Global, not Western, Feminism: Localizing Global Feminist Values and Actions - Essay Example

March 17, Global, not Western, Feminism: Localizing Global Feminist Values and Actions Feminism is evolving as a dynamic ideology and movement because of the interconnections between the local and the global feminist movements. Feminism is generally an ideology that asserts and promotes social, political, and economic equality for all sexes. Western and global movements of feminism are struggling, nevertheless, in their negotiation of the meaning, nature, and direction of feminist ideology and movements. Transnational feminism emphasizes the universal principles that drive human rights and other issues which require negotiation at global levels (Basu 435), while Western feminism is criticized as being too region-centered and Eurocentric because it is a reaction to Western realities and values that are not similar for every woman across the globe. Nowadays, global feminism seeks to be more inclusive, in order to form alliances that promote “universal sisterhood” that can build a more humane and unified world. Feminism shows the tension between the local and the global by showing the differences in particular struggles and advocacies, which are made complicated by differences in social, economic, political, and cultural experiences, values, and priority goals, although global feminism provides tools that seek to address common feminist interests by analyzes intersectionality in feminist ideology and ethics and universalizing feminist issues for the creation of a humane and united international community. Local and global feminist movements show tension because of diversity in particular goals due to contextual divergences. Basu argues that the local and the global movements of feminism are in conflict when they have different primary goals because of social, political, economic, and cultural differences. An example is the feminist movement in India that emphasizes the economic and materialist needs of women because of widespread feminized poverty and sexual violence experienced in their country (Basu 440). The Self-Employed Women’s Association in Gujarat, for instance, organized women to fight against low wages, dismal working conditions, and absence of access to needed credit lines (Basu 440). These concerns are within global feminism, although economic needs are not always the main or only focus of their advocacies. Furthermore, the feminist movement in India seeks to transform the Indian state by linking political and women’s issues. Indian feminists want to lobby for laws that protect women from sexual violence and cultural practices that socially justify women’s oppression, while also demanding reserved Parliamentary seats for women to promote and ensure greater political participation (Basu 441). Indian feminism asserts state transformation as part of gender equality. Moreover, as global feminism focuses on human rights in general, it may be clouding stronger local values and practices. An example is the difference between local Indian reproductive values that want to ban drugs that promote sex selection and abortion, while global feminism wants broader choices for all women (Basu 441). In other words, the global might assert that reproductive rights are more about freedom to choose regardless of cultural and religious differences. These differences impact the criticism of global feminism at sometimes lacking in cultural and religious sensitivity and responsiveness. Religious and cultural differences should also shape what is considered as acceptable feminist norms and goals. Another concern is that global feminism should not be dominated by Western feminism that leads to an inaccurate representation of Middle Eastern feminist values and aspirations. Nahla Abdo criticizes the dichotomy between the West and the Orient that discriminates against the Middle East through analyzing the causes and implications of Eurocentrism and Orientalism, which intensified after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America. Eurocentrism and Orientalism are forms of racial and ethnic discrimination against Arabs and Muslims (Abdo 382). Eurocentrism develops the ideology that Europe and the West are homogenous and continuously growing entities that have developed since Ancient Greece, where whiteness is superior, while Orientalism is the process where the West dominates the “Other,” or the East, because they do not possess the cultural characteristics and values of the West (Abdo 384). Eurocentric Orientalism represents the power relations that preserve the superiority of the West and the inferiority of the Other, an epistemology that affected Western feminism ideology (Abdo 384). Abdo argues that North American racist policies and practices regarding the Middle East is a product of Western imperialist strategies, needs, and interests (372). She explains that this is the same ideology that drives Western feminism, which is then harmful to women in the Middle East and global feminism because it serves patriarchal and imperialist interests (Abdo 372). Abdo further shows that Eurocentrism and Orientalism essentializes the Middle East by creating an essentialist dichotomy, where, on the one hand, the West is the positive, peaceful, democratic social force in the world, while, on the other hand, the Middle East is brutal and uncivilized (380). Arab women, as a result of Eurocentric and Orientalist thinking and policies, have been turned into exotic versions of femininity, where their cultural and religious objects are changed into negative stereotypes (Abdo 381). Abdo laments that Eurocentrism and Orientalism created feminist scholarship that dwelled on outer manifestations of Arab women, especially their outer looks, sensuality, and sexuality (381). In particular, many Middle East women oppose essentialist notions regarding their culture and religion, which assumes the absence of their autonomy and individual needs, and desire a more global feminist network. Essentialist