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Feminist Organizations and Intersectionality: Contesting Hegemonic Feminism

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Feminist Organizations and Intersectionality: Contesting Hegemonic Feminism Feminist Organizations and Intersectionality: Contesting Hegemonic Feminism Benita Bunjun is an Interdisciplinary Studies Introduction PhD candidate at the University of British Feminist organizations in North Columbia researching organizational culture, America are political entities that focus intersectionality and power relations. She also primarily on advocating for women's rights teaches in Women's and Gender Studies at and equality for all women. Feminist UBC. organizations are diverse, organic, fluid, complex, and constantly changing across Abstract historical, geographical, political, economic, This paper is a theoretical examination of the and social landscapes. Furthermore, the foundational ideologies of hegemonic feminist organization also intersects not only feminism which continue to be contested by with other women's organizations and the feminists engaging with intersectional larger women's movement but also with other frameworks and analyses both within the social movements including the women's movement(s) and feminist peace/antiwar, Indigenous, anti-imperialist organizations in North America. The paper socialist, and students' rights movements. additionally discusses the structures and Therefore, feminist organizations find processes of feminist collectives while themselves responding constantly to both drawing on the author's current research on internal and external strengths and Vancouver Status of W omen. challenges while interacting with the Résumé complexities of their organizational life cycles. Cet article est un examen théorique des Nancy Adamson, Linda Briskin, and idéologies fondamentales du féminisme Margaret McPhail (1988) examine the hégémonique qui continuent d'être contestées women's movement in Canada by exposing par les féministes qui sont engagées dans les the contributions and limitations of First and structures intersectorielles et analyse les Second W ave feminism. Feminism itself is deux à l'intérieur de mouvement(s) de not a unified political ideology but rather is femmes et d'organismes féministes en categorized predominantly within the Amérique du nord. De plus, l'article discute mainstream women's movement by different des structures et des processus des currents of feminism such as liberal, Marxist, mouvements féministes collectifs en se radical/cultural, and socialist feminisms basant sur la recherche courante de l'auteure (Adamson et al. 1988; Sandoval 2004). There sur la Condition féminine de Vancouver. are also other feminist currents which have been marginalized within dominant feminist discourses, and these include Indigenous feminism, postmodern feminism, eco-feminism, and post-colonial/Third W orld feminism. It is imperative to acknowledge the multiple tensions, differences, conflicts, and divisions that exist historically across feminist currents as well as feminist organizations. Intersectionality as an analysis emerged in the late 1970s and was further developed in the 1990s from the works of Kimberlé Crenshaw (1991) and Patricia Hill Collins www.msvu.ca/atlantis PR Atlantis 34.2, 2010 115 (2000) which challenged and further history" (Sandoval 2003, 80). Through time, demonstrated the limitations of gender as a feminists (particularly racialized feminists) singular analytical category and entry point of who have historically experienced exclusions analysis. Therefore, intersectionality largely by and within the women's movement as well derives from racialized feminists (Indigenous as within feminist organizations, demanded a women and women of colour) directly more inclusive movement with a stronger contesting hegemonic feminism's investments intersectional feminist analysis. Hence, the in essentialism and exclusion. The women's movement witnessed challenges, contribution of intersectionality is that it tensions, and contradictions within hegemonic centres the interaction between diverse feminist discourses. positions of marginality and dominance as This paper provides a critical social processes while exposing how these theoretical examination of the foundational processes become invoked within and across ideologies of hegemonic feminism which power relations. Intersectionality engages with continues to be contested by feminists discourses, identities, experiences and engaging with an intersectional analysis both systems of domination/oppression as fluid, within the women's movement(s) and feminist changing, negotiated, historical, locational, organizations in North America. The paper situational and diverse. This exposes the additionally discusses the structures and interactions of colonialism, patriarchy and processes of feminist collectives as capitalism and how such interactions are organizations while drawing on data from my invoked, reinforced and contested. current research on Vancouver Status of Intersectionality constructs the Women. category of "women" in "a variety of political As a racialized queer feminist contexts that often exist simultaneously and studying feminist organizations, I find it overlaid on top of one another" (Mohanty responsible and responsive for me to position 2003, 32). Intersectionality moves feminist myself within the context of this paper. My theorizing beyond one singular relationship of engagement within the Canadian women's power, for example, patriarchy, in order to movement and feminist organizations in the more fully account for the complexity of last 12 years at the national, provincial and systems that shape the diversity of women's local levels contributes to a vision and lived realities. It also carefully acknowledges investment in healthy and sustainable social the contradictions as well as the justice movements. My involvement as staff, commonalities in women's experiences board member, collective member, and across time, geographies, and locations. volunteer with the Downtown Eastside Hence, an intersectionality framework Women's Centre, Vancouver Status of examines the interconnections between Women, the Canadian Research Institute for systems of oppression and domination and the Advancement of Women, and the BC how these intersect to produce specific Coalition of Women's Centres have been the experiences for the marginalized. primary sites which have informed my Hegemonic feminism has traditionally understanding of feminist organizations in been referred to as the dominance of white Canada. I value such transformative sites of Western, "north" or "First World" assumptions social change while also recognizing their about what it means to be a feminist and what limitations and how I experience and exist in women need to be liberated. It is most often their life cycle temporarily and partially. grounded in Second Wave Liberal feminist paradigms and de-emphasizes race, class The Making of Feminist Organizations and other intersecting positionalities. Chela Feminist organizations are distinct Sandoval illustrates how hegemonic feminist organizations because of their ideologies and scholars constructed typologies of feminism values deriving from feminism. Feminism has which "have fast become the official stories by traditionally been defined as the belief in the which the white women's movement political, social, legal and economic equality of understands itself and its interventions in all women. According to Nancy Adamson et 116 Atlantis 34.2, 2010 PR www.msvu.ca/atlantis al. (1998) and Terry Mizrahi (2007), feminist and experiences of Third W orld women's values focus primarily on equal rights and shifts towards new feminist paradigms. A opportunity for women while recognizing the differential mode of oppositional goal of empowerment. This section of the consciousness reflects a mobility which paper illustrates important ideologies and transforms rigid borders to porous borders values which make organizations feminist weaving between and among oppositional while also problematizing these ideologies ideologies. and values. With the primary vision of achieving I refer to Mizrahi's feminist equality with white men, hegemonic feminism organizational principles as a framework to reinforces and sustains white heterosexual highlight the unique character of feminist middle-class women's entitlements and organizations. Specific values and ideologies equality at the expense of "Other" women and have traditionally been adopted by feminist groups (Lee and Cardinal 1998; Sandoval organizations which make them distinct from 2003). Lee and Cardinal argue that other organizations. These include the English/Anglo Canadian nationalism has interconnectedness of problems and solutions largely mediated the mainstream women's while recognizing that personal problems movement that has remained grounded in have political, cultural, and historical causes neo-conservative national narratives. These and solutions. Feminist organizations value hegemonic nationalizing narratives crystallize creating a more democratic and egalitarian a "national" feminist agenda, which society by engaging in "the personal is marginalize certain issues and groups of political" and "sisterhood is global" ideologies. people who do not belong to the imagined Additional values and principles which make community. Furthermore, hegemonic organizations feminist include the feminism solidifies gender as the ultimate commitment to consensus, cooperation, oppression and the only relevant entry point of collaboration, and coalition building, while analysis. It also refuses to engage in a enhancing recognition and respect for feminist intersectional analysis of power diversity
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