--- On Sun, 25/1/09, C.K. Vishwanath <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > <
>
> > > <http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/576>
> > >
> > > [Shahrzad Mojab is a prominent Iranian professor
> at
> > the
> > > University of Toronto.]
> > >
> > > "Little effort is undertaken by feminist
> > activists to
> > > confront boldly,
> > > without any hesitations, both imperialist
> aggressions
> > and
> > > religious
> > > conservative forces. Some of us recall the debate
> in
> > the
> > > summer of
> > > 2006 when we were organizing against the Israel
> > aggression
> > > on Lebanon,
> > > when some women argued in support of Hezbollah, a
> > religious
> > > conservative group, as an anti-imperialist
> resistance.
> > > Others went as
> > > far as carrying portraits of Ayatollah Khomeini
> and
> > Moqtada
> > > al-Sadr,
> > > two symbols of women's oppression, in antiwar
> > marches.
> > >
> > > Some antiwar feminist academics cloak their
> support
> > for the
> > > patriarchal-religious force in the "cultural
> > > relativist" argument
> > > which privileges the "indigeneity" of
> > patriarchy.
> > > My question is: Why
> > > have feminists, especially those with a
> progressive,
> > > antiwar,
> > > anti-globalization agenda, in recent years
> repeatedly
> > > failed to uphold
> > > a multi-edged banner of resistance? Why have we
> failed
> > us
> > > to see the
> > > multiplicity of contradictions in patriarchal
> > capitalism?
> > > We should
> > > seek the answer, I would like to propose, in the
> > following
> > > factors:
> > >
> > > 1) The theoretical turn in feminism in the last
> three
> > > decades has had
> > > a devastating impact on women's struggle
> globally.
> >
> > > Exaggerated
> > > emphases on "identity,"
> "voice,"
> > > "agency," "location" and
> > > "experience"
> > > have reduced patriarchy to questions of culture
> and
> > > religion. This
> > > means that patriarchy as an institution of
> women's
> > > subordination is
> > > separated from capitalist relations of
> exploitation,
> > from
> > > imperialist
> > > domination, and from the rise of nationalism and
> > > fundamentalism. This
> > > myopic view of patriarchy, sometimes even
> endorsed the
> > > colonialist
> > > "liberation" agenda for women in
> Afghanistan
> > and
> > > Iraq.
> > >
> > > 2) The political implications of this theoretical
> > shift
> > > have been even
> > > more disturbing. Feminism as a potential strong
> > opposition
> > > social
> > > force has been reduced to fragmented, disjointed
> and
> > > coopted
> > > tendencies. The outcome is the re-emergence of
> > colonial and
> > > imperialist feminisms on the one hand, and
> nativist
> > > feminisms which
> > > perpetuate patriarchy under the banner of culture
> on
> > the
> > > other.
> > >
> > > 3) The post-9/11 condition has added more
> complexity
> > to
> > > this already
> > > messy situation. In the West we are faced with
> the
> > rise of
> > > state
> > > suppression of individual rights and civil
> liberties
> > under
> > > the name of
> > > "security" and "war on
> terror."
> > > State-sponsored racial profiling is on
> > > the rise, and Islamophobia, anti-Arab, and
> anti-Muslim
> > > racism are
> > > growing. Most feminist responses are at best
> ambiguous
> > > toward this
> > > environment of fear and terror.
> > >
> > > 4) The right turn in the feminist movement
> coincides
> > with
> > > three
> > > decades of cooptation and fragmentation of
> women's
> > > movements through
> > > the instruments of the UN, World Bank,
> International
> > > Monetary Fund,
> > > and a vast network of non-governmental
> organizations
> > > (NGOs). These
> > > capitalist institutions have supported, funded
> and
> > promoted
> > > patriarchy
> > > by turning the struggle of women to
> de-politicized and
> > > liberal notions
> > > of "gender mainstreaming" and
> > "women's
> > > empowerment."
> > > In this imperialist feminist scheme, women were
> > trained to
> > > lead NGOs,
> > > to participate in the political structure of
> > conservative
> > > and
> > > pro-Western states, to engage in alienating,
> pacifying
> > > training
> > > programs for the capitalist "democracy"
> and
> > join
> > > the army of workers
> > > to build "civil society." In this
> version of
> > > women's struggle,
> > > capitalist relations of power and the
> institutions of
> > state
> > > and
> > > patriarchy are left untouched."
>
>
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