all of the different layers to an individual's story.

Although not explicitly said, but can be inferred, these stories are to inform and encourage. Women speak about their life, their struggles to reach out their hands to help women who may be experiencing something similar. The women telling the stories were not alone. Neither are the women reading them. Not only this but the readings also serve the purpose of empowerment and encouragement. Within the class we saw Peri was in a constant state of uncertainty, and Ijeoma has to hide from her true identity.

I found our readings, discussions, and findings to be extremely eye opening through many different ways. We are now more informed of what culture for women looks like in other regions of our world. We now know the struggles and the lives that women may live compared to us depending on their religion, authority, and upbringing. We also can see that women are a fierce representation of strength. Their experiences and fights they battle against their authorities within the prospective countries, simply for their own justice, shows that they are more than beauty. This article showcases twelve different stories from different parts of the world and how their crossing paths with strong women empowered them to be where they are in life. Women empowering women, whether it is through literature or one-on-one conversation, can truly make an impact on someone's life.

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Right now, the last two questions on the syllabus are what I think I want to write my final on. I wanted to firstly, take some time to reflect on what this class has taught me. Dr. Richard has said numerous times in class that she doesn't aim for this course to be the toughest writing course you've ever taken but instead that she just wants her students to leave learning something. And I really feel like I have done just that! Especially thinking about the representation of literature that we have looked at in this class, it has been about so much more than white male authors. Instead, we have focused in on and analyzed text from women of color all around the globe. This is so important for so many reasons and truly gives so much representation to what is important. The TED Talks we have viewed in class also add on to this, because we not only have read materials that authors investigated in this class have wrote, but we additionally hear them speak on important subjects that they resonate with. 

Ending my last Tumblr post with a quote by the amazing Michelle Obama, "There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish," and this has shown very much in the course materials, discussions, and literature in Women's Writing Worldwide.

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I chose to write about this quote from Kimberle Crenshaw because I felt it applied to much of what we talked about this semester. As we discussed in class, no person has the same experience. The way that we grew up, including things that were out of our control, shapes us for the rest of our lives. I enjoyed learning about different women's experiences around the world and seeing how each experience was unique in ways and similar in ways!

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I picked this one because the question that I chose to answer for the final is about how women live in different cultures and I plan to implement this post into my paper in some way.

The Hijab did not originate from Islam nor are they oppressive when women have the choice to wear one.

🧕🏼☪️🧕🏾

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https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/6/explainer-intersectional-feminism-what-it-means-and-why-it-matters

To wrap up the semester on learning about feminism and intersectionality in the world, I was looking and found this article. I immediately noticed that it quoted and cited Kimberlé Crenshaw, someone we have talked about previously during class. The article starts off talking of Mrs. Crenshaws quote “all inequality is not created equal”. Moving to talk about how its experience is not just “the sum of its parts”. Next the areticle focuses on a women from Brazil,  Valdecir Nascimento, who is another women’s rights activist. She gives the viewpoint of promoting black womens rights. She fights to have her communities voices heard in Brazil sand beyond. Next, the article focuses on Sonia Maribel Sontay Herrera, a Guatemalan indigenous woman and human rights defender. She fights for the rights of indigenous women in her community. Lastly the article focuses on Majandra Rodriguez Acha, a youth leader and climate justice advocate from Lima, Peru. She fights for LGBTQ rights as well as black, indigenous, and all other human rights. This article does a great job of following these women’s activists beliefs and setting the stage for outlooks for women’s rights. There is so much left to do but it helps greatly to have such strong mouthpieces fighting for human rights across the globe.

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In this article by Time, answering the question "What Does It Mean to Be a Woman?', the discussion revolves around the complexities of the concept of "womanhood" and challenges the simplistic idea that it is solely based on biological differences. The text introduces the idea that factors such as race intersect with the concept of womanhood. The reference to Sojourner Truth's question emphasizes how race has historically played a role in shaping societal perceptions of gender, particularly during periods like the abolition of slavery. The article also draws attention to how legal recognition of gender binaries, as seen in segregated public facilities, has been a privilege associated with whiteness. This implies that the understanding of gender is intertwined with broader social and legal structures. In essence, the article encourages readers to move beyond simplistic definitions of "womanhood," acknowledging the intricate interplay of biological, cultural, historical, and social factors in shaping our understanding of gender.

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As many people know Israel has been attacked by Hamas. I found an article talking about how women and girls have been living during this attack. The article states that there have currently been 10,000 women and children who have been killed, and 838,100 women who have been displaced from their homes. Women who are living in Gaza have urgent needs relating to the current conflict and gender discrimination laws in Palestine that assume women to be under the protection and guardianship of men. Not all women are married and have the protection of men and the country can't assume that. This whole semester we have looked into women's rights all around the world and this is a current example of what is happening to women in Palestine.https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/feature-story/2023/10/facts-and-figures-women-and-girls-during-the-war-in-gaza?

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This quote, I feel is very important to our class because it tells that feminism runs a lot deeper than just surface level. Feminism goes through ever culture, ever social interaction, ever economic status and political status. Our course has gone through many different cultures, and different economic standings and the same theme has been prominent throughout the course and the different literatures. The women that we have discussed throughout the course strive for a better world for themselves and those around them.

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I saw another Tumblr post on what it means to be a female and that made me want to do some research of my own on that topic. This question has been a topic of conversation throughout the semester. I came across this article with 17 women defining what it means to be a woman. I love how this article explains that there are a lot of ways to be a woman, "for some, womanhood is strength. For others, it's tenderness. Womanhood might be pushing yourself in school or in your career, or helping to lift others up. You can be a woman wearing a dress and heels, or when you're tying up your work boots. Womanhood is not defined by relationships, jobs, body parts, or anything else — it's not defined by anyone or anything but yourself." Each of the women who define womanhood for this article have their very own definition. I didn't think you could define womanhood by explaining one's experiences. I have now realized after reading this article and being a part of this class that being a woman is defined by cultural differences, personal identity, social and historical context, intersectionality, personal choices and values, and fluidity of gender.

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After class discussion about womens rights and what is actually happening in the world today rather than reading about it from a book I looked up "woman's rights and intersectionality" and stumbled across this instagram page. I was more looking for a news article or something along those lines but this really caught my eye because social media is such a huge part of our lives today and the fact that a social media page has been created to reach a whole new wave of individuals in a quick and easy fashion is so exciting. On this page they post anything from inspirational quotes to informative articles on women's issues. Although they are doing a great job of gaining traction and building an audience they aren't really educating people on women's issues in countries other than our own. From this course ive come to the conclusion that it is so important to raise awareness for all women and showcase the struggles and hardships they are fighting for to educate others.