Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Book Review: Tapestries Of Hope, Threads Of Love: The Arpillera Movement In Chile, Margaret D. Stetz

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Tapestries of Hope, Threads of Love: The Arpillera Movement in Chile by Marjorie Agosin

Rural Livelihoods, Hiv/Aids And Women’S Activism: The Struggle For Gender Equality In Primary Education In Uganda, Doris M. Kakuru

Journal of International Women's Studies

In Uganda, various stake holders including the government, NGOs, and women activists have undeniably played important roles in the combat for gender equality in primary education. However, there is evidence that success has not yet been realized. This article is based on research conducted to discover why gender inequalities in Uganda’s Universal Primary Education persist despite deliberate measures to eradicate them. Two questions are addressed, namely: does HIV/AIDS contribute to the persistence of gender inequality in rural areas? What is the importance of linking theory and practice in women’s activism in such a context? The findings reveal that HIV/AIDS affects …

Nigeria: The Dominance Of Rape, Chineze J. Onyejekwe

Journal of International Women's Studies

Despite decades of feminist activism, men continue to rape women at appalling rates. This paper evaluates the failure of the Nigerian state to enforce laws to protect women against rape. Rape is also shown to be a global problem. The flaws in the Law’s definition of rape are examined. Women’s action-oriented responses and initiatives against these abuses are highlighted.

Witch-Hunting, Globalization, And Feminist Solidarity In Africa Today, Silvia Federici

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Women’S Activism For Gender Equity In Africa, Lisa Bernstein, Catherine Ndinda

Journal of International Women's Studies

This special joint issue of the Journal of International Women’s Studies (JIWS) and WAGADU focuses on women’s activism and women’s movements in different countries and cultures throughout Africa and the African Diaspora. The project represents a collaboration between two online, open-access journals that address gender and women’s issues within a transnational and cross-cultural context. The essays, which are distributed between the two journals, use interdisciplinary feminist and activist approaches to reveal the different forms of personal and communal actions being undertaken by African women today in cultural, social, economic, and political arenas. In showing the diversity of African women’s activism; …

“How Can I Stay Silent?”: One Woman’S Struggles For Environmental Justice In Lesotho, Yvonne A. Braun

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article explores one woman’s activism in the context of a large scale dam and infrastructure project in Southern Africa. Since 1986, Lesotho and South Africa are building one of the largest multi-dam water schemes in the world, the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). Local communities impacted by the LHWP face resettlement, increased risk of impoverishment, and changed access to natural resources. Much like with other projects of this type and scale (Scudder, 2006), the multidimensional costs of the $8 billion dollar World Bank funded water scheme will fall hardest on rural women. Rural Basotho women are at the front …

Faculty Profile: Diana Fox And Ten Years Of Women's Studies Scholarship On The Web, Andrew C. Holman

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

The Mauritian Election Of 2005: An Unprecedented Increase Of Women In Parliament, Mi Yung Yoon, Sheila Bunwaree

Journal of International Women's Studies

Before the 2005 election, women’s legislative representation in Mauritius had always been one of the lowest in the African continent, and the lowest in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Although the number of women in the Mauritian legislature has fluctuated over time, the latest election on July 3, 2005 brought an unprecedented increase in the number of women from 4 (5.7 per cent) to 12 (17.1 per cent) in its 70-member legislature. Before this increase, the number of female members of parliament (MPs) had never exceeded six. If so, what contributed to such a sharp increase? This study addresses …

Emergence Of Women From ‘Private’ To ‘Public’: A Narrative Of Power Politics From Mizoram, Anup Shekhar Chakraborty

Journal of International Women's Studies

Understanding the complex state-building process in Mizoram requires the systematic mapping of the discourses and narratives of ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ at all levels which is thoroughly dictated by those in power. The region’s ‘Histories’ of statecraft and policies displays a distinct narrative than that of mainland India. The ‘Northeast’ in general and Mizoram in particular, provides a unique experience in understanding the trends in everyday politics as ‘a living space’ in contemporary India. Mizoram, as a category in contemporary Indian politics reminds one of ‘the protracted insurgency led by the legendary Laldenga and the Mizo National Front’. The region remains …

Creating Alternative And Demedicalized Spaces: Testimonial Narrative On Disability, Culture, And Racialization, Parin Dossa

Journal of International Women's Studies

The literature on disability, gender and “race” has benefited from the political economy perspective. With its emphasis on unmasking the workings of power, this perspective has brought into relief the systemic, institutionalized and spatial oppression of disabled persons, compounded in the case of gender and “race.” This narrative of deconstruction, however, remains incomplete in the absence of voice and subjectivity of persons with disabilities. Using narrative moments, recounted by an immigrant woman with two “disabled” children, this paper makes a case for an integrated framework for a study of racialized persons with disabilities. Here, the margins2 are not out there …

In Two Different Worlds: How Malawian Girls Experience Schooling, Margaret Asalele Mbilizi

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of how Malawian girls experience schooling in single-sex versus coeducational institutions. It is a qualitative narrative depicting the socializing and learning processes which affect girls’ potential to succeed in mathematics and science subjects and careers. Further I use critical reflection to describe my own experiences as a student, teacher, and researcher at one of the single-sex boarding schools.

