“Afghans speak out against sexual violence”
by Nushin Arbabzadah
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday August 20 2008
Courageous families are speaking out about child rape, helped by a media campaign. It’s a sign of a nation moving forward
“Lawyer Files Antifeminist Suit Against Columbia”
“Mini-skirts banned to stop “provoking” rape in Mexico”
“How the Left censored the blindingly obvious truth about rape” (Peter Hitchens, Daily Mail, 16.08.08) a.k.a.
“Geez, When Will Women Stop Getting Themselves Raped Already?”
Posted on August 6, 2008
womensgrid
Filed Under Faith, London, Opinion Comment, Women’s Group
by Pragna Patel, chair of Southall Black Sisters and a member of Women Against FundamentalismIn the rush to be tolerant or sensitive to religious difference, the space is created for the most reactionary and even fundamentalist religious leaders to take control
On 18th July 2008 at the High Court, Southall Black Sisters (SBS) won an important legal challenge affirming its right to exist and continue its work. At stake was a decision by Ealing Council to withdraw funding from SBS – the only specialist provider of domestic violence services to black and minority women in Ealing – under the guise of developing a single generic service for all women in the borough.
The council sought to justify its decision on the grounds of ‘equality’, ‘cohesion’ and ‘diversity’. It argued that the very existence of groups like SBS – the name and constitution – was unlawful under the Race Relations Act because it excluded white women and was therefore discriminatory and divisive!
more
REFLECTIONS ON ‘ARTEMIS’ – A ROMANIAN FEMINIST PROJECT (PDF)
by Maria Diaconescu
… Even so, with these East-West differences, violence and sexual abuse against children and women is a reality in Eastern European countries, as it is in the Western countries. The East and the West share the same patriarchal ground that makes possible the cultural and structural violence that we live in. Violence of any kind means taking advantage of the power difference. The societal/ cultural or structural violence refers to all actions, attitudes and values of a society which block or delay the development of the other who has no “voice” in society, or who is not heard (children, women, people from a different ethnic or religious background, etc.). This kind of values and attitudes are responsible for inequalities of chances, and violence against women, children, Roma people, etc.
What do I want to highlight in this paper? There is a high support of patriarchal culture via the educational environment, the political environment, and the church. In the name of the so-called national and traditional values, strongly supported by the church, there is a high support of patriarchal culture. In my opinion, patriarchal values have to do a lot with the skin of religion – the temporal and social norms, known in Romania as “the national and traditional Christian values.” The patriarchal values have nothing to do with the core of spiritual and religious meanings. The spiritual, transcendent, essential part of any religion of the world has to do with the essence of the human being which transcends any skin: gender, culture and religion differences; this is the core part of any religion. According to Peseschkian, the religious externals that are influenced by time, the rituals and dogmas – the skin – are put in the foreground, while the actual religious contents – the core – are put aside. This produces a shift in form and content, misunderstanding and confusion because of the lack of differentiation between faith – religion – church.
My hypothesis is that the religious skin ideology – put in the foreground – patterns in a paradoxical way any other subsequent ideology/ politics or philosophy of life, even if (and especially when) people reject or ignore the core religion. This is what happens after any revolution. Subsequently, the revolution patterns the relationships in the same way: another form of patriarchal, changed roles. …
An appeal to solidarity from January 2008:
Dear European feminists,
On behalf of the parliamentary group on Population and Development, Reproductive Health and Rights of the Lithuanian Republic and on behalf of all educated and progressively thinking women and men of Lithuania I address you and ask for a moral support and solidarity in stopping the attempt of the conservative parliamentarians and social organizations to ban abortion in our country. The project of the law to safeguard an unborn life, to force women give birth even to an abnormal child, to criminalize abortion is backed up by the Lithuanian Catholic Church, which negates women reproductive rights.
read the open letter (francais)
Now, there is increased need for action. More at the f-word and feministing.
Call for papers:
Please distribute widely
GENDER AND BORDERS/BOUNDARIES
Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Conference
At Manchester University
June 27, 2008
In association with Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies/ University of Leeds Migration and Diaspora Cultural Studies Network
Department of Theology and Religious Studies/University of Leeds Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies/University of Manchester
This one day postgraduate conference seeks to examine issues of gender and borders/boundaries across a range of critical perspectives. We want to encourage innovative and interdisciplinary dialogues and welcome postgraduate students from a variety of disciplines, such as anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, religion, sociology, psychology, politics, geography and social
work.
