I really enjoyed the presentation today on Women and Religion, and I thought the religions that the group decided to focus on were good choices. Eastern Orthodoxy is certainly not a Christian sect that immediately comes to mind when most people think about Christianity (at least that would be my guess), and so Hannah and Larissa’s personal experiences with the churches were definitely not stories that I had heard before. Larissa in particular discussed how, while women have restrictive roles in the church, it does not feel oppressive because the church is just the way that it is. I wish we could have heard more about her take, but as it is, I’m not exactly sure I completely understand. On one hand I think a lot of women take that sort of stance with their churches – they want to stay in their church, they like the religion, so they push aside whatever might be holding them back, or any patriarchal values in the church as simply the way things are. I understand this point of view as being reconciliatory, but I think a more critical look at the way women are treated in the church is necessary.
I was also glad that we had time to discuss Islam and the French laws about head coverings. Because I’ve spent time in France and am studying French, I’ve had people ask about the laws and they often assume that the socialists of France were the ones who wanted to pass it. I think this stems from the stereotype that socialists and communists want to control everything and abolish religion, somehow. Like I said in class, it’s important to remember that these laws don’t represent the views of all politicians in France and all French people. French people, while mostly secular, are for the most part very tolerant of religion and religious practices; but there has been a lot of anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe as of late, due in large part to immigration, like Z said.
Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation and thought it was a great one to wrap up the course before the end of the semester. Having discussed religion and women all semester long in Dr. Miller’s Women in the Bible course, I think the group members did an excellent job of covering a wide variety of topics in a short amount of time. The presentation was informative and interesting.
Gender & Conflict
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Honor Killings in India: Religious or Cultural?
The article from the Guardian about honor killings and marriage in India was definitely something that opened my eyes, because I had never heard about the marriage situation in India before. I knew about the caste system, and a bit about Hinduism, but honor killings always seem to go more in hand with extremists in the Middle East, at least to the average American I would assume; but I think this article revealed that it is a much larger problem.
The focus of the article is the organization “Love Commandos,” a 24-hour hotline that people can call if threatened with harm or death because they wish to marry someone of a different caste. It sounds like the organization has done a lot of great work so far, the article discussed how they have saved many Indian couples and are protecting them from their non-accepting families and neighbors. Unfortunately, it seems as though it might not be a well-known organization in India yet, so many people are still dying in these honor killings.
My one question about the article is whether or not this caste system and these honor killings are really due to the religious ideas in India, or whether it is more of a cultural thing. I’m not sure that the article really made it clear, and I am no expert on Indian culture and religions. Personally, I will often be the first to condemn religious practices, but this just seemed more like a product of culture to me. I wish we had been able to discuss more of the article in class, but I did think it was highly interesting and it definitely gave me a broader insight into what life in India can be like.
The focus of the article is the organization “Love Commandos,” a 24-hour hotline that people can call if threatened with harm or death because they wish to marry someone of a different caste. It sounds like the organization has done a lot of great work so far, the article discussed how they have saved many Indian couples and are protecting them from their non-accepting families and neighbors. Unfortunately, it seems as though it might not be a well-known organization in India yet, so many people are still dying in these honor killings.
My one question about the article is whether or not this caste system and these honor killings are really due to the religious ideas in India, or whether it is more of a cultural thing. I’m not sure that the article really made it clear, and I am no expert on Indian culture and religions. Personally, I will often be the first to condemn religious practices, but this just seemed more like a product of culture to me. I wish we had been able to discuss more of the article in class, but I did think it was highly interesting and it definitely gave me a broader insight into what life in India can be like.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Gender Across Borders: Women in Sudan
The collection of Gender Across Borders blogs was wonderful and included a great diversity of topics. One particular blog post that struck me was the one by Danielle Prince on the women in Sudan. Prince describes her first trip to Sudan and her experiences with the women of the “post-conflict” country. One thing she notes is that “[these] women…are no strangers to war,” and from the interviews of the women, its clear that they have become independent out of necessity and are very strong women.
The interview with Susanna Deng exposed what these women experience daily. Deng talks about she must be independent and support her children, because her husband may take another wife at any time, which is “none of her business.” She says, “One day I could find out that he has another wife and that’s that.” These circumstances certainly don’t paint the men in a positive light, but show the incredibly low status of women in Sudan.
