DOCSLIB.ORG

Politics & Feminism in China

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Politics & Feminism in China Wu Zetian (武则天) – China’s only female emperor. Image Courtesy: China Simplified C3S Issue Map II Politics & Feminism in China - Will Women Hold Up Half the Sky?- Anuja Gurele Research Officer Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S) 1 0 J a n u a r y 2 0 1 9 About the Author Anuja Gurele is a Research Officer at Chennai Centre for China Studies. She has completed her MA in Politics and International Relations from Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar and Bachelors’ in Journalism and Mass Communication from Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal. Her areas of interest include Chinese Foreign Policy, maritime security and Soft Power. The views expressed in this Issue Map are of the author and do not reflect those of C3S. About C3S The Chennai Centre for China Studies (C3S), registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act 1975 (83/2008 dated 4th April 2008), is a non-profit public policy think tank. We carry out in depth studies of developments relating to China with priority to issues of interest to India such as geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics of India-China relations, Chinas internal dynamics, border issues, Chinas relations with South Asian countries, prospects of trade, the evolution of Chinese politics and its impact on India and the world, ASEAN and SAARC relations, cultural links, etc. C3S attempts to provide a forum for dialogue with China scholars in India and abroad and give space for the expression of alternate opinions on China related topics. We also provide a database for research on China with special attention to information available in Chinese language. Additionally, events, lecture discussions and seminars are organised on topics of current interest. What is an Issue Map? C3S has launched the Issue Map initiative. The reports under this series analyse the status and developments of current scenarios in detail. They attempt to aid the reader to get a more comprehensive idea of the issue being addressed, along with illustrations and data. Issue Maps are available for download as PDFs. Objective developing state; the legal responsibilities of China as a normal sovereign state; the The objective of this Issue Map is to additional responsibilities of China as a understand and analyse the prospects for great power; and the special responsibilities China adopting a semblance of feminism in of China as a permanent member of the its foreign policy. The recent move by United Nations Security Council.i Sweden to declare an official feminist foreign policy has put the political status of These responsibilities could only be women in China and other countries under fulfilled with sheer commitment towards the lens. The work will particularly international law and implementing them examine the participation of women in the with an effective foreign policy. political domain of PRC. In this Issue Map Advocating and promoting women's rights an analysis of the potential for China to and representation in the political arena is adopt a feminist foreign policy will be one such responsibility which falls under conducted. the rubric of all the above mentioned Introduction postulates. A model of the above can be seen in the With great power comes great launch of Sweden’s Feminist Foreign responsibility. As China moves forward in Policy on August 24, 2018. This move by the 21st century, a visible power transition Stockholm is an endeavour to kindle the is witnessed from the West to the East. Image Courtesy: The Berkshire Edge As a rising power, China is expected by the earlier thought to be two-mutually international community to play a more exclusive fields - Feminism and Foreign significant role in fulfilling its global Policy. It leads to several questions on responsibilities. These responsibilities can whether Sweden will be able to live up to be categorized into four: the internal this policy, will this policy be able to responsibilities of China as a large encourage more women into the arena of international politics and how this kind of inception, the concept has remained foreign policy is perceived by the other debatable. It has also been widely countries. This report mainly focuses on the acknowledged and is mostly associated question of the status of women in China’s with activism at various levels. Recently, political timeline, and whether China will with the launch of Sweden’s feminist be able to take the giant leap in the direction foreign policy, the debate has been stirred of a feminist foreign policy in future. In again. order to make an educated prediction on Fundamentally, a feminist foreign policy China and the concept of a feminist foreign aims to apply systematic gender equality policy, it is necessary to evaluate the perspectives towards the foreign policy country’s stance on the concept of agenda of the country adopting it, and aims feminism itself. to bring in women into power spaces. A Definition and Motivations feminist foreign policy could act as an behind a Feminist Foreign instrument to create greater gender parity especially in the country’s political domain, Policy by increasing opportunities for women in leadership positions. It aims to do so by The theoretical domain of international bringing three R’s of Rights, relations has been dominated by traditional Representation and Resources to the mainstream theories which focused on the women and for the women.ii On a parallel Participants at the Non-Governmental Organizations Forum meeting held in Huairou, China, as part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing, China on 4-15 September 1995. Image Courtesy: UN Photo/Milton Grant. imposition of some form of order. note, it would generate greater