College Feminists Connect!

Love your girlhood, love your womanhood

I'm all about language, but sometimes language isn't alll about me. Sometimes it can be tricky and sets me off on a weird track. Language is fragile and words hold multiple meanings, intentional or not. 

For instance, "girls" versus "women". Girl: adolescence, Woman: mature, adult.

For instance, Girl: negative, Woman: positive

For instance, Girl: fetishsized , Woman: forgotten, unwanted

For instance, Girl: reclaimed, Woman: abandoned

For instance, Girl: reclaimed, Woman: reclaimed

----------------------------------------------------------

What  bothers me most about language is that language is controlled by people, those people being apart of the hegemony. The people who have morphed the language of "girls" and "women" have transformed them into words that combat each other. They have transformed them into words that combat the beauty of both "girlhood" and "womanhood". These words now have negative connotations. These words are now against one another. Girl and Woman cannot be the opposite of one another because they consist of the same spirit, the same individual. Girl and Woman need to work together to make life better for them both, they need to support each other so that patriarchy cannot taint them.

Why do the words "boy" and "man" still yield respect? Oh, just apart of the "old boy's club" or, "that's what a MAN would do". I'm not suggesting that language/people haven't soiled the definitions of the "male"-gender but, alas, there isn't as much of a battle raging for those who wish to reclaim them. What is wrong with society-controlled-language is that language makes "girls" and "women" uncomfortable to call themselves a "girl" or a "woman"...and that is wrong.

What bothers me about society is how much hatred and disgust comes from calling oneself a "girl". I was proud to be a girl, just as I am proud to be a woman. I find nothing juvenile in calling myself a girl. I do not believe it minimizes my personhood. I do not believe it makes myself sparkly, ruffly and surrounded by cupcakes, either. Just like the birth of the riot grrrl scene, the birth of my girlhood was harbouring something rebellious, energetic, feisty and powerful.

I also believe that calling oneself a girl should make one more proud of calling oneself a woman. Do not abandon womanhood just like we shouldn't abandon girlhood. We never stop learning or growing and we should pride our ability to become someone as wonderfully apart of this earth as a woman is.

Do not underestimate girls/grrls/gurlz. Underestimating something that has been, for so long, the brunt of our jokes, our dislike, etc, will only rise stronger and more capable of proving oneself to the world.

GIrls are strong because girls become women and women are fierce and mighty.

 

-Anna Ruhland

Understanding Women of Color Feminisms as a White Reader - Alliance, Difference, and Privilege

This week in my Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Senior Seminar we started reading an anthology of essays called Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism (2002).  The collection is edited by Daisy Hernandez and Bushra Rehman, with a foreword by Cherrie Moraga - it is a response to and an expansion of both This Bridge Called my Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color (1981) and Listen Up: Voices from the Next Feminist Generation (2001).  The essays featured in Colonize This! are all written by women of color, and highlight their individual experiences with white, middle-class feminisms that live in the academy, as well as their experiences negotiating their multiple identities, honoring their mothers and re-defining feminism, and creating new communities around these conflicts and realities.  I have to say that so far, I absolutely love this collection, because it is not only radical and relevant, but utilizes accessible language.

That being said, in my class today, we discussed the complications of being a white reader of a book that is intended for a "women of color" audience.  While there is an immediate emotional connection that I made with these essays (as a woman, as a feminist, as a budding activist), I have to acknowledge and interrogate my position of privilege, and be careful to not consume these real material experiences of women of color.  We talked about the importance of acknowledging one's personal contributions to theories of feminism like this: what genealogies went into making me, as a white feminist? How did these layered histories contribute to/demand the formation of theories of difference and women of color feminisms?  How can I use this text to inform the ways I want to complicate and move away from these histories of colonization, oppression, privilege, and white feminisms?  

My Sheroes Part III

Continued...

