Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

An Illimitable Field: A Practice-Based Investigation Into The Writing Process, Julie Mellor

Journal of International Women's Studies

This essay will be presented in two parts. The first part contains the opening chapter of my novel, Cork Dolls. This novel, as yet unpublished, has been written as part of a practice-based PhD looking at contemporary women’s fiction. Cork Dolls is set in Sicily and focuses on the psychological tensions between Rachel, an English au pair, and Susan, a Filipino housekeeper. Both women are employed by the wealthy Bruni family. As background to the first chapter, it is helpful to know that Rachel has recently had an abortion, while Susan left her daughter, Reetha, in the Philippines some years …

In Spite Of Challenges By “Black” And “Third World” Women, Do Mainstream Feminist Theories Still Reflect The Concerns Of White Women?, Sherry Chopra

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines the extent to which, despite challenges by “black” and “third world” women, mainstream feminist theory continues to be dominated by the concerns of white women. It considers the problematic nature of categories such as “white women’s interests” and “black women’s concerns” – specifically the reification of racial or ethnic identity that they imply. Such a process ignores the complex power hierarchies and often-conflicting interests of groups and individuals within them. Having destabilized homogenous definitions of group interests and identities, however, it becomes necessary to conceptualize ways of discussing, theorizing and organizing against patterns of material, social and …

Reading As Act Of Queer Love: The Role Of Intimacy In The “Readerly” Contract, Lee Ronald

Journal of International Women's Studies

The following paper has been revised from my 2001 MA thesis, which asked ‘Is it possible to define a strategy for reading queer?’ This includes an investigation of how the traditionally stable categories of reader/text/author may be redefined by queer strategies that instead force instability and flux. In the three years that have elapsed since first conceiving of this piece, I argue that the potential of queer reading is still one that has not been adequately explored. As I acknowledge, ‘whilst the queer does flag the fluctuating nature of sexual identity… it may also be used to unpack broader patterns …

My, Is That Cyborg A Little Bit Queer?, Esperanza Miyake

Journal of International Women's Studies

This piece of work is a response to the following question: ‘Critically assess the importance, or otherwise, of Donna Haraway’s “manifesto” for early twenty-first century feminists’. Based on Stein and Plummer’s outline of queer theory in their essay, “I can’t even think straight”: “Queer” Theory and the Missing Sexual Revolution in Sociology (Stein and Plummer 1996). This piece compares and contrasts different aspects of queer theory (sociological, ideological, political and ontological) with Haraway’s ‘manifesto’ in order to investigate the possibilities of a cyberqueer theory: to ‘queer’ (as a verb) the ‘cyborg’. Whilst attempting to interrelate both the notion of the …

Mother Jones: A Dichotomy Of Feminity, Amanda Viana

Undergraduate Review

No abstract provided.

Plugged In Praxis: Critical Reflections On U.S. Feminism, Internet Activism, And Solidarity With Women In Afghanistan, Loretta Kensinger

Journal of International Women's Studies

Cyber-space presents many contradictions to those seeking to use it for activist ends in a transnational world. This paper explores some of these contradictions by examining various uses of the internet in efforts to raise awareness about the situation for women in Afghanistan during the period the Taliban came to power and controlled a majority of the country. I explore differences in approaches, images, and tone within examples of internet activism, emphasizing the Web work of the Feminist Majority Foundation, set in comparison with that of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. Due to the prominence of the …

Housing Delivery In Nthutukoville, South Africa: Successes And Problems For Women, Catherine Ndinda

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines the notion of empowerment and what it entails in housing development. Through a critical analysis if the different phases in one particular housing project analyzed by the author, the paper highlights the areas of empowerment and emphasizes that it is a process, which in the case of Nthutukoville in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa began with securing land tenure. Access to resources and acquisition of skills are important. Both external and internal factors may be responsible for women’s inability to take charge of their lives. External factors include political violence, unsupportive local authorities, and a hostile environment as well …