notions intersect racial, class, and gender issues by promoting essentialist beliefs and practices. Essentialism further produces a stereotyped female ethnic that differentiates white from minority women, or western from Eastern women, where Eastern women are exotic beings who are inferior to white middle-class women (Abdo 381). The existence of essentialism should be discussed and explored openly and critically to remove it in global feminist scholarship and activities. Rosario Morales reminds women that they should not assume that they are wholly unbiased when they have sexist and racist beliefs and/or practices 992-93). By realizing that women are racists and sexists, they become aware of their own essentialist notions that impede them from truly creating a unified, pluralistic society. Female ethics is another concept that helps integrate ethnic and gender issues in global feminist thinking and practice. The female ethnic underscores that ethnic differences should also influence global feminist ideas and activities. Where Do We Go Now? shows Lebanese women and their notion of female ethics. While female ethics tend to be essentialized because of the virtues of dependence and subordination in family and married life, liberating female ethics uses their caregiving experiences to find more humane and collective resolutions to their personal and community issues (Grimshaw 153). Where Do We Go Now? portrays women who resolves intra-religious and intra-cultural antagonism in their village through skillful manipulation that removes violent weapons and attitudes. They prove that the female ethics respect the female ethnic without making the latter inferior to Eurocentric worldview. To create a true global feminist network, local feminism negotiates with transnational feminism in expressing their local values and practices that deserve respect and recognition. Madeleine Bunting interviews Arab women who believe that Islam and their culture empower them as individuals, contrary to Western feminists who think otherwise. An example is the Western feminist thinking that that the veil is automatically a symbol of oppression and backwardness. Bunting interviews Jasmin who believes that the veil desexualizes her and facilitates people, especially men, to see her beyond her gender. In addition, Bunting cites the beliefs of Muslim women who believe that Islam freed them from gender norms and roles. Shagufta and Jasmin, for instance, rejected arranged marriages and other socially-imposed gender norms through embracing Islam, which, for them, underlines gender equality and empowerment of women. Bunting mentions Arab beliefs where women’s sexuality are accepted, and not repressed, which is what Christianity promotes. These are examples of Muslim women who believe that their beliefs and practices liberate and empower them. They are showing the world that they have autonomy in choosing what they want to believe in without feeling inferior. Global feminism provides tools that seek to address common feminist interests by promoting intersectionality in feminist ethics and universalizing feminist issues. Kimberly Crenshaw defines intersectionality as the analysis of all oppressive institutions and ideologies against women. Global feminism gives tools that are used for criticizing and dismantling binary modes of organizing the world by offering a source of funds for local advocacies. Transnational feminist networks can offer funds that can support the operations of local feminist movements (Basu 442). However, local feminist organizations must take care to not allow the source of funding to dictate the local and/or regional nature and direction of their goals and activities (Basu 442). Intersectionality implies that local feminism must not be dominated by Eurocentric ideals. Local feminism must work hard in resisting the demands of transnational funding on particular outcomes that diverge from local priorities (Basu 443). Apart from offering funds, transnational feminist systems are effective in conditions where local feminist demands are particularly strong but states are indifferent or repressive. Transnational feminism offers support for local issues that need to address sexual violence and lack of civic and political rights, such as what happened in the mass rape of Bosnian women and the Taliban’s oppression of women (Basu 443). Transnational feminist systems promote the eradication of patriarchal structures that dominate women’s lives and curtail their access to human rights and freedoms. Transnational systems also help support the expansion of civil and political rights than economic rights (Basu 443). Economic rights are seen to be embedded in systemic social, economic, and political systems and values that tend to take greater local feminist action and struggle to be changed, while transnational networks can offer an international platform for advocacies of civil and political rights. Nevertheless, transnational feminism offers broad analysis and rejection of inequality and intolerance that local feminists can use to expand the promotion of their local analysis and social-change recommendations. Global feminism is considered as an inclusive feminist framework that embraces the plurality of feminisms that respect and incorporate diverse ethnic and cultural identities. It is different from Western feminism that capitalizes on differences because global feminism aspires for the unity of all women toward common interests and values. Global feminism, in addition, uses intersectionality to promote a universal belief in the equality of all sexes, based on respect for all ethnic and religious identities and responsiveness to unique local social, economic, and political differences and goals. Global feminism seeks to eradicate oriental and essentialist notions about women by stressing that women are different and their differences should not be seen as inferior, but part of the multitude of local elements that shape a dynamic and homogenous global feminist network and ideology. Read More