gender Feminism is one such post-structuralism sensitivity towards other nations, by theory which aims to evaluate international making it imperative to consider the impact politics using the lens of gender. Since its of the country’s foreign policy decision on the women around the world. A study of China’s outlook towards women’s rights this concept would reveal how the present could be evaluated alongside its global power structures create foreign policies military sales, given that women and which are gender insensitive.iii children are among the most affected in armed conflict. These aspects as seen above, prompt the question of whether China, which calls itself as an upcoming global power, is ready to adopt a feminist foreign policy? This question becomes especially relevant since, Beijing is the site where the Fourth World Conference of Women was held in 1995, when it was affirmed that “Women’s empowerment and their full participation Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström with the on the basis of equality in all spheres of handbook for feminist foreign policy. Image Courtesy: Government Offices of Sweden, Ministry for Foreign society, including participation in the Affairs. decision-making process and access to According to Shoemaker & Dharmapuri as power, are fundamental for the mentioned in the Oxford research achievement of equality, development [,] Encyclopaedia of Politics, a feminist and peace.” iv foreign policy is one that “prioritizes the full implementation of international and Hence, one asks if China, a country which national commitments to advance human claims to rise peacefully and is soon to rights—that includes gender equality.” It become a global leader, would be able to has two central policy goal; gender parity accommodate the idea of gender parity and and gender sensitivity. It goes beyond gender mainstreaming and aims ‘normative re-orientation’ of foreign policy to a policy which is more cosmopolitan and could endorse global peace and justice. For some observers, this recent action by Sweden shows that feminism has moved beyond just being a theoretical concept and is actually coming into practice. However, for critiques Sweden’s new policy is seen as unrealistic and a hypocritical move by the country. They argue how a country could promulgate foreign policy which has peace and justice as its fundamental principles, while it itself is one of the biggest seller of arms and ammunition to West Asian Report on Fourth World women Conference. countries. Image Courtesy: Alexander Street This is in contradiction to the fundamentals gender sensitivity in its list of core agendas. of feminist foreign policy. In this light, it To understand these prospects, it becomes will be examined subsequently, how necessary to first understand the political status of women in China down the ages, The scene is drastically different in and how it has evolved over time. contemporary China. One can often observe the promulgation of sexist norms in Journey of Women in China’s the society. Instances of it can be seen in the Political Realm idea of women are being compelled to fulfil their domestic ‘duties’, and phrases like With the economic progress of China, the ‘leftover women’ being formulated for the country’s women have come a long way as women who choose to complete PhD and well. But this journey has not been not marry. consistent. Rather, there have been highs During the pre-modern era, even and lows. The status that present day mythological anecdotes emphasized Chinese women have been able to acquire women as the creator of humankind, which in terms of education and career shows the value which was associated with opportunities are based on the efforts and women in the society. The most popular hard work of several activists who had put mythological folklore is of Nu Wa’s their determined efforts for promoting the Creation Story. cause of their country’s women citizens. This section aims to evaluate how the status of women has evolved in China. Along the process it would also trace the rise of the concept of feminism and how it has changed over the generations in China.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Digital Feminism in the Arab Gulf
    MIT Center for Intnl Studies | Starr Forum: Digital Feminism in the Arab Gulf MICHELLE I'm Michelle English, and on behalf of the MIT Center for International Studies, welcome you to ENGLISH: today's Starr Forum. Before we get started, I'd like to mention that this is our last planned event for the fall. However, we do have many, many events planned for the spring. So if you haven't already, please take time to sign up to get our event notices. Today's talk on digital feminism in the Arab Gulf states is co-sponsored by the MIT Women's and Gender Studies program, the MIT History department, and the MIT Press bookstore. In typical fashion, our talk will conclude with Q&A with the audience. And for those asking questions, please line up behind the microphones. We ask that you to be considerate of time and others who want to ask questions. And please also identify yourself and your affiliation before asking your question. Our featured speaker is Mona Eltahawy, an award winning columnist and international public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues and global feminism. She is based in Cairo and New York City. Her commentaries have appeared in multiple publications and she is a regular guest analyst on television and radio shows. During the Egypt Revolution in 2011, she appeared on most major media outlets, leading the feminist website Jezebel to describe her as the woman explaining Egypt to the West. In November 2011, Egyptian riot police beat her, breaking her left arm and right hand, and sexually assaulted her, and she was detained for 12 hours by the Interior Ministry and Military Intelligence.
