Found 3 very interesting sources this week!
1)Cheikh Anta Diop
2)Ifi Amadiume
3)Madhu Purnima Kishwar
Very interested in their thoughts on Postcolonialism and (in relation to Amadiume and Kishwar) their thoughts on Feminism. Amadiume suggests that while the Western woman is viewed as the ideal feminist there is also an ideal feminist in Eastern feminism. And in both cases a there is a division between "Feminists"/women's right activists when it comes to defining what a Feminist woman should look/act like, etc. For example: working, independent women do not see domestic women as feminists even if they are choosing to be housewives. Feminism in the 1960s which is referred to as the "Second-wave" (the first wave occuring as early as the 1880s) sparked women's concern with their reproductive, sexual, and domestic status. Therefore it is interesting that some women would say that choosing to be a housewife is not "feminist".
Although it may appear as women choosing to remain within the confines or (as prof. AK refers to them as "containers") of stereotypical female roles dismissing any women's choice is dismissing the value of women's choice. If a man chooses to marry or not marry there is no outrage others simply recognize that he has made a choice, however if the woman marries and becomes a housewife or in any other way does not--on the surface--portray the ideal feminist she is not considered independent or foward-thinking. A clearer example of this can be the Geisha which I discuss here (My response on Geisha & Orientalist fantasies). That article is in response to a professor who held an educational discussion on Geisha and Orientalist Fantasies.
It is ironic that in discussing female issues some women concentrate on how males view women (the external problem) and avoid the internal problem (how women view themselves). It makes one ask how far has the women's movement come if we are still evaluating ourselves as objects of a male society rather than individuals. As Freedman explains in her book No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women rather than focusing on the fact that a woman has made a choice that is not ideally "feminist" women have come to realize that women must focus on the fact that the woman is now able to choose and should be able to choose freely. And choosing certain options shouldn't label a woman as oppressed or repressed. Also there are social conditions to consider..a woman who is a Harvard graduate or any kind of prosperous woman (for instance prosperous farm women in Africa in Amadiume's article) is/are more capable of achieving the status of the ideal feminist woman. Basically it is far more complex than simply breaking traditional female roles. Timing, social context, social status, education, opportunity, location...all of these things contribute to the feminist status a woman can achieve. This is where I find Kishwar interesting b/c Kishwar argues that this is why she does not call herself Feminist b/c it is too broad a title & the issues and unique experiences of women all over the world cannot be thrown together under an -ism.
Women of both the Western and Eastern world as well as women in different countries on the same continent have different circumstances, for instance religion. As my colleague Steph C. documents in her studies ( See her project here: Steph C.'s Postcolonial project) Steph discusses the veil which is considered a symbol of repression by Westerners however (this is my observation now)-->Western women wore and still wear church hats and also revealing one's body to a certain degree in Western civilization is still an issue and it can still lead to being considered a "certain type of woman"...but b/c we cannot understand the importance of the veil, b/c it is foreign we assume as Achebe stated that foreigners have strange customs w/ no equivalent in the west. Not so! It is simply that we are unable to see through the mystery, the Orientalist fantasies, the belief that the west is developed beyond certain things to see that there are similarities as well as differences.
But on another note...My professor introduced me to Cheikh Anta Diop's work, I'm looking into one of his works titled The African Origins of Civilization: Myth or Reality and I am quite interested in his arguments linking Africans to the origins of Western civilization. I am excited about that because I like reading about how the various nations/ppl came about because it seems as though people try so hard to prove how different we all are rather than understanding that those differences are only skin deep. My thoughts on this? Shakespeare comes to mind:
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" -- Shakespeare (Romeo&Juliet)
Anyways, I will keep you posted on my research & findings. If you like what you read please follow my blog & twitter as well my group members & prof. AK are also tweeting about similar projects, thx!
Live. Love. Laugh. & God Bless!
--babydoll.
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