Action Research & Feminism Conference, Cluj

Program

2008.12.05.
Location: Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, Room 5, Floor 4, Str. G-ral Traian Moşoiu nr. 71

11:00 – 12:30 (public lectures)
Well-come talk by Gabriel Bădescu (head of the Department of Political Sciences)
Barbara Einhorn: Mass dictatorships and gender politics
Sue Thornham: Feminism, post-feminism and the academy
Jasmina Lukič: Problems of disciplinization of an ‘interdisciplinary discipline’

Location: Tranzit House, Str. Bariţiu nr. 16
15:00 – 16:30
Panel 1/ Interdisciplinarity and participatory research Continue reading

Fw: call for papers European Roma Women’s Magazine

via crina

Timisoara, 03.11.2008.

Dear colleague and friend,

The Association of Gypsy Women ‘For Our Children’ from Timisoara and of Foundation Desire from Cluj, Romania, launches a new journal, entitled European Roma Women’s Magazine. This became possible due to the financial support of the Open Society Foundation’s Roma Participation Program.

The magazine will be published once in a year in English with Romani abstracts. We prepare and print out its first issue by the end of March 2009 (collecting its articles by the end of January 2009).

Our Magazine addresses the complex and complicated issue of “Roma women” at the intersection of their geopolitical position, ethnicity, social and economic status and age with the aim to represent the socio-cultural diversity of the European Roma women, seen in their immediate communities, and in the context of their relationship with both Roma men and non-Roma women. Crucial for us is the understanding of how they are subjected to multiple and intersectional discrimination, but also how they are acting as powerful agencies by fighting for the enhancement of the society within which they live, and for the changing into better the condition of their own, but as well as of other subordinated and disadvantaged social categories.
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Staying silent

by Gwendolyn Albert
Nov. 28 2008

If the media is anything to go by, the neo-Nazi violence in Litvínov Nov. 17 has largely achieved the organizers’ aims of promoting nationalist hatred in the Czech Republic. Headlines referring to rasové nepokoje (“ethnic troubles”) have largely oversimplified what is actually going on: namely, the international neo-Nazi movement is targeting a hate campaign against this particular Roma community. The commitment of these neo-Nazis, the energy of the attack on the Roma community at the Janov housing estate and the neo-Nazis’ aggression toward the police are new and very dangerous developments.

Cyril Koky, a member of the Czech Government Council for Roma Community Affairs, said Czech Human Rights and Minorities Minister Džamila Stehlíková should consider resigning over the failure of her efforts to avert Nov. 17’s violence. As everyone following the developments in Litvínov predicted to the authorities, the Janov housing estate was turned into something resembling a warzone for several hours on a national holiday. The “troubles” were not between “ethnic groups” at all, but between members of the international neo-Nazi movement and the Czech police. Worse still, many non-Roma locals in Litvínov have made it clear in media interviews that they believe the neo-Nazis should be allowed to carry out their violent intentions without police interference.

Koky is correct that Stehlíková and other authorities are to blame. At a meeting last month at the Interior Ministry — which included various NGOs and government officials — to discuss security in Roma neighborhoods after October’s riot in Litvínov, the authorities’ responses bordered on the surreal. Czech Government Commissioner for Human Rights Jan Litomiský, as usual, sat through the meeting without opening his mouth during the free-ranging “discussion.” While the vast majority of those present complained about neo-Nazi violence and the lack of official action against it, officials kept reiterating how much money had been spent on “preventing crime” within the Roma community — a different issue entirely and totally unrelated to suppressing neo-Nazi violence. An Interior Ministry spokesperson even went so far as to say the ministry could not take steps to dissolve the National Party’s paramilitary National Guard “because it is not an officially registered organization.” I could hardly believe my ears — organized crime doesn’t “officially register” with the Interior Ministry either, but we still expect the police to try to stop it.

The Litvínov situation raises serious questions about the rule of law in the Czech Republic.

more

Campania Femei în umbră. Umbre.

www.violentaimpotrivafemeii.ro

Cele 16 zile de Activism pentru Combaterea Violenţei Împotriva Femeilor reprezintă o campanie care a fost concepută în cadrul Institutului Women’s Global Leadership, finanţat de Center for Women’s Global Leadership din 1991. Participanţii au ales aceste zile – 25 noiembrie, Ziua Internaţională pentru combaterea violenţei împotriva femeilor şi 10 decembrie, Ziua internaţională a Drepturilor Omului, pentru a lega simbolic ideea de violenţă împotriva femeilor de cea a drepturilor omului şi pentru a scoate în evidenţă faptul că astfel de forme de violenţă reprezintă o încălcare a drepturilor omului.

În perioada 25 noiembrie – 10 decembrie, UNFPA, alături de alte organizaţii din întreaga lume, aduce în prim planul atenţiei generale violenţa împotriva femeilor, o încălcare a drepturilor omului extrem de răspândită şi adânc înrădăcinată în societate. În Campania de 16 zile pentru Combaterea Violenţei împotriva Femeilor sunt implicate grupări din întreaga lume care cer crearea de servicii de ajutorare a victimelor care supravieţuiesc, îndeamnă la intensificarea eforturilor pentru prevenirea actelor de violenţă şi militează pentru o reformă legală şi juridică precum şi pentru aplicarea instrumentelor internaţionale pentru apărarea drepturile omului în scopul soluţionării acestei probleme.