The results confirm other research findings that single-sex school environments are effective in building high expectations and aspirations for higher education among girls. In single-sex schools, girls held higher educational expectations and occupational aspirations …

A Call To Political And Social Activism: The Jeremiadic Discourse Of Maria Miller Stewart, 1831-1833, Willie J. Harrell Jr.

Journal of International Women's Studies

This essay identifies the rhetorical strategies of Maria Miller Stewart’s Boston anti-slavery discourse as jeremiads that connected her religious, moral, political and social lamentations of the American democratic system and called her audiences to aid in the desensitizing of slavery and America prejudice. When she attempted to establish a common ground, the aim of Stewart’s jeremiads was to make her audiences conscious of the numerous social and political grievances within the African-American community. Stewart’s jeremiadic discourse called for the deterioration of American racism and sexism and provided an agency that constituted a form of resistance.

Book Review: Different Wavelengths: Studies Of The Contemporary Women’S Movement, Anna Feigenbaum

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Different Wavelengths: Studies of the Contemporary Women’s Movement, edited by Jo Reger

Meanings Of Weighing Female Patients And Their Clinical Implications, Zenobia C. Y. Chan

Journal of International Women's Studies

Severe weight loss is the chief characteristic of anorexia nervosa. Weight is also one of the important indicators for evaluating a client’s recovery. I weighed all clients at their pre-treatment interview, the beginning of every family session, and at the termination session, and kept records based on follow-up telephone calls after family treatment ended. I found the process of weighing to be noteworthy not only as an instrumental task, but also as a reciprocal learning experience between the clients and myself. Also, my role as the “weigher” of the clients had unexpected effects on my peers, my family and myself. …

Book Review: The Hidden Giants, Maluka D. Muñoz

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of The Hidden Giants by Sethanne Howard

Reply To Stacy Lockerbie (Review Of Conception Diary: Thinking About Pregnancy And Motherhood By Susan Hogan), Susan Hogan

Journal of International Women's Studies

Reply by the author regarding the following book review: Stacy Lockerbie, JIWS, Vol. 9. No. 1. November 2007. pp. 319-321. Review of Conception Diary: Thinking About Pregnancy and Motherhood. Susan Hogan.

Book Review: Trans/Forming Feminisms: Trans-Feminist Voices Speak Out, Dan Irving

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Trans/Forming Feminisms: Trans-Feminist Voices Speak Out, edited by Krista Scott-Dixon

Book Review: Feminism, Aditi Mitra

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Feminism by June Hannam

Gender Dimensions In Geo-Spatial Security Research: Disciplinary Confrontations, Clementine Ewokolo Burnley, Nathalie Stephenne, Mercè Agüera Cabo

Journal of International Women's Studies

Several EU policy papers have called for an improved dialogue between security policymakers, social science researchers and science and technology researchers working on security (Pullinger, 2006). To increase the understanding of gender dimensions in security, the traditional technological response can be complemented by socio-political knowledge. Gender inequities in the socio-economic and political spheres can be analysed by such a comprehensive socio-political and technological approach. In the field of geo-spatial security research, Hyndman (2004) proposes to bridge a gap between gender studies and geographical analysis of security. In this paper, a workshop is used to illustrate both the potential and the …

Organizational Role Stress Indices Affecting Burnout Among Nurses, Jinky Leilanie Lu

Journal of International Women's Studies

This was a cross sectional study, which aimed to determine the interaction between situational, factors, role stressors, hazard exposure and personal factors among 246 nurses consisting most of females (78.5%) from the different wards and units in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). The dominance of female sin the profession reinforce the prevailing notion that the caring professions such as nursing are relegated to women. This gives the study its gender perspective. Almost half (49.6%) of the respondents reported being ill due to work in the past year, and 56.1% missed work because of an illness. Correlation statistics using the Spearman’s …

Violence Against Women In Northern Uganda: The Neglected Health Consequences Of War, Helen Liebling-Kalifani, Ruth Ojiambo-Ochieng, Angela Marshall, Juliet Were-Oguttu, Seggane Musisi, Eugene Kinyanda

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article presents a summary of research intervention work carried out in war-affected Northern Uganda by Isis-WICCE, a women’s international non-government organisation, in conjunction with the Ugandan Medical Association and funded by Medica Mondiale, a German-based foundation. The findings of this research demonstrate the serious effects of sexual violence and torture experienced on women’s physical and psychological health. However, this paper also describes women’s key role in trying to bring peace to this region, as well as their resistance and survival strategies. It is recommended that funding is urgently required for the provision of sustainable, gender sensitive physical and psychological …

