...In Search of Her: A Postcolonial/ Feminist Enquiry into the Identity of Indian Woman Kochurani Abraham “The home was the principal site for expressing the spiritual quality of the nation’s culture and women must take the main responsibility of protecting and nurturing this quality. No matter what the changes in the external conditions of life for women, they must not lose their essentially spiritual (ie feminine) virtues; they must not, in other words, become essentially westernized.” - Partha Chatterjee, “The Nationalist Resolution of the Women’s Question”* “What was gradually and carefully constituted, brick by brick, in the interaction between colonialism and nationalism is now so deeply embedded in the consciousness of the middle classes that ideas about the past have assumed the status of revealed truths…It has led to a narrow and limiting circle in which the image of Indian womanhood has become, both a shackle and a rhetorical device that nevertheless functions as a historical truth.” - Uma Chakravarti “Whatever happened to the Vedic Dasi?: Orientalism, Nationalism and a Script for the Past.”* Who/where is the Indian woman? Since this conference focuses on the theme “Identity, Difference and...
Words: 4288 - Pages: 18
...According to tavaana.org, one medical school dean declared, “Hell yes we have a quota, we do keep women out as much as possible. We don’t want them here.” As a result, women accounted for only six percent of the doctors, 3 percent of lawyers, and less than one percent engineers. The conditions of their employment were unequitable because they were paid much less, were denied opportunities, and many employers assumed women would quit once they were pregnant so they were often not even hired (Walsh). The feminist movement in the 60’s originally focused on these issues. In 1964, Representative Howard Smith of Virginia wanted to help women and proposed to add a prohibition on gender discrimination in the civil rights laws. He was greeted by laughter from other congressman, but with the leadership from Representative Martha Griffiths of Michigan, the law was passed. However, most women knew this would not enforce the protection of women workers. Therefore, a group of feminists, including the great Betty Friedan, founded NOW (National Organization for Women), an organization to fight gender...
Words: 1321 - Pages: 6
...movement in 1848 (Bolden 33). Eventually, politics and power in the White House got involved, a.k.a. Eleanor Roosevelt, our 32nd first lady ("Eleanor Roosevelt and the Women's Movement."). She dealt with feminist issues such as abuse and the inequality of women, and the rights of other minorities such as black and hispanic people. Now, in the present, social media is the biggest platform for feminist icons like Beyonce, or Emma Watson, to be loud and proud about their beliefs. “Twitter has played a big role amplifying women’s voices online.” (Groetzinger). Twitter, a very popular social media, is one of the largest platforms, next to...
Words: 639 - Pages: 3
...Nancy Rios Professor Fields History 101 3-4:15 12/13/14 Fresno Feminist Art Program For centuries women have not been seen as equal to their male counter parts. Instead women have been treating more as property rather than being valued. Several women felt the need for change and yearned for an end to their oppression. However, women found a way to express themselves with their new discovery of something called, art. Art is a powerful tool that can depict many emotions and situations without actually having to say much. Unfortunately female artists had a difficult time because they were never taken serious by male artists. Nevertheless being ridiculed by male artists did not stop these women from proving themselves in the art world. Judy Chicago is a famous inspirational feminist artist who launched the first women’s art program at Fresno State University in the fall of 1970. Judy accomplished various things that helped contribute to the feminist movement here in America. Although, she had here share of obstacles, Judy wanted a new “framework of reality” and wanted to move away from a male dominated art world. Judy Chicago had a vision about separating the male art world from the female art world....
Words: 1992 - Pages: 8
...Introduction When the Black Feminist movement was developed, it was a revolution for black women. It gave them power, liberation, and a voice to overcome the emasculating efforts of white male power (Harrold, Hine, and Hine, 2009). When I first began this research, I discovered that Black Feminism is too broad of a topic to elaborate on as a whole. This paper defines the term “Black Feminism. It will explore two published articles that report on the theory and practice of how black feminism is making waves and what role of education in the development of the Black Feminist Thought from 1860 to 1920. This paper will examine when the National Black Feminist Organization was founded and lastly, how two outstanding women who made an impact in the Black Feminist Movement. According to Encyclo (n.d.) online encyclopedia the definition of black feminism is “A strand of feminist thought which highlights the multiple disadvantages of gender, class and race that shape the experiences of nonwhite women. Black feminists reject the idea of a single unified gender oppression that is experienced evenly by all women, and argue that early feminist analysis reflected the specific concerns of white, middle-class women.” In other words, black feminist argue that the liberation of black women entails freedom for all people since it would require the end of racism, sexism and class oppression. This brings me to the theory and practice of black feminism and how it is making waves. According...