    [Show full text]
  • Young Feminist Activists in Present-Day China: a New Feminist Generation?
    China Perspectives 2018/3 | 2018 Twenty Years After: Hong Kong's Changes and Challenges under China's Rule Young Feminist Activists in Present-Day China: A New Feminist Generation? Qi Wang Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/8165 ISSN: 1996-4617 Publisher Centre d'étude français sur la Chine contemporaine Printed version Date of publication: 1 September 2018 Number of pages: 59-68 ISSN: 2070-3449 Electronic reference Qi Wang, « Young Feminist Activists in Present-Day China: A New Feminist Generation? », China Perspectives [Online], 2018/3 | 2018, Online since 01 September 2019, connection on 28 October 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/chinaperspectives/8165 © All rights reserved Articles China perspectives Young Feminist Activists in Present-Day China A New Feminist Generation? QI WANG ABSTRACT: This article studies post-2000 Chinese feminist activism from a generational perspective. It operationalises three notions of gene- ration—generation as an age cohort, generation as a historical cohort, and “political generation”—to shed light on the question of generation and generational change in post-socialist Chinese feminism. The study shows how the younger generation of women have come to the forefront of feminist protest in China and how the historical conditions they live in have shaped their feminist outlook. In parallel, it examines how a “po- litical generation” emerges when feminists of different ages are drawn together by a shared political awakening and collaborate across age. KEYWORDS:
    [Show full text]
  • UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UC Riverside UC Riverside Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Beyond New Waves: Gender and Sexuality in Sinophone Women's Cinema from the 1980s to the 2000s Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4h13x81f Author Kang, Kai Publication Date 2015 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Beyond New Waves: Gender and Sexuality in Sinophone Women‘s Cinema from the 1980s to the 2000s A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Literature by Kai Kang March 2015 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Marguerite Waller, Chairperson Dr. Lan Duong Dr. Tamara Ho Copyright by Kai Kang 2015 The Dissertation of Kai Kang is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgements My deepest gratitude is to my chair, Dr. Marguerite Waller who gave me freedom to explore my interested areas. Her advice and feedback helped me overcome many difficulties during the writing process. I am grateful to Dr. Lan Duong, who not only offered me much valuable feedback to my dissertation but also shared her job hunting experience with me. I would like to thank Dr Tamara Ho for her useful comments on my work. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Mustafa Bal, the editor-in-chief of The Human, for having permitted me to use certain passages of my previously published article ―Inside/Outside the Nation-State: Screening Women and History in Song of the Exile and Woman, Demon, Human,‖ in my dissertation. iv ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Beyond New Waves: Gender and Sexuality in Sinophone Women‘s Cinema from the 1980s to the 2000s by Kai Kang Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in Comparative Literature University of California, Riverside, March 2015 Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking Feminism Across the Taiwan Strait Author
    Out of the Closet of Feminist Orientalism: Rethinking Feminism Across the Taiwan Strait Author: Ya-chen Chen Assistant Professor of Chinese Literature and Asian Studies at the CCNY What is Chinese feminism? What is feminism in the Chinese cultural realm? How does one define, outline, understand, develop, interpret, and represent women and feminism in the Chinese cultural realm? These questions are what scholars will always converse over in the spirit of intellectual dialogue.1 However, the question of “which version of [feminist] history is going to be told to the next generation” in the Chinese cultural realm is what cannot wait for diverse scholars to finish arguing over?2 How to teach younger generations about women and feminism in the Chinese cultural realm and how to define, categorize, summarize, or explain women and feminism in the Chinese cultural realm cannot wait for diverse scholars to articulate an answer that satisfies everyone. How women and feminists in the Chinese cultural realm, especially non- Mainland areas, should identify themselves cannot wait until this debate is over. Because anthologies are generally intended for classroom use, I would like to analyze a number of feminist anthologies to illustrate the unbalanced representation of women and feminism in the Chinese cultural realm. In this conference paper, I will examine the following English-language feminist anthologies: Feminisms: An Anthology of Literary Criticism and 327 Theory; The Second Wave: A Reader in Feminist Theory, Western Feminisms: An Anthology of
