A Feminist Survey for Your Campus

FMF-Affiliate group, BNOW at UC Berkeley, uses this Feminist Survey to educate students about feminism and recruit new members. Take a look and think about tailoring one for your campus and club!

A quick survey…

I empower myself.

I care about the true meaning of diversity.

I believe in equal pay for men and women.

I’d like to be represented by a legal system that accurately represents the
people it governs.

It bothers me when I hear about another case of rape in my neighborhood.

I believe in a woman’s right to choose.

I appreciate it when people who live differently from me are able to see my
issues, and then work with me to improve them.

I see the value in nourishing my own personal identity, rather than in
nourishing what others would like to make of me.

I am proud of the fact that I am not easily labeled.

I see that the media doesn’t accurately represent all people, all lives, and all
bodies.

I realize that all forms of oppression are related.

I realize that if I really expect something to change, I need to actively work
toward changing it.

I would like to be part of a community of people who care about issues of
equality and work toward empowerment.

If you checked yes to most of these boxes, CONGRATULATIONS. YOU’RE A FEMINIST!

Join your fellow feminists through the
Berkeley National Organization for Women.

blogbnow.blogspot.com
now.berkeley@gmail.com

“People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.” - Rebecca West

Introduction to Feminism 101

I've been with FMF for about 2 months now, and I have to admit that while I've been cruising blogs, a lot of terms get thrown around that I have NO IDEA what they mean. Rather than sit around moping about my lack of feminist knowledge which I've discovered is boring by having done it for the last two months anyway I thought I'd compile a definition list of the terms that were new to me--and as fellow intern Cori in teacher-mode said, "if you have a question, someone else probably has one too."

Disclaimer: This being an attempt for me to understand previously unknown terms, its very likely I will screw up (Especially since Wikipedia is not necessarily a fool-proof source of information). If you see any mistakes or want to add anything, feel free to correct me in the comment section and I'll adjust the post and give you credit.

First-Wave Feminism: First-wave feminism refers to the feminist movement during the late 19th century and early 20th century. Feminists during this time period focused on "de jure" (legally proscribed or "official") inequalities such as gaining the right to vote and marital rape. Some of its famous leaders: Elizabeth Cady Stanton (US), Susan B. Anthony (US), Marie Carmichael Stopes (Scottland), Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells(US). [Note: Wikipedia forgot to mention Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells. Could it be because they were women of color? Not knowing who the editor was, its hard to say, but it reminded me of a thoughtful, well-written post at Womanist Musings]

Second-Wave Feminism: also known as the Women's Liberation Movement, refers to US feminism in the 1960's and 1970s. Focused not just on de jure inequalities, but also "de facto" (not legally perscribed or official, but real or true conditions), such as inequalities in family, the workplace, sexuality, legal inequalities and reproductive rights. Some of the victories in the movement included the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII, the Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court ruling, Titles IX and X, Reed v. Reed, Roe v. Wade, the criminalization of marital rape, and legalization of no-fault divorce. (PS: I highly recommend checking out all those links--I definitely learned something from them.)

Third-Wave Feminism: Feminist philosophy that origninated in the 1990s that focuses more on individual empowerment as an agent in societal change rather than political activism (though doesn't reject political activism.) It places importance on diversity, encourages traditionally "unfeminine" emotions and activities (such as anger and playing extreme sports), and reclaims traditionally insulting words such as "slut" and "bitch." Also celebrates women's sexuality and choices in forming their own identity. Some prominent third-wavers include the Guerrilla Girls and the Riot Grrrl movement

Post-Feminism:Post-Feminism is basically the idea that there is no need for feminism because women are already equal to men. According to Alternet, Post-feminism is "invention promoted most vigorously by the right, and aided and abetted all along the way by the corporate media." It argues that because women got equal pay with the Equal Pay Act of 1963 [which we here at FMF know is a completely bogus premise], are happier than they used to be (also not true, and live longer anyway (but igoring that they may live sicker), that there is no need for feminism anymore--women won! (Obviously it was difficult to keep a neutral tone on this definition.) Post-feminism also asserts that women should view the world and align themselves as human, because any exclusion of the sexes would be sexist.