Monica Mou, the second woman interviewed, also seemed to be very strong and dedicated to her family. She discusses her average day, including taking care of her children and working at the tea shop she owns. Of her job, she says “If I’m not here, my children won’t eat.” Her husband has two other wives, and what shocked me is that Mou is the main provider for her family, not only in the sense of being the runner of the household, the one who takes care of her children, cooks and cleans, but also fulfills the role of provider, and receives apparently little or no help from her husband. What are the men doing here? The article left me with a number of questions, but overall it was very enlightening and definitely did make me think more about the women there, which was Prince’s goal.
The interview with Susanna Deng exposed what these women experience daily. Deng talks about she must be independent and support her children, because her husband may take another wife at any time, which is “none of her business.” She says, “One day I could find out that he has another wife and that’s that.” These circumstances certainly don’t paint the men in a positive light, but show the incredibly low status of women in Sudan.
Monica Mou, the second woman interviewed, also seemed to be very strong and dedicated to her family. She discusses her average day, including taking care of her children and working at the tea shop she owns. Of her job, she says “If I’m not here, my children won’t eat.” Her husband has two other wives, and what shocked me is that Mou is the main provider for her family, not only in the sense of being the runner of the household, the one who takes care of her children, cooks and cleans, but also fulfills the role of provider, and receives apparently little or no help from her husband. What are the men doing here? The article left me with a number of questions, but overall it was very enlightening and definitely did make me think more about the women there, which was Prince’s goal.
Transgender Issues
Thursday’s presentation on transgender issues was very eye opening, I think for myself and a lot of people, because transgendered issues aren’t addressed in the media very often. The cross-cultural studies that were discussed were interesting, partly because I did not realize there were so many situations like the one in India of the hijras and like the two-spirit people of the Navajo. Transgendered people don’t really occupy a role in U.S. society, and so I believe a lot of myths and misconceptions have been perpetuated about them.
Andie’s story in particular was wonderful. She discussed her life and transgendered identity in a way that made the issue more understandable for me, and it was nice to hear someone speak about her personal experience with gender identity. The amount of discrimination, prejudice and violence that transgendered people experience is simply astonishing. This graphic highlights some of the terror. Hopefully, we begin to make strides in combating ignorance about LGBT people and stopping hate crimes soon.
Andie’s story in particular was wonderful. She discussed her life and transgendered identity in a way that made the issue more understandable for me, and it was nice to hear someone speak about her personal experience with gender identity. The amount of discrimination, prejudice and violence that transgendered people experience is simply astonishing. This graphic highlights some of the terror. Hopefully, we begin to make strides in combating ignorance about LGBT people and stopping hate crimes soon.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Culture, Race, and Gender
I really was glad that the Gender and Culture group chose a piece on Asian-American women (Gender-Role Perceptions: An Intergenerational Study on Asian-American Woman by Chi-Kwan Ho) as part of their reading for discussion; it seems that Asian women are always a group that gets looked over or ignored, in favor of white women especially but also other women of color. They always seem to get lumped in with white women, somehow, or are in a class of their own but not in the group of “women of color.”
The article noted some of the main stereotypes of Asian women, including “fragile China dolls” or “exotic sex pots.” I do definitely see these stereotypes in western culture, and Asians do deal with these in portrayals of Asians in modern film, movies, and books. I think it would be interesting to read the rest of the piece, and to hear the stories of the women that Ho interviewed.
On a similar note, when we discussed this article in class, we were talking about the stereotypes it mentions and someone in the class, though I forget who, brought up the characters of Tina and Mike on the show Glee, as an example of characters who defy stereotypes. Someone else in the class expressed the opinion that, by going completely against the stereotypes, Tina’s character was just as bad as one who is portrayed as stereotypically Asian. The class then came to a sort of general consensus that character portrayals of women of color need to find a “middle ground.” I’m not sure what to make of this argument; are we saying that women of color must somehow address their race or they’re not legitimate? Or that maybe they are “trying too hard”? Maybe I’m misinterpreting the argument. But if I’m correct, it seems like a weak argument. We as a culture never demand that a white woman address her race or racial stereotypes, or risk “going against her race.” I think that the characters of Tina and Mike are defying stereotypes in a way; yes, in the show they are sort of the “Token Asian” characters. But they have personalities, and aren’t stereotypical in any other way.