Words: 1725 - Pages: 7
...Being born in the United States I am fortunate to have all the rights that I have, especially since I am female. I cannot imagine what life would be like without all of the changes that have come about because of our nations early feminists. Autumn Gem is a documentary about the life of China’s first feminist and how it sparked the women’s movement in China. Qiu Jin challenged the traditional gender roles and demanded equal rights and opportunities for women in China. She became interested in defining women’s rights at an early age. As a child she looked up to other influential women in China’s history. Qiu Jin studied martial arts as a young child and began schooling after watching her brother and his tutor. Qiu Jin became an accomplished writer, talented martial artist, and a leader of a revolutionary army. In the 20th century she was recognized as a national heroine who redefined what it meant to be a woman in China. At the beginning of the movie we see Qiu Jin trying to take the role as a traditional woman in China. You see her going through an arranged marriage, to a wealthy man and came from a religious family, and practiced foot binding. As her marriage progressed Qiu Jin became very unhappy with being a submissive house wife. So she began to read and write for a women’s activist newspaper. She had two children and soon was divorced. Her and her fellow activists’ supporters built a school where they would recruit and train new members of the cause. They hoped the school...
Words: 819 - Pages: 4
...Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hooks, Bell. Feminism is for everybody: passionate politics / Bell Hooks. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-89608-629-1 - ISBN 0-89608-628-3 (pbk.) 1. Feminist theory. 2. Feminism - Philosophy. 3. Feminism Political aspects. 4. Sex discrimination against women. 1. Title. FEMINIST POLITICS Where We Stand 1 CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING A Constant Change of Heart 7 3. SISI:ERHOOD IS STILL POWERFUL 4. Vll 13 00-036589 South End Press, 7 Brookline Street, #1, Cambridge, MA 02139 06 05 04 7 8 9 Printed in Canada 19 OUR BODIES, OURSELVES Reproductive Rights 25 6. HQl190 .H67 2000 305.42'01 - dc21 FEMINIST EDUCATION FOR CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS BEAUTY WITHIN AND WITHOUT 31 7. FEMINIST CLASS STRUGGLE 37 8. GLOBAL FEMINISM 44 5. 9. WOMEN AT WORI( 48 10. RACE AND GENDER 55 11. ENDING VIOLENCE 61 12. FEMINIST MASCULINITY 67 13. FEMINIST PARENTING 72 14. LIBERATING MARRIAGE AND PARTNERSHIP 78 15. A FEMINIST SEXUAL POLITIC An Ethics of Mutual Freedom 85 16. TOTAL BLISS Lesbianism and Feminism 93 INTRODUCTION 17. TO LOVE AGAIN The Heart of Feminism 100 18. FEMINIST SPIRITUALITY 105 19. VISIONARY FEMINISM...
Words: 37459 - Pages: 150
...Artemisia Gentileschi the Renaissance Feminist Artist Manuel Hernandez Devry University Abstract Why exactly is Artemisia Gentileschi considered an early feminist? Doing a brief search and looking into her artwork, even for a brief amount of time and you quickly see why she was considered so. Her gender as well as the things she went through and experienced in her life heavily influenced Artemisia Gentileschi’s artwork. Some of the more famous and controversial paintings focus on females as being the main protagonist. There is plenty of controversy surrounding the paintings as well, since her father Orazio Gentileschi a painter in his own right trained her. Some of her early paintings are questioned and he is given credit for them. Artemisia Gentileschi went through some unfortunate events in a short and young time in her life, which I believe influenced her greatly and made her focus on feminism. As stated in her biography (n/a) her mother died when she was 12 years old, a huge loss for a young girl. When she was around the age of 17, Agostino Tassi who was one of her father’s colleagues raped Artemisia Gentileschi (Biography et al., n/a). Further adding to the pain, because of the rape her father Orazio wanted Agostino to marry Artemisia (Biography et al., n/a). Luckily for Artemisia he refused to marry her saving her the pain of living with her rapist, and this caused Orazio to pursue a legal case against Agostino that lasted several months. In looking through Artemisia’s...
Words: 2144 - Pages: 9
...Marxist philosopher who had a strong following as a serious and intellectual interpreter of Marxism. (I thought it was interesting to put in a critique of Marxism therefore to see the critique of his theories.) Theorist | Theory Summary | Critique of Theory | Louis Althusser - | He was a French Marxist Philosopher his work is in the structuralism tradition. Althusserian Marxism is anti-economist and anti-humanist. His work is a move away from preoccupation with economic determination. Also Althusser also rejected the idea of a Marxist humanism. He wasn’t so much a contributor as he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of Marxism. | His workings didn’t focus on the individual worker it more examines the overall structure of society. Marxism looked at how the human productive power will be exploited in order to maximize profits for the rich. He presumed that humans are actually shaped by societal structures instead of the rich dominating the poor. | Friedrich Engels - | He was a German-English social scientist and a co-founder of the Marxist alongside Karl Marx. They believed one such subordinate class, the bourgeoisie, or merchant class, in its struggle against the aristocratic elite of feudal society, has shaped their world. They both had belief around the alienation and exploitation of the worker. He studied the relationship between the development of the family and how capitalism adversely affects families. | He faced criticism from The Economic Journal that...