    [Show full text]
  • Women's Rights in China and Feminism on Chinese Social Media
    Issue Brief June 14, 2021 Women’s Rights in China and Feminism on Chinese Social Media Frida Lindberg In recent years, women in China have to a greater extent than previously raised their voices about issues relating to women’s rights and gender equality. Social media has served as an important tool and venue for women to share their own experiences with sexual harassment, domestic violence, and gender discrimination in the labor market. Yet, while the feminist movement has been on the rise over the past ten years, feminists and women in China who speak up about gender-related issues nevertheless face threats, antagonism, and censorship online.1China has stated that it aims to empower women and protect their rights.2 However, activities and discourses that have the potential to disturb the existing social order or challenge the authorities are not tolerated by the government, as social stability is one of its top priorities.3,4 This paper addresses how women and feminists in China use social media to speak up, while at the same time having to cope with gender antagonism in Chinese society and monitoring efforts by the government. Oppression and Discrimination Against enshrined in the constitution, while initiatives that Women in China involved women in building the new communist China were introduced.8 Through posters and In ancient China, women were subordinate to first speeches, the party projected the image of female and foremost their fathers, secondly their husbands, socialist icons, so-called “iron women”, who were and lastly, as widows, their sons. At that time, depicted as labor heroes that also managed to religious and philosophical norms had been set up maintain a harmonious family.
    [Show full text]
  • China's One-Child Policy: Population Control and Its Unintended
    Volume 4, Issue No. 2. China’s One-Child Policy: Population Control and Its Unintended Consequences Kira Goeking Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA ÒÏ Abstract: In 1979, the Chinese government established the one-child policy, the most severe state- mandated family planning policy in the world. This policy was intended to curb rapid population growth in China by prohibiting couples from having more than one child. The policy was implemented in varying degrees across provinces and affected urban and rural areas differently. China successfully lowered their total fertility rate and population growth but experienced significant unintended consequences, mainly an imbalance in the gender composition of the country. Families desired a son for labor, inheritance, and care in their old age, leading some parents to take extreme measures to ensure the birth of a son. The skewed sex ratio has affected all sectors of Chinese society, including marriage, the labor force, and educational opportunities for women. Today, China faces the aftermath of this birth quota that was in place for 35 years. China’s one-child policy demonstrates the difficulties countries face with population growth. With the unexpected effects of the one-child policy, it is still unclear how the Chinese government should have managed their population growth to ensure economic expansion and a good quality of life for their citizens. However, it is evident that the one-child policy sparked a new feminist movement to emerge as Chinese women began to speak out against the consequences of state birth planning on women’s lives and bodies. Evolution of the One-Child Policy Throughout China’s history, families have placed more value on having sons compared to daughters since sons were expected to take on the family name, inherit family wealth, and provide care for their parents in old age.
    [Show full text]
  • This Book Is a Compendium of New Wave Posters. It Is Organized Around the Designers (At Last!)