Eco-Feminism:According to the Green Fuse, coming up with a precise definition of Eco-feminism is complicated because many eco-feminists disagree on the exact details. One of the main tenets is that subjugation of women and subjugation of nature are directly related. Through much of the development of human societies, women were considered closer to nature due to their ability to give birth and their monthly period that seemed to be tied to the phases of the moon; but in western ideology, humans are seen to have been "pitted against nature," or have needed to "tame nature"--and because women were considered more in tune with nature, their subjugation was also seen as important for survival. (A part of this ideology includes the concept that humans are separate from and superior to nature, rather than part of nature.) Ecofeminists argue that traditional "women's activities" have been devalued because they have been done by women--but that they are in fact, valuable to society and should be extolled and valued.

Intersectionality:[direct quote from wikipedia:]"theory which seeks to examine the ways in which various socially and culturally constructed categories interact on multiple levels to manifest themselves as inequality in society. Intersectionality holds that the classical models of oppression within society, such as those based on race/ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, class, or disability do not act independently of one another; instead, these forms of oppression interrelate creating a system of oppression that reflects the "intersection" of multiple forms of discrimination."

Womanism: is a term coined by the fantastic writer Alice Walker. Its a reaction to the denial of non-white voices within the feminist movement, (i.e. feminist racism.) Womanism fights classism and racism within the feminist movement, as well as separatist ideologies (which I'm guessing means either splintering of movements or movements that are non-inclusive). It includes the word "man" to recognize that men of color have an important part in womanists' lives. Womanism supports intersectionality and is does not directly relate to a specific political party/system/point. It values women of color's sexuality and recognizes the centuries of sexual violence directed against them. [p.s. this is an abbreviated definition; the link connected to the word "Womanism" has a much more comprehensive definition that mine. I also urge checking out the original definition because as a white woman, I probably don't have the best perspective regarding which points are most pertinent to include. I also think its really important to read this blog post regarding whether or not white women can be womanists.

Post-Colonial Feminism/Third World Feminism: Post-Colonial Feminism asserts that traditional (i.e. "Western") feminism, while claiming to be universal, actually ignores the factors of racism, colonialism, and the long-term consequences of colonialism on women's rights worldwide--in other words, that western feminists--though perhaps inadvertenty--take part in the continuation of a form of colonialism through enjoying their relative privelege. Some prominent post-colonial feminists include: Gayartri Chakravorty Spivak, Trinh T. Minh-Ha, Gloria Anzaldua.

Liberal Feminism:Liberal Feminism focuses on safeguarding the freedoms of women through political and societal reform. There are various types of Liberal feminisms:

Classical/Libertarian Liberal Feminism [which is split into the further subcategories of equity feminism and cultural libertarian feminism]: "conceives of freedom as freedom from coercive interference. It holds that women, as well as men, have a right to such freedom due to their status as self-owners. It holds that coercive state power is justified only to the extent necessary to protect the right to freedom from coercive interference."

Egalitarian Liberal Feminism: "conceives of freedom as personal autonomy — living a life of one's own choosing — and political autonomy — being co-author of the conditions under which one lives. Egalitarian liberal feminists hold that the exercise of personal autonomy depends on certain enabling conditions that are insufficiently present in women's lives, or that social arrangements often fail to respect women's personal autonomy and other elements of women's flourishing."

Radical Feminism: Radical feminism asserts that the most fundamental form of oppression is oppression against women. It proposes that patriarchy is "a system of power that organizes society into a complex of relationships based on an assumption of "male "supremacy" used to oppress women. Radical feminism aims to challenge and to overthrow patriarchy by opposing standard gender roles and what they see as male oppression of women, and calls for a radical reordering of society."

Post-Modern Feminism: asserts that gender is constructed through language

Did I leave anything out? Are there any terms you think feminists should look into and be aware of?