 

I am stoked that it is still Women's History Month (and last week was International Women's day, with which I made many rants about intersectionality and appreciating and recognizing women from all over the globe and their tremendous efforts to promote women's roles, etc, as well as to progress all of our respected women's movements, etc). So in this week's "Sheroes" blog post, I'd like to focus on two international women who held significant roles in social justice movements in their communities:

 

Ani Pachen:

Ani Pachen(1933–2002) was a Tibetan Buddhist nun who led her clan in armed rebellion against China. She is known as the Tibetan Joan of Arc due to her peaceful protest and revolution against the Chinese invasion in Tibet. At the age of 17 she took her future into her hands and fled to a monastary after hearing of plans of an arranged marriage. She spent 18 years in the monastery. She inherited the leadership of the Lemdha Clan after he father died (and would also inherit accusations from the Chinese, due to her father's connections, helping to land her in jail). She led her clan in rebellion against the Communist Chinese. She led a guerrilla campaign of 600 fighters on horseback againstChinese tanks until her capture in late 1959. Pachen was released from prison in 1981, having endured many painful years full of torture (starvation, physical torture, etc). She dedicated her the rest of her life to resisting the Chinese in Lhasa and pushing towards Tibetan independence. She fled to the border upon learning that she was to be arrested again and wandered for several days in deep snow. She walked 25 days to Nepal and her lifelong dream to meet the Dalai Lama came true after she was granted a personal audience shortly after her arrival.

Her autobiography Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior Nun is one of my favorite reads. Much like the autobiography of the Dalai Lama, it portrays a young individual not much different than myself and my peers (snobby, selfish, rude) who learned from their mistakes and passions and grew up into one of the greatest heroes of our time. She pioneered the way for many revolutionists and is still a wonderful symbol of peace and justice.

 

 

 

 

Ani Pachen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wangari Maathai:

(1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. In the 1970s she founded the Green-Belt Movement, an environmental and non-governmental organization focused on planting trees, conservation and women's rights. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.". She was an elected member of parliament and served as assistant minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of President Mwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005. Furthermore she was an Honorary Councillor of the World Future Council. In 2011, Maathai died of complications from ovarian cancer.

 

I highly recommend reading Unbowed: A Memoir which highlights much of her achievements. Maathai was extremely involved in, not only her government, but globally, as well. In topics such as AIDS awareness, women's health, environmental justice, issues of racism, governmental/politics, etc. A prominent figure of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Wangari Maathai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Anna Ruhland

My Sheroes: Part II

Continuing on with my woman fighters, rebel rousers, top notch scientists, creative minds, goddesses and all the like (women I admire and aspire to be like) from last week (in celebration of Women's History Month), I would like to recognize the awesomeness that is...

Jane Goodall (or, Dame Jane Morris Goodall)

Jane Goodall is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. She is considered the foremost leader and expert on the study and preservation of chimpanzees. Having never had a formal scientific background, she championed her way into the field and research. She is known for her 45 yr study of social behaviours of chimpanzees, as well as being the founder of the Roots and Shoots program, apart of the Jane Goodall Institute. She travels several times a year to give talks all around the world (I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE HER in CHICAGO!!! xoxoxoxo), hardly ever being able to take a break, to advocate for animals and the environment. 

Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold is an African American artist, best known for her painted story quilts. She is professor emeritus in theUniversity of California, San Diego visual art department. She was born and raised in Harlem, NYC. She was greatly influnced by fabric because she lived with her mother who worked as a fashion designer. This interest in fabric and textile arts would transfer into her later years and creations. She is well known for her collage/combination creations that integrate "high-art" and "craft" by telling stories through quilts and painting. She modeled these quilts off of the Buddhist Thangkas. She has also written over 17 children's books and received the Coretta Scott King award or one of them (Tar Beach). She is a prominent individual in the African American/art community. She has also been very active in multiple feminist and anti-racist organizations and movements. She formed the Ad Hoc Women's Art Committee which protested the Whitney Museum and demanded that more woman artists be represented. She also founded/helped form:Women Students and Artists for Black Art Liberation, National Black Feminist Organization & "Where We At" Black Women Artists (a NY based black women's art collective of the Black Arts Movement). She is an awesome woman, artist, activist and individual of this earth who greatly empowers many 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith Ringgold