Technology, Commentary And The Admonitions For Women, Sherin Wing

Journal of International Women's Studies

The following is an analysis of the Admonitions for Women (Nu Jie) by the Later Han Dynasty scholar, Ban Zhao. It examines the historical context for its composition, applying not only one literary template, that of the instructional text, the technological treatise, but also Confucian Commentary. Through this process, the Admonitions emerges as a sophisticated philosophical tract that combines not only several literary traditions, but applies them to a new, unique audience: elite women. In so doing, Ban Zhao challenges assumptions of women’s roles, expectations of women, and enlightens her readers as to what might be really happening …

Keys To Women’S Liberation In Communist China: An Historical Overview, Jinghao Zhou

Journal of International Women's Studies

Has the Communist Party of China (CPC) fully liberated Chinese women? Is the leadership of the CPC the key to Chinese women’s liberation in the twenty-first century? The CPC has tried to convince the Chinese people and international society to believe that the answer is positive. Having examined the status of Chinese women from an historical perspective, the author has reached the conclusion that women’s problems in present-day China are not only serious but also structural. It is impossible for Chinese women to fully enjoy women’s rights within the current communist system. The future of women’s liberation largely depends on …

In Search Of Equality: Marriage Related Laws For Muslim Women In Bangladesh, Kamrul Hossain

Journal of International Women's Studies

The problem of inequality for women in Bangladesh is more social than legal. As regards to the law, except for personal matters, inequalities in the provisions of law are hardly found. Personal matters, however, are regulated by religious laws or customs. In the legal system of Bangladesh though these laws or customs are incorporated separately under the head of Personal Law, these are not, however, as a whole derived from religious laws or customs. Some changes through introducing enactments or promulgating ordinances were made in their application. Still, these have been insufficient to establish equality between women and men. This …

Book Review: What Is Sexual Harassment?: From Capitol Hill To The Sorbonne, Kirsten Dellinger

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of What is Sexual Harassment?: From Capitol Hill to the Sorbonne by Abigail C. Saguy

Book Review: Ex-Lovers And More Important Losses, Jeffrey C. Alfier

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Ex-Lovers and More Important Losses by Lisa Haynes

Psychological Factors Influencing Perceived Entrepreneurial Success Among Nigerian Women In Small-Scale Businesses, Benjamin Osayawe Ehigie, Ugonma Eme Umoren

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper considered self-concept, perceived managerial competence, work stress and business commitment as important psychological variables for perceived entrepreneurial success among female entrepreneurs. A study was conducted to examine these factors, using 213 female entrepreneurs. The results showed that although all the predictor variables jointly accounted for perceived entrepreneurial success only business commitment contributed significantly. But in the independent prediction of the variables, only self-concept and business commitment were significant. Additionally, number of children significantly influenced perceived success with females having 5 children and more, and those having 1-2 children reporting better success than those without children or having 3-4 …

Reflections On New Partnerships Between Women And Local Self-Government In India: A Rural Revolution?, Santosh Nandal

Journal of International Women's Studies

This essay reflects on strategies for women’s empowerment in light of the enactment of the 73rd constitutional amendment, Panchayati Raj, in the Indian Constitution, in 1992. It begins with the assumption that women’s empowerment implies progressive elimination of gender disparities at the grassroots level. As such, a perspective on women’s empowerment differs from ideas about women’s development in some important ways. Women’s development is primarily a socio-economic concept while women’s empowerment is essentially a political project. It is argued here that women’s empowerment is indeed a precursor to women’s development. The author offers suggestions for increasing women’s effectiveness in …

Women Learners In The Classroom: Exploring The Experience Of Voice, Listening, And Silence, Anita Sinner

Journal of International Women's Studies

The question of voice is central to a feminist perspective. The dichotomies of voice and silence have long held positions of power and marginalization in the context of the classroom community. In a recent investigation into the learning experiences of three women, Giustina, Tina and Christina, the theme of voice, listening, and silence surfaced as participants reflected on their participation in college and university courses in Canada. These case studies offer a forum to discuss the classroom experiences of women and perhaps shift perspectives on the meaning of voice, listening, and silence in learning.