At any rate, I think it is good that we are beginning to see how race, gender, and class all intertwine, and how it is possible to stop oppression on those levels. The article mentioned was an excellent one that really touched upon some of the common misconceptions about women of color in our culture, and it discussed a relatively ignored group of women. I think the group who did Gender and Culture did a great job of highlighting those ignored groups.
The article noted some of the main stereotypes of Asian women, including “fragile China dolls” or “exotic sex pots.” I do definitely see these stereotypes in western culture, and Asians do deal with these in portrayals of Asians in modern film, movies, and books. I think it would be interesting to read the rest of the piece, and to hear the stories of the women that Ho interviewed.
On a similar note, when we discussed this article in class, we were talking about the stereotypes it mentions and someone in the class, though I forget who, brought up the characters of Tina and Mike on the show Glee, as an example of characters who defy stereotypes. Someone else in the class expressed the opinion that, by going completely against the stereotypes, Tina’s character was just as bad as one who is portrayed as stereotypically Asian. The class then came to a sort of general consensus that character portrayals of women of color need to find a “middle ground.” I’m not sure what to make of this argument; are we saying that women of color must somehow address their race or they’re not legitimate? Or that maybe they are “trying too hard”? Maybe I’m misinterpreting the argument. But if I’m correct, it seems like a weak argument. We as a culture never demand that a white woman address her race or racial stereotypes, or risk “going against her race.” I think that the characters of Tina and Mike are defying stereotypes in a way; yes, in the show they are sort of the “Token Asian” characters. But they have personalities, and aren’t stereotypical in any other way.
At any rate, I think it is good that we are beginning to see how race, gender, and class all intertwine, and how it is possible to stop oppression on those levels. The article mentioned was an excellent one that really touched upon some of the common misconceptions about women of color in our culture, and it discussed a relatively ignored group of women. I think the group who did Gender and Culture did a great job of highlighting those ignored groups.
The Evangelical Message on Homosexuality
I thought that the one article chosen by the Gender and Culture group on American Evangelicals spreading anti-homosexual messages in Uganda was very disturbing. The author of the blog, Brad Wilmouth, discusses the recently proposed bill in Uganda that would imprison any homosexual who marries another homosexual and could have consequences that lead to death for homosexuals, and he speaks specifically about a March 2010 piece on ABC linking American evangelical pastors to the anti-homosexual uproar in Uganda. Wilmouth mentions the flaws in the piece, noting that Rick Warren and many of the other pastors have spoken out against the bill, and his main point seems to be that the ABC news piece did not feature any other more “moderate” evangelical pastors, and it didn’t really mention how extreme these views were.
Personally, after reading the transcript of the news segment in the article, I think Wilmouth’s point is pretty weak. Evangelical Christians and mega-church pastors have been the biggest fighters against gay marriage and hate crime bills in the U.S. They denounce the “gay agenda” and stir up hatred for gays in their churches. They may say that they “hate the sin, not the sinner” and really don’t hate homosexuals as people, but what they do say about homosexuals is very damaging. What I thought was interesting was Scott Lively’s response to the quote about how the seminar in Uganda against homosexuality was like a nuclear bomb: “…I hope the nuclear bomb spreads across the whole world against the gay movement, against this attempt to overthrow family-based society and replace it with sexual anarchy. That doesn't mean I hate homosexuals. That doesn't mean that I want anybody to be thrown in jail.” What these evangelicals say and what they preach is very contradictory. Personally I have been to more modern evangelical churches during sermons about homosexuality and have been shocked at what I heard. No matter what they say, evangelicals are not tolerant of homosexuals. I think that is clear enough.
