The way I interpreted this reading was that the author was critiquing Western Feminists thoughts and labels placed on women in third world communities. The assumptions western women make are that these third world women are oppressed and only viewed by society as objects used for sex and labor. Many Western Feminists have created their own scale in which they use to determine and define the degree of oppression (socially, economically, politically, and sexually) that third world women experience. It is difficult to categorize “third world women” because the area covers so many regions. The women in these regions vary, significantly, in religion, class, and caste. So how can we make generalizations about an entire region?
It disturbs me to read this passage because it makes Western Feminists seem ignorant and insensitive. It referred me back to a reading I studied in Intro. The reading was discussing the Burqa (veil) worn by women in some third world cultures. Western Feminists decided that the burqa was oppressive to these women but never asked these women how they felt. If they had asked, the women would explain that they wore the burqa by choice. It is saddening that Western Women are forcing these ideas of oppression on groups that do not feel they are oppressed. Who are you to tell someone she is being oppressed? Ask her how she feels.
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3 comments:
I totally agree with everything you said. It is the American (or should I say European) way to "save the savages from themselves and show them a better way". It is really quiet sickening. Yuck. Feminists should focus on addressing the issues that women find important in their own communities. Bothering Arabic women about there burqa's is probably as asinine as encouraging Black women to protest the oppressiveness of being a house wife. HA! Who Cares?
I agree. But at the same time I wonder if these women that have such politics are even aware. Often times when people have been socialized at such a young age and oppressive ideas are reinforced in their religion and government policies one easily becomes desensitized to things that Western women may find problematic simply because we seemingly have more choices and more access to higher levels of education. I think about religion particulary in this case because often times people do not question their holy texts and miss the agendas of the writers that are traditionally male dominated.
This reading reminded me of the Burqa reading as well. It is like from the outside looking in, the Burqa represents oppresion, but people fail to realize that shoving western judgements others might be as oppresive as the Burqa is perceived.
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