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Annah Ruhland

The Naked I: Wide Open

This past Thursday night, 20% Theatre Company performed The Naked I: Wide Open at Augsburg College. At its sold-out world premiere in February 2012, these artists offered to the world a unique theatrical experience in which local trans*/gender non-conforming artists and allies created and performed over twenty pieces.  These pieces explore issues such as gender identity, gender expression, self-embodiment, relationships, and love.  The cast at this performance was smaller than in its previous shows, yet nothing about the performance was lost in its smaller number.  The actors make you laugh, make you cry, and leave you with some food for thought.  Regardless of one's own gender identity, this show is not only powerful, but important.  During the talkback, director Claire Avitabile was asked whether or not she knew of other theater companies in the United States who did anything like this, to which she responded "no."  Because theater can create a sort of "utopian space" in which issues that are not usually explored have a defined place, a performance of this kind gives trans* and gender non-conforming individuals and their allies the ability to discuss the way they experience their bodies on their own terms.  When trans*/queer/gender non-conforming individuals are asked questions like "have you had surgery yet?" or "what is your real name?", regardless of the asker's good intention or not, the ability to educate is cheapened. It is not the task of trans* people to educate others, though many often do.  The hurtful nature of these questions, the bombardment of questions about (what really comes down to) genitals, is not, as many of the performers explained during the talkback, on their own terms.  We need more spaces for trans*/gender non-conforming individuals and their allies to talk.  We don't need more silence.

I highly recommend you discover the works of these artists. If you are able to see the show in person, The Naked I: Wide Open has two more performance dates on their current tour:  Tuesday, March 12 at Winona State University and Thursday, March 14 at St. John's Hospital in Maple Grove, MN.  Copies of the full-length play can also be purchased on Amazon.

For more information about 20% Theatre company, visit their website.

 

-Ingrid

 

PBS Documentary "Makers: Women Who Make America" Thoughts and Criticism

I finally got to watch PBS' new documentary charting the women's rights movement in America (thanks PBS for posting the entire 3 hour film online for us to enjoy here).  As much as I (someone majoring in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) or anyone else may know about the eruption of second wave feminism in the 1960s and 70s, it is still powerful to reflect on these histories.  The film does a great job of featuring countless interviews with men and women, including people involved in organizations that countered feminist movements (pro-life activists, anti-ERA activists, etc).  It is impossible to feature every aspect of a social movement, especially one as far-reaching and revolutionary as the women's liberation movement - which affected men, women, children, the economy, popular culture, law, education policies, labor rights, etc.  However, I was a bit disappointed with the gentle highlight of women of color and their response to the second wave, which I think could have been better handled; especially considering that these fierce conversations between women of color feminisms and tradtionally white, middle-class feminism are what brought on the third wave.  As many others have recognized, I also wish that the film had ventured into the late 1990s up until now, with young feminist movements and their utilization of the Internet (hello!).  Perhaps they will continue making segments of "Makers," and continue this story, but for now, here are some articles and reviews that I find critical to the film:

Women's HERstory Month

Each year, I am ashamed to say, it always slips my mind that March is Women's History Month. I just totally forget that there is a month dedicated to the history of women. Why is that? It isn't because I don't think it's a good idea. It isn't because I don't love women (I think I have made it very clear that I do). It isn't because I don't consider myself a feminist (I mean...obviously...I'm interning at the Women's Consortium. I'm a die-hard feminist). I think the reason I forget is because, quite honestly, as a woman, as a women's studies student, EVERYday and EVERYmonth is Women's History month to me. I think about women, my makers and educators and those powerful individuals that have shaped me, I think about them and the stories they created, every waking second. These women are so powerful to me that they transcend a month of dedication. I'm not saying I disagree with this. I think it's wonderful (just as with Black History Month) that we have four weeks dedicated to the greatness of these oppressed peoples. I would hope, though, that after March (or February) is done that this awareness would continue on. However, despite the memoriams throughout these months, we tend to slip back into the rut of ourselves, of a patriarchal hegemonic society, once they are over. So I want to inspire us to notice these people (and, just in celebration of the impending month I will focus solely on women) in our everyday lives because, in all truth, they have impacted us in every way (even when we do not realize it).♀ I love ALL women (both transgender and cisgender women). I love womyn of all sizes, colors and sexualities. I love womyn of all ages, classes, nationalities and abilities. From all political backgrounds and passions. Women are my friends, my lover, my mentors and advisers, teachers, heroes, mother/grandmothers/aunts. I love women because they are strong, intelligent, capable and beautiful beings. I love women because they teach me how to be the woman I want to be. I love working with women, playing with women, collaborating with women, learning with women, talking to women and being artistic with women. Although the feminist movements had&have flaws, I am still proud to say that I am an advocate for feminism trying to champion and fix those failures. Because my love for all women is so strong, enduring, intense and true ♀ xoxo 