Separating From Violent Male Partners: A Resistant Act In The Midst Of Power Relations, Vivienne Elizabeth

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article draws on Foucauldian feminist theory to conceptualize separating from violent male partners by women as an act of resistance. Thus conceptualized, leaving takes on a new meaning as a strategy used by women to disrupt abusive power relations, but not necessarily to end their relationships. It is argued that attempts by women to transform their lives through separation needs to be located within a wider social context and that this context needs to analyzed from the vantage point of power. Such analysis points to post-separation identities and needs as significant sites of struggle between women and members of …

“Word Made Flesh”: Czech Women’S Writing From Communism To Post-Communism, Madelaine Hron

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article explores the changes in Czech women’s fiction from communism to post- communism, focusing in particular on Czech women writers’ relationship to literary discourse and feminism. It contends that women writers’ rapport to ideological discourse and literary production under communism is a determining factor in women’s relationship to both writing and feminism. It examines this literary legacy in terms of post-communism, surveying the differences between a totalitarian socialist regime and that of a materialist, capitalist economy, as exemplified in Czech women’s literature. The article offers a survey the major post-communist women writers, including Hodrová, Boučková, Kriseová, as well as …

A History Of Women In Afghanistan: Lessons Learnt For The Future Or Yesterdays And Tomorrow: Women In Afghanistan, Huma Ahmed-Ghosh

Journal of International Women's Studies

In this paper, through the history of women in Afghanistan, I want to locate the position of women in the future by lessons learnt from the past. Given Afghanistan’s current situation of poverty, political disenfranchisement and social disarray, I argue that these very deficiencies could be maneuvered to favor the empowerment of women by redefining her role in the family and the community. Afghanistan’s social development can only be ensured through democracy and the reduction of poverty, the success of both being assured through full participation of women, especially in rural Afghanistan. In this paper I would like to trace …

Using Imagination To Create New Roles: Diane Wakoski’S Poetry, Nancy Bunge

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Maternalism In Mistress-Maid Relations: The Philippine Experience, Janet M. Arnado

Journal of International Women's Studies

The mistress-maid relationship, grounded in maternalism, provides a glaring example of the class inequality among women. Contextualized in the Third World, this paper examines maternalism both as a complex, hierarchical system that governs the employment arrangement and as a field of negotiation where women exercise agency. Recorded in-depth interviews and focus groups with thirty-one domestic workers and ten female employers were conducted in a medium-sized city in the Philippines between May and August 2000. QSR NUD*IST facilitated the data processing and analysis. This paper describes several forms of maternalism, including “part of the family” ideology, emotional labor, material support, utang …

The Gender Blindness Of Good Theorists: An Israeli Case Study, Henriette Dahan Kalev

Journal of International Women's Studies

In this article I use Swirski’s book as a sounding board for a theoretical discussion about issues of marginality and gender in Israeli society. My aim is to discuss a number of issues connected with gender blindness that are prevalent in sociological studies about Israeli society. Namely: (1) What is the sociological manifestation of the phenomenon referred to as gender blindness? (2) Why is it that women are often excluded in theoretical analysis? (3) Why is it that women are marginalized either intentionally or accidentally? (4) What are the causes of women’s invisibility? I explain why Marxist analysis of the …

Irish Women: Uncovering Their Language Of Power, Margaret Garry Burke

Journal of International Women's Studies

In this paper I discuss my experience as an older student studying in Ireland. I connect my encounter in Ireland with a preeminent female Irish poet, Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill, to research I was conducting on the social evolution of women in Ireland for which I interviewed seven Irish women who came from very different socio-economic and political backgrounds. As an Irish-American who had denied my heritage for most of my life, this experience revealed to me how native-born Irish women, who faced many of the same problems I had encountered as a sheltered suburban housewife, had dealt with repressive state …

An Ideal Unionist: The Political Career Of Theresa, Marchioness Of Londonderry, 1911-1919, Rachel E. Finley-Bowman