Continue reading
de Doina
De vreo doua luni ma gandesc ca as avea ceva de spus in legatura cu violenta culturala. Este un concept destul de greu de explicat, cu toate ca suferim cu totii consecintele lui.
Specialistii spun ca fiecare cultura are propriile reguli si norme referitoare la comportamentele, atitudinile si credintele considerate ca fiind potrivite, diferentiind si etichetand nu persoane, ci categorii sociale. Cultura se manifesta prin prejudecatile pe care le avem – fata de femei si barbati, fata de romi, musulmani, atei, copii si soacre. Lucrurile pe care le facem intr-un anume fel pentru ca asa ni s-a transmis prin educatie, prin modelul social, prin faptul ca «toata lumea face/spune la fel». Si e mai simplu sa inghiti pe nemestecate o idee colectiva decat sa te apuci sa o diseci. Mda! Suna destul de complicat.
Dar hai s-o luam altfel! Daca v-as spune ca titlul – citat dintr-o reclama – constituie o forma de violenta culturala m-ati crede? O sa-mi spuneti ca n-ati simtit aceste efecte. O! Ba da! Aceasta fraza traseaza un profil feminin. Creeaza o imagine despre modelul femeii in subconstientul colectiv. In ciuda aparentei unei dulci ironii, pe care o poti privi amuzata, pentru ca esti convinsa ca nu te priveste, mesajul este: “femeile stau pe tocuri, deci nu gandesc”.
O sa ma intrebati, si ce pot face eu impotriva acestei violente? Sunt prea mic, prea singur, prea putin important ca sa pot face ceva in privinta asta. Si acesta este un stereotip cultural. Vi s-a inoculat ideea ca nu puteti face nimic. Ca nu depinde de dumneavoastra, si atunci n-are rost sa va implicati.
In ceea ce priveste reclama, nu stiu ce veti face voi. Eu voi ataca firma care transmite un mesaj nepotrivit, acolo unde pe cei cu putere de decizie ii doare: la buzunar. Prin urmare nu voi mai cumpara in vecii vecilor un produs de la o firma care imi spune ca nu gandesc pentru ca sunt ocupata cu statul pe tocuri, deci sunt femeie, recte proasta. Nici sampon si nici vreun alt produs.
Asta pentru simplul motiv ca sunt o persoana pasnica, adepta a metodelor non-violente de rezolvare a conflictelor.
Desi, dac-ar fi sa ma gandesc bine….
[“Dragoste fara griji”]
Dorinta mea de a pune in discutie violenta culturala nu a pornit de la o reclama. Reclama a fost doar catalizatorul.
Totul a inceput de la o statistica efectuata de un ONG care ajunsese la concluzia ca suntem pe primul loc in Uniunea Europeana… la avorturi. Continue reading
Call for Papers: Queer Studies Easter Symposium 2008
23 March – 29 March, 2008
Mexico City
Deadline for submission of paper proposals: 15. November 2007
The International Society for Cultural History and Cultural Studies (CHiCS), AIDSinCULTURE.org and Enkidu Magazine in Mexico City invite the global community to a vibrant and exciting multi-disciplinary, multi-lingual and multi-cultural Queer Studies Easter Symposium in Mexico City in March 2008.
Miercuri, 03.10.2007 la orele 19:00 va invitam la Project Space, pe strada Pictor Arthur Verona nr 19 (sediul OAR) la o prezentare sustinuta de Emil Moise: Scolile publice din Romania: instrumentele Bisericii pentru perpetuarea discriminarii de gen.
Prezentarea va avea ca subiect modul in care, prin predarea confesionala a disciplinei Religie in scolile publice, dar si prin actiunile colaterale ce decurg din acest fapt se transmit si astfel se perpetueaza relatiile de putere in general, relatiile de putere cu continut de gen, in special.
Emil Moise este activist si profesor de discipline socio-umane. Are ca domenii de interes: cultura si atitudine civica, etica aplicata, drepturile fiintei umane, teoria deciziei sociale, promovarea tolerantei si a respectului fata de fiinta umana si mediul inconjurator.
Project Space este parte din proiectul Spatiul Public Bucuresti / Public Art Bucharest 2007.