On another note, I thought it was bizarre that race was brought up towards the end of the conversation, with news anchor Dan Harris noting that one of the pastors thought that it was racist to say that the evangelical pastors at the seminar had stirred up all this hatred and inspired the bill against homosexuals in Uganda. The Ugandan pastor, Ssempa, said, “It's offensive to me that every time a black man does something good, you have to say that a white man told us to do it.” Clearly, that is not the issue at hand and that is not what’s really going on here. What’s really going on is that there is an anti-homosexual culture in Uganda, and the evangelical pastors simply stoked the fire. But how is that okay in any regard? What these pastors are saying in Uganda isn’t any different from what they’re saying in the U.S., but it doesn’t make it right or absolve them.
Personally, after reading the transcript of the news segment in the article, I think Wilmouth’s point is pretty weak. Evangelical Christians and mega-church pastors have been the biggest fighters against gay marriage and hate crime bills in the U.S. They denounce the “gay agenda” and stir up hatred for gays in their churches. They may say that they “hate the sin, not the sinner” and really don’t hate homosexuals as people, but what they do say about homosexuals is very damaging. What I thought was interesting was Scott Lively’s response to the quote about how the seminar in Uganda against homosexuality was like a nuclear bomb: “…I hope the nuclear bomb spreads across the whole world against the gay movement, against this attempt to overthrow family-based society and replace it with sexual anarchy. That doesn't mean I hate homosexuals. That doesn't mean that I want anybody to be thrown in jail.” What these evangelicals say and what they preach is very contradictory. Personally I have been to more modern evangelical churches during sermons about homosexuality and have been shocked at what I heard. No matter what they say, evangelicals are not tolerant of homosexuals. I think that is clear enough.
On another note, I thought it was bizarre that race was brought up towards the end of the conversation, with news anchor Dan Harris noting that one of the pastors thought that it was racist to say that the evangelical pastors at the seminar had stirred up all this hatred and inspired the bill against homosexuals in Uganda. The Ugandan pastor, Ssempa, said, “It's offensive to me that every time a black man does something good, you have to say that a white man told us to do it.” Clearly, that is not the issue at hand and that is not what’s really going on here. What’s really going on is that there is an anti-homosexual culture in Uganda, and the evangelical pastors simply stoked the fire. But how is that okay in any regard? What these pastors are saying in Uganda isn’t any different from what they’re saying in the U.S., but it doesn’t make it right or absolve them.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Education & Girls
I came across an article from Ms. magazine by Michelle Chen (found here) on the issues girls in many countries face when it comes to education, and though it’s a fairly short article, it does highlight some things that we have not discussed in class but that are very relevant to the problem of gendered conflict. Chen discusses some of the statistics that show that in many countries, girls are less likely to get an education than boys, even going as low as fewer than 35 female students per 100 male students in countries like Ethiopia and Niger, as well as some of the barriers and obstacles that girls must overcome in order to go to school.
Chen really tied the issue of girls’ education into the larger issue of gendered conflict, saying how as girls enter puberty, they face sexual assault, having to conform to strict gender roles, and early marriage. Without education, these girls often have no means to change their situation. By keeping girls out of schools, even countries that are making economic progress will be horribly underdeveloped in the area of women’s rights and when 50% or more of a country’s citizens are uneducated, the cycle of poverty continues.
Though Chen doesn’t really offer any speculative solutions to the issue, or discuss what is being done to help get more girls into schools, she does provide some insightful facts about the problem. She does inspire hope by providing statistics that show that when girls do enter school, they are less likely to drop out than boys and often perform as well as or better than boys. Overall, I thought her article was interesting though perhaps it didn’t really go far enough.
Chen really tied the issue of girls’ education into the larger issue of gendered conflict, saying how as girls enter puberty, they face sexual assault, having to conform to strict gender roles, and early marriage. Without education, these girls often have no means to change their situation. By keeping girls out of schools, even countries that are making economic progress will be horribly underdeveloped in the area of women’s rights and when 50% or more of a country’s citizens are uneducated, the cycle of poverty continues.
Though Chen doesn’t really offer any speculative solutions to the issue, or discuss what is being done to help get more girls into schools, she does provide some insightful facts about the problem. She does inspire hope by providing statistics that show that when girls do enter school, they are less likely to drop out than boys and often perform as well as or better than boys. Overall, I thought her article was interesting though perhaps it didn’t really go far enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)