opinions like kittens: May 2012

This is a paper I wrote for my People of Australia class. Though I like having rights as a women I have never been hard core into feminism and this is the first paper I have written on the subject. I learned a ton writing it and hope you learn a ton reading it. It looks at feminism, white privilege, and Indigenous communities.

-g

Let Me Teach You About Freedom: The Hidden Privilege and Discrimination in Western Feminism

As a woman feminism had always appeared personal to me. It was been about my rights, my respect, and my beliefs. In writing this paper I have developed not only a deeper understanding of what the buzzword feminism stands for, but also what it leaves out. Throughout this paper I will look largely at theory and case studies. It is a personal paper because it took away the personal for me. I made me realize the complexity of every culture and every belief set that comes with it because, let’s face it, feminism is a cultural belief set.

Defining Western Feminism

Before we can look at the belief system of feminism and who it excludes we need to examine the word itself. Feminism is commonly and incorrectly perceived as a movement for women and against men. This isn’t the case according to Merriam-Webster which defines it as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” With this understood feminism is a movement people with Western values, especially liberal values, are willing to get behind. This is because it fits with our other cultural values, especially the idea of equal opportunity. The fact that women don’t get paid as much in the work place is unfair; in fact it might be called un-American.

I am not suggesting that the Western ideologies are feminist, in fact it is clear they are not. Women are respected less, paid less, raped more, and often marginalized in Western society. This is, as many a feminist would be happy to point out, because though modern feminism springs from Western values the entire post-modern Western social structure is patriarchal. This puts the Western world between a rock and a hard place. Feminism is demanding equal rights from a system that is patriarchal, hence dependent on the discrimination that inequality produces. Its dependence on uneven power relationships causes feminism to often be labeled as an extremist group because it challenges those relationships.

When examining feminism in a broader context, however, a plethora of new questions arise. Possibly the most important of these question is if feminism is a Western concept, why don’t we call it Western feminism? What about white feminism? There has been research done in areas such as black feminism, Indigenous feminism, and queer feminism as well as in feminism but it is rarely examined as white or western feminism. It is in something as simple as the name of the ideology that we first observe the power relations within the movements of feminism.

One could argue that feminism is a blanket term describing all feminism and movements such as Indigenous feminism are sub-categories that fall beneath feminism. Again, the power relation is in the wording. This assumes that Western, white feminism is the “right” feminism and that if other, marginalized groups should care to join their movement they could do so under feminist theory, that is by adopting and contextualizing Western feminism. It assumes that marginalized communities are culturally oppressed, ignorant of women’s rights. Western feminism provides them a way out. In many ways as the world and hence the feminism movement has globalized feminism has become a crusade, a missionary project, a school lesson where the students just take notes.

The rest of this paper will attempt to show how Western feminism is being used in a way that does not acknowledge white privilege, cultural differences, and Indigenous knowledge, especially in the context of Australian Indigenous communities. This does not imply that women around the world cannot benefit from feminist. As Marlene Elizabeth McKay highlights in her thesis of Indigenous feminism in Canada, through the process of colonization patriarchy has become a part of Indigenous communities (McKay, 2005). In Australia not only political and education systems have been changed but pieces of post-colonial culture have become a part of Indigenous culture. Diane Bell recorded during her time in an Australian Aboriginal reserve that “Alcohol was invariably the immediate cause of the feared violence but the women also recognized the deeper causes.” (Bell, 2002, 23).

These underlying issues and deeper causes are results of colonialism and patriarchal thinking because, as we will later see, Australian Indigenous people held respect for both sexes. Though aspects of Western feminism could be helpful in the process of re-empowerment its colonial nature excludes marginalized women and ignores positions of privilege. Furthermore, if Western feminist were willing to learn from other communities around the world not only would feminism be a more relatable concept, it would be a more productive one.

Feminism as a Part of Indigenous Australian Culture

I recently had the privilege of attending a weeklong Bush camp in Widjabul country two hours outside of Lismore in NSW, Australia. One early morning over coffee, Roy Gordon, one of the men facilitating the camp, told me something that stuck: “Women are boss, women are law.” When I asked him what the men’s roll was he simply replied, “ Men’s role is to teach their children that the women are law.” (Gordon, 2012). This conversation was my first hint that gender roles were significantly different in this Aboriginal community.