Photo Credit: Oberazzi on flickr.com

FeMANism

I suppose that being asked to write the token “I am man feminist!” post was inevitable. So here’s some stuff to think about from a white, middle-class feminist bro.

The first thing I want to get off my chest is that I hate the praise men get for being feminist: “I wish we had more guys like you.” While being feminist is pretty awesome, there is no reason that a guy should be praised solely for his gender. Feminism is bigger than a held belief. It is about scrutinizing privilege, questioning one’s role in the patriarchy, and working to defeat oppression in all spheres of life. The empty praise men get implies that they are fine where they are. No, they are never fine, none of us are. Beliefs in practice should be commended, beliefs should not.

So how does one constantly scrutinize privilege, etc? The way I do it is through reading. I am a theory-holic and I devour analyses of male privilege. That's not fun if you’re not into theory. So, here are two resources about male privilege. Both are oriented to the radical activist community, but the lessons gleaned from them can apply to all men:

1. Are You A Manarchist?: This is a list of questions helps one think about male privilege. The non-activist stuff starts at #17. The lesson to take away is that “ALL MEN need to work on issues of patriarchy, sexism and misogyny.”

2. Dan the Dude Blog: A Do’s and Don’ts for Dudely Organizers. It’s a bit like the source above, but it has cute stick figures. I love the section on Intellectual Elitism and Tokenizing. A must read.

Talking to people is another great way to practice your feminism. Any conversation can have feminist consequences. Explicitly having conversations to address problems in social relationships or in a group is a good way to learn about ways to become more feminist.

In short, critical reflection is good for you.

But, what does a feminist man look like?

AlterNet has a great article about the difficulties with feminist masculinity. Many feminist men know what they are not. The problem is that they have no concrete idea of what they are.

“This became painfully clear over the course of the weekend as speakers and students grappled to find what one presenter referred to as a "feminist masculinity." Is there such a thing? Does it look like President Barack Obama -- or does his insistence on talking about sports and drinking beers reveal that he's just one of the guys? Does it look like KRS-1, the veteran rapper who recently said that hip-hop needs more women -- or is his statement too little, too late? Stephen Colbert, in some ways, is the closest thing we've got. He consistently lampoons misogynist punditry and policy, yet his "feminist masculinity" is only visible vis-à-vis its blowhard foil”.

The article makes the point that men “are stuck in stage one of gender consciousness” and cannot do sustainable feminist work until they “can own the ways in which they have a self-interest in resisting systems of oppression.” Until men know what they want out of feminism, they cannot truly begin to fight.

I want to end this post by addressing this point. Feminist masculinity is restrictive and unnecessary. There is no universal feminist masculinity or femininity. For that matter, there is no universal feminism. The reality is that there are complex and diverse feminisms that lead people to different conclusions about systems of oppression. An eco-feminist and a liberal feminist will have very different views on what feminism looks like.

What each man must do is craft his own space in the feminist continuum. Striving for a new model of masculinity is as mistaken as trying to stick with the current one.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/isherwoodchris/

Not a Feminist?

During the last week of our grand adventure through 4 states, Tania and I had the privilege of visiting Eastern Kentucky University. While meeting with the Director of the Women's Studies Program there, we saw these fantastic posters and wanted to share.

Many groups we work with tell us that they spend a good portion of their energy DEFINING feminism so as to keep expanding their membership and gaining more of a reputation on campus. This is so common, and so critical, I thought I'd share these gems!

The posters that the WS program at EKU came up with are brilliant in their simplicity - a mere checklist of feminist issues that most people would be hard-pressed to say no to.





While there are lots of events you could do around the subject of "What is Feminism?" (panel discussions, film screenings, social events, and more), flyers like these could help you to advertise such an event or stand alone as a constant reminder for folks walking by.

Do you all find yourselves having to "debunk feminism?" What strategies do you use? We'd love to hear what you have to say in the comments below. :)