Week 3

For me, one of the most difficult things to change and construct is language. The struggle lies not only in forming a word or definition but also it’s context and translation, and as I read in the chapter “Changing Terms” in Naples and Desai I realized how language and translation plays such a huge role when theorizing transnationally. There is difficulty in translating western words and ideas that may have internalized assumptions as well as the terms themselves can being problematic. I grew up with words like “postcolonial” and “third world” and see more clearly now how the term “third world,” for example, being used consistently, “justifies the construction of the First World countries as dominant and more advanced” (5). If we are to have cross-cultural dialogues the issue of language needs to be addressed, and definitions and meanings need to be made clear through explanation and context. The issue of translation really stood out to me, especially the term “grassroots” which has so many different uses and connotations from being used by middle class, white womyn , “to refer to black rural women,” to having no literal translation in Arabic to posing the question of what is grassroots and who exemplifies it? I become overwhelmed sometimes by these questions that seem so tedious but the redefining and invention of language can help in systemic change as well as progressing feminist theory. I found the principle of “shoura” very interesting since it embodies, “the issues of democracy, grassroots movements, and women’s rights” that Egyptians are familiar with but do not associate with “demoqratiah” the translation for democracy. It seems common for western ideas to be introduced around the world, but not vice versa, and I think our own feminist movement in the U.S. could benefit from a better understanding of language and translation of words used by womyn to express feminism, revolution, dissent and learn rather than crusade.

Lisa Lowe says, on page 9, “the very processes that produce a racialized feminized proletariat... displace traditional and national patriarchies, “ thus generating “new possibilities precisely because they have led to a breakdown and a reformulation of the categories of nation, race, class, and gender.” I had some difficulty with this section and wondered what are the new possibilities for this proletariat that used to be in the traditional role of staying in the private sphere but are now just in the workforce? Have things just been displaced but not deconstructed?


While reading Ferree and Tripp I realized in the section "Causes of the Shift in Momentum," how much the feminist movement in America is not moving at all. As Tripp explains, “ there is a growing complacency about the necessity of improving women’s status and a greater need to defend gains already made,” we must still defend the need and importance of Roe v Wade that is in constant dispute, instead of legislation for gay rights, domestic partnerships and marriage we have repeals of such laws and in Florida we have new amendments prohibiting anything resembling a civil union. So as the world progresses with womyn in public office and “Feminists in state and international policymaking positions,” I am still trying to get people to claim even the name feminism and have seemingly given up on trying to pass the ERA or any other similar legislation. How can America be so lagging? So far behind? How is it that 90% of the United Nations has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women to advance domestic issues and I am hearing about it for the first time? Part of it is my own ignorance, and that I must work on personally, but i agree that the other part is due to, “the lack of media coverage of international initiatives that are adopted by feminist organizations contributes to the general lack of awareness of how far behind women in the United States have fallen” (70).

What do you think are some of the causes for the lacking momentum of the global North’s womyn’s movement? And how are women’s movements from around the globe going to come together if the United States and Europe do not give ample discussion to or rally for/with womyn and their issues in the global south?