Pentru a avea un ecou în rândul publicului larg şi a face ca acest subiect să fie acceptat şi integrat în discursul public, semn al recunoaşterii drepturilor omului ca valori universale, este nevoie de o expunere susţinută a oamenilor nu numai la fapte şi statistici, dar şi la documentare, mărturii sau manifestări artistice care abordează acest fenomen.

De aceea, în România, campania de 16 zile „Femei în umbră. Umbre.” are în centru seria de documentare “Femeile din linia întâi” produsă de UNFPA, UNIFEM, Austrian Development Cooperation în colaborare cu Oneplanet Pictures şi Dev.tv. Difuzată în primăvara aceasta de BBC World şi prezentată de Annie Lennox, această serie ilustrează poveştile personale ale unor femei care au supravieţuit abuzurilor şi care vor ca vocile lor să fie auzite. În cadrul campaniei vor fi organizate vizionări ale documentarelor, difuzarea lor la TVR, spectacole de teatru si o expozitie de afise la Casa ONU.

Campania de 16 zile leagă între ele 4 zile semnificative pentru problema violenţei împotriva femeilor;
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some recent things of interest/citeva lucruri recente

  • Dates for the 16 Days of Activism for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
    25 November to 10 December 2008

    25 Nov International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
    01 Dec World AIDS Day
    06 Dec Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre
    10 Dec International Human Rights Day

  • Norway to introduce “Swedish model”

    Dear Friends,
    I just received the news that the Norwegian Parliament passed the legislation that prohibits the purchase of a sexual service – 44 votes vot, 28 against. The Law will come into force on January 1, 2009!!!

    This is indeed a great victory for all of us. Congratulations to the all the women in Norway and internationally who worked to hard to get the law passed!!!!
    Warmest greetings to all of you!
    Gunilla
    ———— ——— —
    Gunilla S. Ekberg
    Co-Executive Director/Co- Directrice Exécutive

    Coalition Against Trafficking in Women International/ Coalition Internationale contre la Traite des Femmes (CATW)
    International Secretariat/ Sécretariat International
    Mailing address/Adresse: rue Washington 40, B-1050 Brussels, BELGIUM
    E-mail address/Adresse de courriel: gsekberg@catwintern ational.org
    Phone/Tel.: +32 2 346 2350
    Fax: +32 2 344 2003
    Website/ Site Web: http://www.catwinternational.org

  • RO: femeia europeana 2008, fwd nicoleta bitu, via crina

    Fostul ministru al justitiei, Monica Macovei, a fost aleasa miercuri “Femeia Europei” in 2008 de catre un juriu format din europarlamentari si jurnalisti, relateaza NewsIn. Premiul urmeaza sa-i fie decernat de catre presedintele Parlamentului European, Hans Gert Poettering.

    Monica Macovei fusese desemnata candidata Romaniei pentru acest premiu la 16 iunie de catre un juriu format din 25 de reprezentanti ai societatii civile si jurnalisti romani. Contracandidatele ei din Romania au fost Anamaria Marinca, actrita care a detinut rolul principal in filmul “4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile” castigator in 2007 al trofeului Palme d’Or al Festivalului de la Cannes, Margareta Matache, activista pentru drepturile minoritatilor, Iulia Motoc, expert in drept international, si Marta Petreu, profesor de filosofie la Universitatea Babes-Bolyai din Cluj.

    Pentru a desemna reprezentanta Romaniei, juriul a avut in vedere anumite criterii cum ar fi activitatea dedicata promovarii valorilor europene si a rolului Europei in lume, angajament si initiative personale pentru sustinerea procesului de integrare europeana sau initiative originale si eficiente ale candidatei.

    Apreciata de europarlamentari pentru reformele in domeniul justitiei si luptei anticoruptie, Monica Macovei a fost ministru al justitiei in perioada 2004-2007, in prezent fiind consultant special al premierului Republicii Macedonia pe probleme de combatere a coruptiei. De asemenea, este expert al Comisiei Europene in domeniul pregatirii personalului de specialitate din tarile candidate ale UE in domeniul combaterii coruptiei si reformei sistemului juridic.

    Printre reformele care i-au adus aprecierea in UE, dar si critici acerbe din partea parlamentarilor romani, s-au numarat introducerea obligativitatii declaratiilor de avere pentru demnitari, infiintarea Directiei Nationale Anticoruptie, care pentru prima oara a inceput anchete de coruptie la nivel inalt.

  • Ads target men who use trafficked women

    MEN who buy sex from women trafficked into Ireland for prostitution are being targeted for the first time in an advertising campaign that warns they could go to jail.