Male Identity And Female Space In The Fiction Of Ugandan Women Writers, Abasi Kiyimba

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article focuses on the voices of protest by Uganda women writers against age-old discriminative habits, and on the rebuttal made by women on questions of social and political power. The article particularly assesses the way women writers approach generally assumed positions on the power relations between men and women, a theme that runs through all the writing by Ugandan women. As part of the discussion, the paper inevitably pays particular attention to the presentation of male characters, and on the prominence given to issues of male dominance, injustice and discrimination against women, which take place at several levels of …

More Than Books: A Study Of Women’S Participation In Community Libraries In Rural Nepal, Kirsty Martin, Sita Adhikari

Journal of International Women's Studies

In Nepal there are clear gender roles and accompanying expectations about male and female behavior in social spaces. Based on these expectations and traditions there are key obstacles to local women’s opportunities to be active participants in social life. The creation of two community libraries in village Nepal in 1999 and 2001 has created opportunities for women’s involvement in community-based activities and programs. Through their involvement in library activities, women gain access to education, information and communication and the opportunity to learn about financial matters. This paper explores the impact that women’s involvement in the library has on their overall …

Deconstructing Islamization In Pakistan: Sabiha Sumar Wages Feminist Cinematic Jihad Through A Documentary Lens, Rahat Imran

Journal of International Women's Studies

Over half a billion Muslim women live in vastly different lands, cultures, societies, economies, and political systems. Yet, as Iranian scholar Mahnaz Afkhami points out, Muslim women’s oppressions are similar due to gender-discrimination under Islamic Sharia laws and patriarchal doctrines that are exercised in the name of religion and culture. Pakistan has been a prime example of how religious fundamentalism and politicization of religion can transform a secular society into one held hostage by Islamic extremist doctrines and gender-specific laws. It is a cause for hope and celebration then that its progressive and secular elements, particularly educated, urban women, have …

The Sita Syndrome: Examining The Communicative Aspects Of Domestic Violence From A South Asian Perspective, Archana Pathak Bhatt

Journal of International Women's Studies

This essay explores the communicative aspects of domestic violence by articulating the Eurocentric components of domestic violence research. Utilizing a post-colonial ethnography, this essay reconceptualizes domestic violence from a South Asian perspective, articulating the ways in which relational violence, its acceptance and its social function are gendered.

Urban Women’S Participation In The Construction Industry: An Analysis Of Experiences From Zimbabwe, Edward Mutandwa, Noah Sigauke, Charles P. Muganiwa

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper analyzed the impact of urban women’s participation in the construction business on income generation, gender roles and responsibilities, family and societal perceptions in Zimbabwe. Problems and constraints affecting women’s participation in the sector were also identified. A total of 130 respondents were purposively selected from four urban cities namely Chitungwiza, Marondera, Norton and Rusape. Structured questionnaires and focus group discussions were used as the main data collection instruments. The findings of the study showed that women’s businesses in construction were profitable and constituted an important source of family income. However, business growth was negatively affected by limited access …

A Tour To A Site Of Genocide: Mothers, Bones And Borders, Olivera Simic

Journal of International Women's Studies

In this personal narrative I aim to describe internal struggles I endure for one day in Srebrenica on my visit to a mass exhumation site. The narrative discusses and raises a series of questions related to human motivations, actions and disturbing traumatic experiences. In an attempt to bring attention and value to our personal experiences, my essay is a critical reflection on some common concerns facing all post conflict societies; that is, making sense of the past horrors and the ways we pay tribute to them. This essay intends to talk about the things and feelings often left unspoken, and, …

Book Review: Unraveling The Garment Industry: Transnational Organizing And Women’S Work, Joanne Kilgour Dowdy

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Unraveling the Garment Industry: Transnational Organizing and Women’s Work by Ethel C. Brooks

La Pérdida De La Tierra Y El Activismo De Las Mujeres Garífunas En La Costa Norte De Honduras, Keri Vacanti Brondo

Journal of International Women's Studies

El presente artículo fue publicado originalmente en inglés en el Vol. 9 # 1 de noviembre de 2007. Se volvió a imprimir en español como respuesta a la solicitud que me hizo la Organización Fraternal Negra Hondureña (OFRANEH), cuyos integrantes desean incluirlo en la petición que hacen a la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) respecto a su lucha por recuperar su territorio ancestral.

El artículo trata sobre los impactos de género que tiene la legislación agrarian neoliberal de Honduras dentro del contexto del desarrollo turístico. En el artículo se recurre a la investigación etnográfica con la población afro-indígena garífuna, …

Book Review: Hijab, Meaning, Identity, Otherization And Politics: British Muslim Women, Alyssa Beall

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Hijab, Meaning, Identity, Otherization and Politics: British Muslim Women by Saied R. Ameli and Arzu Merali