In reflecting on the diversity surrounding the interpretation of 'feminism' as it relates cross-culturally, I am intrigued by two particular readings.
Cherrie Moraga's self-reflexive essay Long Line of Vendidas: Chicanas & Feminism resonated with me in its personal and truthful tone. I felt that Moraga's choice to use her background as the cornerstone of her writing as well as her admittance to only being able to base her theory on her experience made this a good example of a true feminist work.
I also found her mention of identity alliances (i.e. identity with race and sex) and her perspective on it being 'easier to resist sex in an Anglo context than in a Chicano one' particularly interesting. It was helpful for me to better understand her interpretation of Chicano feminism because of the historical analysis she provided on the powerful Malinche myth in perpetuating the legacy of betrayal… What I particularly appreciated is that a Chicana feminist re-interpretation of Malinche's role in the conquest of Mexico is now happening in an 'attempt to create a more realistic context for her actions'. To me, it shows how powerful hand-me-down interpretations have been throughout the course of history and the necessary un-doing of these interpretations in order to create change. With respect to the idea for change, Moraga makes a strong point that 'to be critical of one's culture is not to betray that culture' and that a 'strategy for the elimination of racism and sexism cannot occur through the exclusion of one problem or the other.'
The Combahee River Collective Statement piece really compelled me to think about the subjectivity of 'feminism' and the binary struggle of racial and sexual oppression. Although I do understand the context of this piece, I feel like the urging for 'white women to have a more than superficial comprehension of race, color and Black history and culture' in any time frame is idealistic but not based in reality. Can a white woman truly have more than a superficial comprehension of something that is completely foreign to her? How can you empathize with something you haven't directly experienced? I can attempt to understand and sympathize with a black woman's struggle (and do), but for better or worse, I will never be able to empathize with being a black woman. In any case, I don't think blame or rewards are productive here, but rather finding other relatable avenues in order to convey the problem. Engaging in the continued struggle is to be a part of the struggle; it is being active in confrontation, which perpetuates the struggle, rather than in finding a solution to end it. This piece reminded me of the importance cross-culturally to recognize the imperative duty to formulate and embody one's own identity politics. It will always be true I think... "the only people who care enough about us to work consistently for our liberation are us."
1 week ago
Jennifer: It is interesting that you emphasize the "imperative duty to formulate and embody one's own identity politics" because this is easier said than done, and the double-binds women of all races face, are difficult beyond words. Your piece reminds me of Susan Faludi's book Backlash.
ReplyDeleteThe aspect of the Combahee statement you mention was a call to for both greater depth of understanding and an understanding of the ways in which our experiences are inextricably connected.
ReplyDeleteThere is no singular experience, so how could any of us understand the experience of another, even when they identify in the similar ways. My experience as a latina, for example is radically different than that of my birth sister. While our home has always been the same (beginning in what we like to call our first apartment: my mother womb), our experiences and perspectives are radically different.
What we can see is the ways in which those differences link us. It is at the point of divergence, that we converge. Every glass of water I drink is one my sister will not. It is that difference that makes us one being.