--- On Tue, 27/1/09, C.K. Vishwanath <[email protected]> wrote: > --- On Sun, 25/1/09, Rinita Mazumdar > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > From: Rinita Mazumdar > <[email protected]> > > Subject: Re: Fw: [grey-youth-movement:1735] Crisis of > Feminist Politics > > To: [email protected], [email protected] > > Cc: [email protected], [email protected], > "Ravinder Bawa" <[email protected]>, > "Soma Marik" <[email protected]> > > Date: Sunday, 25 January, 2009, 9:15 PM > > Viswanath, thanks. This is useful for my class, yes > identity > > politics has split up the Feminist Movement and taken > away > > many of our struggles from its realities. > > > > There, is however, another side to this fragmentation. > The > > problematic stance of Western Feminism to Globalize > itself, > > the arrogance (not unlikely Leninist Vanguard Party) > to make > > every kind of women's oppression uniform making > broad > > generalizations like "Pro-choice policies are > > necessarily all furthering women's > liberation" thus > > excluding the complexities of women calling female > foeticide > > a matter of "choice". I am enclosing a panel > that > > I am heading on this issue on MArch 27th, 2009 here at > my > > University. > > > > Feminism is a relatively young movement and its canons > are > > still developing; no one knows where patriarchy > evolved from > > since it existed even in the Old Testament Abraham as > the > > patriarch with his flock and property and wives and > the > > oikos as the household with the patriarchical head > exist > > both in Aristotle and Manu Samhita; hence, to say that > > women's global oppression stems only from > Capitalism is > > a rather simplistic view. > > > > We have to think of new ways and new paradigms in > dealing > > with this issue and that is the biggest challenge for > > theoretician and activists in the coming years, > > > > Solidarity, > > Rinita > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > Rinita Mazumdar > > > > Lecturer of Women Studies and Philosophy, > > > > University of New Mexico > > > > Outreach Specialist > > > > New Mexico Asian Family Center > > > > Albuquerque, New Mexico > > > > --- On Sat, 1/24/09, C.K. Vishwanath > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > From: C.K. Vishwanath > <[email protected]> > > Subject: Fw: [grey-youth-movement:1735] Crisis of > Feminist > > Politics > > To: [email protected] > > Cc: [email protected], [email protected], > > "Ravinder Bawa" > <[email protected]>, > > [email protected], "Soma Marik" > > <[email protected]> > > Date: Saturday, January 24, 2009, 9:31 PM > > > > > > > > --- On Sun, 25/1/09, C.K. Vishwanath > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > From: C.K. Vishwanath > > <[email protected]> > > > Subject: [grey-youth-movement:1735] Crisis of > Feminist > > Politics > > > To: [email protected] > > > Cc: [email protected] > > > Date: Sunday, 25 January, 2009, 9:59 AM > > > --- On Sun, 25/1/09, CK 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." > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > Foil-l mailing list > > > > > [email protected] > > > > > > > > > http://insaf.net/mailman/listinfo/foil-l_insaf.net > > > > > > > > > > > > Add more friends to your messenger and > > enjoy! Go > > > to > > > > http://messenger.yahoo.com/invite/ > > > > > > > > > Connect with friends all over the world. > Get > > Yahoo! > > > India Messenger at > > http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/?wm=n/ > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Get an email ID as [email protected] or > > [email protected]. Click > > here http://in.promos.yahoo.com/address > > > Check out the all-new Messenger 9.0! Go to > http://in.messenger.yahoo.com/ > Add more friends to your messenger and enjoy! 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