Journal of International Women's Studies

The most prominent unionist woman in the early twentieth century was Theresa, Marchioness of Londonderry. During the Third Home Rule Crisis and its aftermath, Lady Londonderry worked tirelessly against Irish self-government. She had been a celebrated political hostess since her husband’s tenure as Irish Viceroy in the late nineteenth century. Now, in this perilous time for unionism, she employed her family and political connections to spread Ulster’s message to England. She also helped to facilitate the formation of the Ulster Women’s Unionist Council (UWUC), an anti-home rule organization, in 1911. She served as UWUC president from 1912 to 1919, directing …

Cape Verde’S Empresarias: Image And Reality, Jean Ludtke

Journal of International Women's Studies

The West African Republic of Cape Verde was under socialist governance from the time of independence in 1975 until its first multi-party government initiated privatization in 1991. The study examines, as of the mid-90s, the emergent entrepreneurial lives of a small group of young women, their views about their work, and their rejection of traditional women’s roles. This lively group has transformed their public image, used it as an organizing principle for action and modified that of the nation. In their revolt against cultural orthodoxy and assumption of new roles this group’s self- and public images have become transformational. What …

Maria Stewart And The Rhetoric Of Mobility, Susan Roberson

Journal of International Women's Studies

Formulating a black feminist rhetoric, a counter-narrative that joins rather than separates the church with politics, Maria Stewart, in the meditations and political speeches of the Productions of Mrs. Maria Stewart (1835) calls on the nation to live up to its spiritual ideals and African Americans to mobilize as a community of Christians. In her own transgression of male-dominated space, becoming the first American woman to speak before a “promiscuous” audience, she enacts the conjunction between spiritual and spatial journeying, the crossing of spatial and ideological limits of race and gender. Countering experiences of exclusion, marginality, and stasis, Stewart constructs …

Book Review: Too Much To Ask: Black Women In The Era Of Integration, Sheila T. Gregory

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Too Much to Ask: Black Women in the Era of Integration by Elizabeth Higginbotham

The Ground Beneath Her Feet: “Third World" Feminisms, Vasuki Nesiah

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper advances the argument that third world feminism calls for a re-orienting of our critical energies from merely taking sides in a debate, to questioning the material and ideological lens that interpolates the debate, i.e., the habitus from which we make our stand. Constituted by the tension between “finding the ground on which we make our stand” and the struggle with whether “we are mostly given that territory,” third world feminisms pursue political agendas interpolated by the cracks and fissures of post-colonial nationhood and internationalized feminisms. The ground of struggle is varied – working conditions and economic self-determination, family …

Identifying Indigenous Health Technologies Used By Women In A Rural Community In Nigeria On The Cord Stumps Of Newborns: A Decrease In Cord Infections And Neonatal Tetanus?, Ifeyinwa Flossy Obuekwe, Ifechukwude Chuma Obuekwe

Journal of International Women's Studies

About two-thirds of births in developing countries take place outside health facilities and almost half of the women are delivered by untrained traditional birth attendants (TBAs), family members or deliver on their own. A wide variety of traditional practices and beliefs are associated with care of the umbilical cord. This paper attempts to identify indigenous health technologies used by women in a rural community – Oregbeni – in Edo State, Nigeria on the cord stumps of newborns, to describe their preparations and applications and also to link these traditional practices with the relevant scientific information to determine the validity of …

Family Obligations Or Cultural Contraints? Obstacles In The Path Of Professional Women, Marie-Josée Legault, Stéphanie Chasserio

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper provides an account of our research on balancing private life and work among highly qualified information technology (IT) professionals. The authors basically present the findings of an empirical research on balancing private life and work among highly qualified information technology (IT) professionals (mostly engineers and few managers), comparing small loosely structured high-tech firms and big bureaucracies. Authors here build on theories regarding gender and commitment, appraisal and promotions and link these to work time behavior to show up consequences of gendered work time patterns on engineers’ careers.

Briefly, to sum up the rationale, women and men behave differently …

Poetry, Donna J. G. Lee

Journal of International Women's Studies

Two poems by Donna J. G. Lee:

• Afternoon in Paleó Fáliron
• Up the Mountain