    “This book is a compendium of new wave posters. It is organized around the designers (at last!). It emphasizes the key contribution of Eastern Europe as well as Western Europe, and beyond. And it is a very timely volume, assembled with R|A|P’s usual flair, style and understanding.” –CHRISTOPHER FRAYLING, FROM THE INTRODUCTION 2 artbook.com French New Wave A Revolution in Design Edited by Tony Nourmand. Introduction by Christopher Frayling. The French New Wave of the 1950s and 1960s is one of the most important movements in the history of film. Its fresh energy and vision changed the cinematic landscape, and its style has had a seminal impact on pop culture. The poster artists tasked with selling these Nouvelle Vague films to the masses—in France and internationally—helped to create this style, and in so doing found themselves at the forefront of a revolution in art, graphic design and photography. French New Wave: A Revolution in Design celebrates explosive and groundbreaking poster art that accompanied French New Wave films like The 400 Blows (1959), Jules and Jim (1962) and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964). Featuring posters from over 20 countries, the imagery is accompanied by biographies on more than 100 artists, photographers and designers involved—the first time many of those responsible for promoting and portraying this movement have been properly recognized. This publication spotlights the poster designers who worked alongside directors, cinematographers and actors to define the look of the French New Wave. Artists presented in this volume include Jean-Michel Folon, Boris Grinsson, Waldemar Świerzy, Christian Broutin, Tomasz Rumiński, Hans Hillman, Georges Allard, René Ferracci, Bruno Rehak, Zdeněk Ziegler, Miroslav Vystrcil, Peter Strausfeld, Maciej Hibner, Andrzej Krajewski, Maciej Zbikowski, Josef Vylet’al, Sandro Simeoni, Averardo Ciriello, Marcello Colizzi and many more.
    [Show full text]
  • Anarcha-Feminism.Pdf
    mL?1 P 000 a 9 Hc k~ Q 0 \u .s - (Dm act @ 0" r. rr] 0 r 1'3 0 :' c3 cr c+e*10 $ 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.... 1 Anarcha-Feminism: what it is and why it's important.... 4 Anarchism. Feminism. and the Affinity Group.... 10 Anarcha-Feminist Practices and Organizing .... 16 Global Women's Movements Through an anarchist Lens ..22 A Brief History of Anarchist Feminism.... 23 Voltairine de Cleyre - An Overview .... 26 Emma Goldman and the benefits of fulfillment.... 29 Anarcha-Feminist Resources.... 33 Conclusion .... 38 INTRODUCTION This zine was compiled at the completion of a quarters worth of course work by three students looking to further their understanding of anarchism, feminism, and social justice. It is meant to disseminate what we have deemed important information throughout our studies. This information may be used as a tool for all people, women in particular, who wish to dismantle the oppressions they face externally, and within their own lives. We are two men and one woman attempting to grasp at how we can deconstruct the patriarchal foundations upon which we perceive an unjust society has been built. We hope that at least some component of this work will be found useful to a variety of readers. This Zine is meant to be an introduction into anarcha-feminism, its origins, applications, and potentials. Buen provecho! We acknowledge that anarcha-feminism has historically been a western theory; thus, unfortunately, much of this ziners content reflects this limitation. However, we have included some information and analysis on worldwide anarcha-feminists as well as global women's struggles which don't necessarily identify as anarchist.
    [Show full text]
  • Daoist Connections to Contemporary Feminism in China Dessie Miller [email protected]
    The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Master's Projects and Capstones Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects Spring 5-19-2017 Celebrating the Feminine: Daoist Connections to Contemporary Feminism in China Dessie Miller [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone Part of the Chinese Studies Commons, and the Feminist Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Miller, Dessie, "Celebrating the Feminine: Daoist Connections to Contemporary Feminism in China" (2017). Master's Projects and Capstones. 613. https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/613 This Project/Capstone is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Projects and Capstones by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. !1 CELEBRATING THE FEMININE: DAOIST CONNECTIONS TO CONTEMPORARY FEMINISM IN CHINA Dessie D. Miller APS 650: MA Capstone Seminar University of San Francisco 16 May 2017 !2 Acknowledgments I wish to present my special thanks to Professor Mark T. Miller (Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Associate Director of the St. Ignatius Institute), Professor John K. Nelson (Academic Director and Professor of East Asian religions in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies), Mark Mir (Archivist & Resource Coordinator, Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History), Professor David Kim (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Program Director), John Ostermiller (M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies/MAPS Program Peer-Tutor), and my classmates in the MAPS Program at the University of San Francisco for helping me with my research and providing valuable advice.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sleeping Feminism Awareness in China
    Zhiduan Jiang Msc in Media and Communication Thesis MKVN13 - May 2017 Supervisor: Joanna Doona Examer: Helena Sandberg The sleeping feminism awareness in China – Through the case study of Girls’ Day and Women’s Day Abstract This thesis aims to explain how Chinese females’ are aware of their identities and feminism in a new media age. The study will answer the question through the case study of Girls’ Day and Women’ Day. The approach I adopt to solve the problem is qualitative research. More specifically, I will use semi-structured interviews to gain data and then utilize coding and summaries. Identity is a key concept in the study; I believe that the way Chinese females present themselves can reveal their ideas about feminism and gender issues. Through in-depth interviews, the interviewees revealed their real attitudes and ideas on their identities and feminism. From the analysis of the coding and the context from the interviews, I found that Girls’ Day is a new festival that distinguishes Chinese females into two groups: girls and women. At the same time, the popularity of Girls’ Day leads to the rejection of the identity label “woman”, which is essentially the stigmatisation of feminism. Under the double suppression from both the traditional patriarchal culture and the ignorance and avoidance from the governors, Chinese feminism is marginalised. The reason that Chinese females lack awareness of feminism is mainly because they acquire little information and knowledge about gender equality on a regular basis. In addition to the absent of reports on gender discrimination in the media, new media helps businesses spread the wrong messages about gender and use happiness from material objects to hide the true problem of gender inequality.