  • Woman Fed To Dogs: Taslim Solangi and an End to Civility

    I am grown up enough now to believe that not every Pakistani household has its own feudal lord – though a significant amount of them are at the mercy of some lameass patriarchal messiah of sorts -and I am also firmly aware of the bitter truth that a very stringent sort of sexism prevalent in a large part of that country (as in mine) means a daily, almost ritualistic, persecution and defilement of women – emotionally, mentally, physically – as well as a thorough disregard for women’s rights.

    Despite my usual preparedness for the abnormally grim, stories like Solangi’s still manage to scare me insane and fuel unbridled rage within me. Wrath is what I can feel right now, rising from the absolute pit of my stomach. Unadulterated and unmitigated anger. And I want to use this anger in a way that pulverizes the very core of our enforced patriarchal inheritance. I want my anger to be as brutal and as devoid of mercy as these murdering charlatans are.

    I need revenge. We need revenge.

    I could have chosen to satirize in my usual blasé manner because I find in humor – especially dark humor – a rock-hard and unshakable crutch. But this is not the time to seek crutches, it’s the time to demolish.

    I beseech those academically fortified women amongst us, who love to deliberate about ethnocentric feminism’s strides in the warm comfort of their Ikea-decorated living rooms, to stand up and address this. Now. Without politeness and political correctness corrupting their ire. Because when young girls are left for dogs to feed on, very little room is left for civility.

  • Obama Expected to Overturn Global Gag Rule

    —–
    The new president is also expected to lift a so-called global gag rule barring international family planning groups that receive U.S. aid from counseling women about the availability of abortion, even in countries where the procedure is legal, said Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. When Bill Clinton took office in 1993, he rescinded the Reagan-era regulation, known as the Mexico City policy, but Bush reimposed it.

    “We have been communicating with his transition staff” almost daily, Richards said. “We expect to see a real change.”
    —–

    The Global Gag Rule literally kills thousands and thousands of women every year by putting already over-stretched clinics in an impossible position. They must generally choose between either having no money to provide life-saving care, or providing care while breaking doctor-patient trust and actively doing harm by deceit. What the hell do you choose?

    Different organizations have different answers, but the fact is that it shouldn’t be a question. Doctors should be able to answer their patients’ inquiries honestly. Abortion should be treated as the routine and sometimes life-saving medical procedure that it is. And women deserve quality reproductive health care, whatever their needs. No woman should die because “pro-life” organizations on another continent have a superiority complex and think their tax dollars should only go to providing care for women they deem worthy enough.

    Repealing the Global Gag Rule is only a start, but it’s a huge first step towards a real culture of life — one that respects and cares for the lives of women. And it’s absolutely at the very top of my list of things President Obama can do quickly and decisvely to make the world a better place within his first hours in the Oval Office. If he intends to live up to his campaign promises to protect women’s health and show the world that we’re more than a bunch of self-absorbed ideological assholes, he absolutely must do it. And I eagerly look forward to the moment when he does, because it will not come a moment too soon.

Chestionar studii de gen/ feminism

Buna.

Sunt o studenta in feminism/ studii de gen, cu (putina) experienta si in predarea studiilor de gen/ a feminismului. La inceputul lui decembrie voi participa la o masa rotunda despre gen si educatie (mai ales universitara) si, pe langa propria mea experienta si cateva concluzii ale unui studiu despre masteratele de studii de gen din Romania, as vrea sa includ in scurta mea prezentare gandurile si parerile voastre despre necesitatea, forma si continutul unor (posibile) cursuri de studii de gen la nivel universitar in Romania.

Mai jos sunt patru intrebari la care as vrea sa raspundeti, iar daca sunt aspecte/ perspective pe care eu nu le-am prins in intrebari, dar pe care voi le considerati importante, va rog sa adaugati aceste lucruri.

Va multumesc si astept raspunsul vostru.

Theodora Eliza Vacarescu
theoeliza [@] yahoo [.] com

1. Crezi ca este necesar/ util sa existe (macar) un curs de studii de gen/ feminism in cadrul facultatilor si departamentelor de stiinte socio-umaniste la nivel de licenta? De ce?

2. Ai urmat vreodata un curs de studii de gen sau feminism (in cadrul unei universitati sau altundeva)? Daca da, descrie/ povesteste in cateva fraze:
– cand si unde (“institutional”) a avut loc cursul;
– care a fost structura/ formatul;
– ce tematici a acoperit;
– cine a participat la curs (ca studente/ti);
– cum te-ai simtit in colectivul cursului;
– cum a fost relatia dintre studente/ti si persoana/ele care a/u coordonat cursul.

3. Daca ar trebui sa concepi un curs (introductiv) de studii de gen/ feminism la nivel de licenta (care sa se predea intr-o facultate sau departament de stiinte socio-umaniste din Romania), care ar fi cele mai importante cinci tematici pe care le-ai include?
Ce format/ structura ai propune?
Care ar fi cele mai importante/ relevante (dupa parerea ta) trei texte sau materiale pe care le-ai folosi (articole, carti, poezii, filme, melodii, imagini, bloguri etc.)?

4. Ce alternativa la un astfel de curs de studii de gen/ feminism, predat in unversitate, la nivel de licenta, crezi ca ar fi?
Crezi ca universitatea este un loc potrivit pentru educatia de gen/ feminista? De ce?