Words: 914 - Pages: 4
...“Parenting as a Religious Jewish Feminist” by Haviva Ner- David Haviva Ner-David’s, the writer of “Parenting as a Religious Jewish Feminist,” talks about the tallit (prayer shawl) and the tefillin (little boxes strapped onto the arm and forehead that contain scriptural passages), both traditionally worn by only men for prayer, which she believes enhances her perception of God and the sanctity of her own body. She mentions that in the bible Michael the daughter of King Saul and the first wife of King David “Wore tefillin and Sages did not protest her action.” It was most commonly understood that the Rabbis exempted women from performing certain time bound mitzvoth, such as putting on tefillin, because women’s time belongs to others their children and their husbands. As a mother of four with Michal being the oldest she talks about how she takes being a Jewish mother seriously. She introduces her children to Toraah and Mitzvot with love. She does not want Michal to grow up feeling as a Jewish female, resentful of her religion or marginalized and irrelevant all of which she often felt as a child and young woman. David goes on about how she would love to see her children adopt the values that she had chosen for herself meaning seeing her daughter pray with tefillin, and hear her son tell her that he refuses to say bracha thanking God for not having created him a woman. Michal and her other daughters may decide to follow in her religious feminist path or may not. As a mother she...
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...intersectionality is to determine the factors which foster oppressive systems and address them individually and also correctly. Using Black feminism as an example, I would like to make the case that intersectionality is beneficial when discussing gender because it is the essence of living intersectional...
Words: 569 - Pages: 3
...First Wave Feminist Movement Introduction Feminism is considered a political concept. It is an analysis of why and how women are oppressed. It is a vision of a society where women are liberated and sex role stereotypes are no more. It is also a conviction that oppression of women is a contradiction in society. Women feminists fought for their right to not be property, rights to their inheritance, rights to an education and to a religion that was not patriarchal. Even though feminism had been seen for quite some time, the actual term "feminist" was not first used until 1912. "The modern feminist movement began a as result of sweeping social, political and industrial changes in Europe and the United States" (Conger). Many suffragists did not refer to themselves as feminists. They advocated only for voting rights, not complete equality. Oppression as an Obstacle for Women Women advocated against a mindset, an entire system of socialization. "Women were socialized, both in their minds and in the minds of men, that their sole role in society was reproduction" (Fisher). "The average married female gave birth to seven children" (Conger). If a woman was engaging in public activities then "she was ignoring her biological weaknesses - a smaller brain and a more fragile physique - which she was supposed to protect in order to ensure her reproductive abilities" (Krolokke, 5). Women had little control over their life. Women were considered...
Words: 2207 - Pages: 9
...according to their own agenda and benefits. In simpler words of my understanding, international relation is a study where it looks at the relationship between countries, which will of course include the role of different organizations and different policies. For a long time now, our world is highly filled with national security dialogues such as diplomats, statesmen and military positions, however, all of these managed to avoid women participation due to their lack of characteristics required to handle such heavy duties. Gender discrimination is not something new, proving that would be all of the feminist movements that happened over the years to address their issues. Many categories in life have addressed women’s issue for some changes even when it comes to the world of politics. However, not until recently where international relations has made some unwillingly places for feminist between them (Eric M. Blanchard, 2003). Knowing that both International Relations and feminism are classmates in many...
Words: 3736 - Pages: 15
...physical image of women portrayed by Filipino beauty commercials. A feministic view of these commercials is applied in trying to show the ideal image they present which influences the decisions and perceptions of women. Specifically, the researchers are defining how it has shaped the outlook of women towards beauty with regards to the physical aspects. The methods used to achieve results were documentary analysis and interviews. Through interviews, the researchers were able to generate information based on perceptions of selected individuals with expertise on feminism and visual communication. The documentary analysis deals with the examination of sample commercials which are part of the research scope. CHAPTER I THE RESEARCH AND ITS BACKGROUND This chapter contains the background of the study with a short introduction of the whole research and the reasons why the researchers chose the topic. It also contains the specific problems of the study as well as the theoretical and conceptual frameworks which were the foundation of the research. The limitations and scope are also provided in this chapter. It also contains the significance of the study to different people affected by the research and the definition of terms as to how they were used in the study. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY As people tend to watch television, we also tend to encounter the commercials that come along with watching. According to a study conducted by McCann-Erickson in 1993, the portrait of the Filipino...
Words: 7613 - Pages: 31
...golden girls both. Personified in Lawrence’s lithe movements and cool, focused gaze, Katniss is a brave, resourceful and independent-minded fighter; but she is also a troubled and vulnerably guilt-ridden human being. Nina Jacobson, the producer of the Hunger Games film franchise, puts it this way: “She is a singular heroine in that the burden of survival weighs on her. She has a ton of survivor’s guilt. And she keeps surviving.” Girl on fire It is strange that behaving like a well-adjusted and responsible young woman counts as movie-star news – or that the popularity of a female lead character who is strong and feminine, brave even when scared, compassionate even when imperfect, and respectful even when breaking with tradition counts as feminist heroism. But it does. There is a reason we delight equally in seeing Katniss dressed up (those pretty gowns!) and dressed down (that...
Words: 16355 - Pages: 66