My SHEroes are the women who pioneered for me the notion that a woman is so much more than what societies allow her to be. A woman is more than a textbook history, more than a media portrayal. More than any of us may even know about ourselves. These women taught me how to be more...

♀♀♀♀For each week of this month

                  I will post a miniature bio

           of 2 of the women I most admire.♀♀♀♀

 Here is the beginning of the list of some of my personal SHEroes...

 

• Willa Cather: Was an American Novelist. Her stories detailed life on the Great Plains (some of her greatest works are O' Pioneer, Song of the Lark and My Antonia), her protagonists almost always were young women. She grew up in Nebraska, attended the University of Nebraska (where she often used the name "william", dressed in "man's clothes" and cut her hair short) and, later, won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel One of Ours (set during WWI). There is a lot buzz around whether or not Cather was a lesbian, but not much proof either way. Some debate that her writings had queer tendencies or could be applied to queer theory. Despite whether or not these accusations are true Cather's most significant and impactful friendship was with the editor Edith Lewis of whom she lived with for 39 years, until her death. Towards the end of her career she started receiving negative criticism that attacked her supposed "romantic" (etc) manner of writing. This criticism was hard on her and she became reclusive. Due to this she destroyed most of her drafts, letters, notebooks, etc. Her style of writing can be dubbed romantic (which has negative connotations), but I believe it is better described as poetic and detailed. Her depiction of women is that of strong individuals who hold powerful positions (they aren't made out to be bimbos or femme fatales). As a young girl in home-school my mother had me read My Antonia, and later I would be drawn to O, Pioneers as well as Song of the Lark. As a thirteen year old I loved having a strong, literary, woman figure to idolize and admire (the way they adventured, made friends, followed their dreams, kept the farm running, held a business, inherited their father's land, etc). Her characters made me dream of this life. They inspired adventure in me.

                                                        Willa Cather

• Sophie Scholl: *9 May 1921 – 22 February 1943* (along with the other members of the White Rose non-violence resistance group). Executed because she was convicted of high-treason, because of her/their resistance and revolutionary ideas/actions against Nazi Germany (non-violent opposition). Initially the group just consisted of her brother and his friends, they later realized what a vital role S.Scholl would have in the movement (being a woman, she was less of a suspect for the SS). They co-authored several anti-Nazi pamphlets. One of my greatest heroes & role models. She taught me the power of peaceful resistance and dedication to what you believe in. A wonderful, inspirational and brave individual to recognize and look up to.

                                                            Sophie Scholl
        

 

To be Continued...

-Anna Ruhland

Follow Up on Lara Nielsen Tenure Support

Check out this awesome article published in Macalester College's independent student newspaper: 

Students Show Support for Lara Nielsen Through Art and Sound

 

Oscars 2013

I came across an article titled "Seth MacFarlane and the Oscars’ Hostile, Ugly, Sexist Night" by Amy Davidson that I thought I might share with you all here. 

"Watching the Oscars last night meant sitting through a series of crudely sexist antics led by a scrubby, self-satisfied Seth MacFarlane. That would be tedious enough. But the evening’s misogyny involved a specific hostility to women in the workplace, which raises broader questions than whether the Academy can possibly get Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host next year. It was unattractive and sour, and started with a number called 'We Saw Your Boobs.'"

Read more here.

What did you all think of the Oscars last night? Were you as angry as I was?

-Ingrid

Augsburg College Women's Resource Center's blog!

The student workers at the Women's Resource Center at Augsburg just created a new blog.  I thought I'd share that here with all of you in order to encourage even more conversations.  The latest post is about rape culture and athletes.  Check it out!

Peace, Ingrid