We should all be feminists: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at TEDxEuston

[Louise]

We should all be feminists: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at TEDxEuston

Here is an excerpt from the video that can also be heard in Beyonce's song "Flawless"

"We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, 'You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise you will threaten the man'... Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important... Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support. But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?" - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Thoughts anyone?

What does it really mean to be a feminist outside of Western ideology and outside of academia?

 

[Nakandi]

Louise, can you give your definition of feminism?

[Louise]

Sorry for the late response KiwNak.

When I was a teenager, I can recall my female relatives referring me as a feminist and I never really grasped what they meant. All I knew was that I did not want to be dominated by any male or to live in the shadow of  any male. I wanted to be treated as an equal.  I did not want to be dependent on any male financially, emotionally, or mentally. Nor did I want to  be another submissive female in this society. I wanted to set my own parameters and defy them by my own terms. Even if I were to find a male companion, he had to respect my freedom and see me as his equal.

Having said this, I believe a feminist is one who fights for her rights and/or for the rights of other women. I have always believed  that feminism predated Western ideology. It can be traced as far back to ancient Eygpt. It can be also be found in slavery when enslaved women rebelled against the system. Some Indian women who came to the West Indies via the Indian indenturship schemes were feminist in their own right.  Feminism can also be seen in the early 1930's when women in the Caribbean rose up alongside men in trade unions to fight for the rights of the working class, although their (women) contributions have been somewhat neglected. I see feminism in women of matricfocal families and single parent homes. I dont believe females have to be fromally educated to make that change, but they can make that change based on their history.

[Nakandi]

All I knew was that I did not want to be dominated by any male or to live in the shadow of  any male. I wanted to be treated as an equal.  I did not want to be dependent on any male financially, emotionally, or mentally. Nor did I want to  be another submissive female in this society. I wanted to set my own parameters and defy them by my own terms. Even if I were to find a male companion, he had to respect my freedom and see me as his equal.

Striving for equality within an already unjust system isn't much progress. Males also have to perform under patriarchy, so they cannot be used as yardsticks. Aiming to be their equal is not necessarily aiming for right or best.

Re:feminism outside the West. I think we need to appreciate the dynamics of individual cultures before calling actions feminist or not. There is a universalism in feminism that does not exist in reality. One needs to be wary of the gaze with which one is viewing non-Western ways of life.

[Nakandi]

Chimamanda continues the discussion on feminism, and more (video).

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-live/52f2b5ff78c90a72e8000170

[Louise]

KiwNak, what is your definition of feminism?
Since this discussion, I have encountered another term, "Womanism", that is, "Unlike feminism, and despite its name, womanism does not emphasize or privilege gender or sexism, rather it elevates all sites and forms of oppression, whether they are based on social-address categories like gender, race, or class, to a level of equal concern and action. Womanism lint to gender is the fact that the historically produced face/class/gender matrix that is Black womanhood serves as the origins point for a speaking position that freely and autonomously addresses any topic or problem" (Phillips xx-xxi).

Additionally can you expand on

Striving for equality within an already unjust system isn't much progress. Males also have to perform under patriarchy, so they cannot be used as yardsticks. Aiming to be their equal is not necessarily aiming for right or best.

[Nakandi]

I run with what seems to be a general (non-academic) definition of feminism. That it is a spectrum of ideologies/movements aiming for equal opportunities of the sexes. Different people might have different ideas under feminism, but essentially have a similar goal. 

Regarding the comment you asked I expand on. Many times feminist movements strive to have equal representation within all spaces, without necessarily working to see to it that the blueprint changes. Females then replace males, but a patriarchal system is maintained (sometimes through masculinised dominance). Sometimes the females have to embody patriarchy more than males to remain in previously all-male institutions. I do not see this as progress.

[Historysoul]

I have recently just started to explore the concept of feminism and I find myself having a great affinity towards it.Feminism speaks abput oppression of women in society and promotes equality of the genders however, I think an important fact about feminism is overlooked.Yes,feminism seeks to break the barriers that have been placed on women in a patriarchal society, but all women have not faced the same struggles because of the diversity that exists between women.Women are not a homogenous group in the sense that they do not all belong to the same ethnicity,religion,race and cultural experiences.The experience of a white woman in the 1960's in America would be totally different from that of a black woman in that same time period in America .Therefore within feminism I think that they are various feminist groups although they tend to have a central theme on fighting for equality and ending sexism ,the individual factions that exist within femisms would seek to highlight different philosophes.