    [Show full text]
  • Old Concerns, Renewed Focus and Novel Problems: Feminist Communication Theory and the Global South
    Annals of the International Communication Association ISSN: 2380-8985 (Print) 2380-8977 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rica20 Old concerns, renewed focus and novel problems: feminist communication theory and the Global South Ingrid Bachmann & Valentina Proust To cite this article: Ingrid Bachmann & Valentina Proust (2020) Old concerns, renewed focus and novel problems: feminist communication theory and the Global South, Annals of the International Communication Association, 44:1, 67-80, DOI: 10.1080/23808985.2019.1647445 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2019.1647445 Published online: 25 Jul 2019. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 641 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rica20 ANNALS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION 2020, VOL. 44, NO. 1, 67–80 https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2019.1647445 REVIEW ARTICLE Old concerns, renewed focus and novel problems: feminist communication theory and the Global South Ingrid Bachmann and Valentina Proust School of Communications, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY Feminist theorizations have made important contributions to Received 20 May 2019 communication, albeit somewhat less visible and on the sidelines. Even less visible is research conducted with a feminist lens from the Global KEYWORDS South. This article provides an overview of current ways of approaching, Feminist theory; understanding, and applying feminist theoretical perspectives at the globalization; gender; intersection of gender and communication from non-Western contexts. feminist scholarship It also identifies feminist contributions to communication scholarship and makes suggestions for future directions.
    [Show full text]
  • Annotated Bibliography
    Annotated Bibliography: Opposition to the Political Participation of Women and Gender Justice Advocates, Building a Feminist Research Agenda By: Eileen Ying and Hana Nasser, with Lamia Khandker (I): Intersectional analysis (C): Comparative analysis (BP): “Big picture” conceptual parsing of backlash (Q): Quantitative/statistical analysis of backlash (S/T): Strategies and tactics to combat backlash 1. (S/T) Al-Ali, Nadje. 2012. “Gendering the Arab Spring.” Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication 5 (1): 26–31. In this article, Nadje Al-Ali examines the tactics used against female protesters during the Arab Spring in the Middle East. She finds that when women tried using the protest movement to garner attention for women’s rights issues, they often faced backlash from their male counterparts who accused them of detracting from the overall political goal of overthrowing dictators. Further, she finds that sexual assault was one gendered tool of opposition to women’s political participation during this time. This article is useful for its analysis of how women in the Middle East have navigated the male-dominated protest space during the Arab Spring, and how different institutional arrangements foreclose certain political avenues. In authoritarian single- party states, for example, secular regimes might use women’s rights to shore up credibility, which also heightens the risk that female anti-regime activists face backlash. 2. (I) (BP) Aoki, Keith. 1995. “The Scholarship of Reconstruction and the Politics of Backlash.” Iowa L. Rev 81: 1467. In this article, Aoki addresses the phenomenon of racial backlash politics as it pertain to legal scholarship. His case study of backlash focuses on an article by an Asian American legal scholar about why the field ought to carve out a space for more Asian American legal voices to express their particular plight and experience.
    [Show full text]