One night some of the younger men at camp consumed alcohol and caused a disturbance in the camp, shaking tents and waking up a few of the girls until early in the morning. The next morning I was annoyed but mostly relieved that “nothing happened.” Little did I know that only in my Western mindset was what happened “nothing.” The Aunties, the elder women who as Roy explained, are the law, were informed of what had happened and the boys were forced to leave the camp. The Aunties lead a healing circle with all the women in camp. The situation was taken with complete seriousness and the boys were not allowed to come back not just our, but to any bush camp.

Though Indigenous cultures throughout Australia are varied and distinct the concept of men’s business and women’s business is a common thread throughout. Traditionally and today gender roles between men and women (though curiously not acknowledging other genders) are distinct. As Diane Bell observed when living on a reserve, women and men’s tasks within the community were often separate. This was especially true in the duty of teaching her which the women took on, but had deep respect for each other. She argues that “Women and men do know much of each other’s ritual business but it is not for public discussion or acknowledgement.” (Bell, 2002, 36) and goes onto explain that just because men and women do not have the same responsibilities doesn’t mean one is better.

In Western thought, separation automatically excludes a party. By separating men from women Western feminist often argue that women are still being oppressed and excluded because a patriarchal hierarchy exists in the Western world. This is not true in all cultures and as we see above. In fact, the separation of genders within the Aboriginal culture allows for women and men to be self-sufficient if necessary but a smoothly functioning if not. When I asked Roy if I could hunt he unexpectedly responded that of course I could, that “… all our women are taught how to hunt. We don’t want you to be dependent on some man…” (Gordon, 2012).

Bell backs this statement up by pointing out that ““In Aboriginal society women of importance are capable, not dependent.” (Belle, 2002, 26) and that

“The role they (Aboriginal women) wished to see recognized was not one of dependence or subjection as wives and mothers but a role of independence, responsibility, dignity, and authority wherein they were enhanced as women, as member of their society, as daughter of the dreaming. They did not wish to see their solidarity as women further undermined.” (Bell, 2002, 32).

What is the force that might undermine the women’s solidarity? Among other forces is Western feminism. As the above examples show women have a powerful role in Indigenous Australian cultures that we can see if we remove our Western belief that separation means exclusion. This being acknowledged one could say the treatment of women in Indigenous society with traditional Indigenous values is more respectful and equal than is Western society.

As one Aboriginal women in observes, “It is considered “white fella law” to safeguard only men’s secrets. (Bell, 2012, 31) and as Bell goes on to explain “The desire of what they (Aboriginal women) looked to be ‘women’s liberationists’ in my culture (Western culture) to break down sex-role stereotyping to achieve social equality with men was viewed as yet another cross which white women had to bear. They often sympathized with the lot of a white wife or mother….” (Bell, 2012, 32).

The Colonial Nature of Western Feminism

Many Indigenous women, as a result of the “I’m right your wrong” binary that often accompanies Western feminism, reject feminism. One reason is that Western feminism does not acknowledge other cultural values and instead requires women to comply with the concepts of Western feminism. In many ways this is comparable to missionaries creating missions simply because it is the imposition of one belief system on the other.

As we see with Western feminist opinions of clitoridectomy in North Africa and gender equality in the Australia, the moral code instilled by democratic processes, concepts of fairness, and concepts of freedom comes before the cultural context. It is not that these practices are inherently right or wrong but that they are too often labeled as wrong before being understood.

As many Indigenous activists point out “the white women’s movement is both irrelevant to and in conflict with the particular aims of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.” (Wilson, 1996, 2). Until Western feminism is able to shift and open its perceptions of feminism, Indigenous women will not be able to fully identify with feminism because it does not acknowledge them as members unless they comply with its current beliefs, much like a church won’t acknowledge members without conversion.

To move away from Australia for a moment, when living in Thailand I had the privilege of being taught by Kannaporn Akarapisan (Pam), a Muslim feminist who as a child wasn’t too scared to beat up boys who made fun of her hijab. She shared with us stories of Western feminists meeting with her and informing her she did not need to be oppressed by her religion. She could take off her hijab if she wished! They often encourage her to break away from the “dependency on men” her religion ‘creates.’ Her response was that she didn’t see how wearing her hijab, allowing herself to only be seen by her husband, was any more oppressive than putting on make up. She pointed out that in Western makeup is a requirement for being beautiful. She couldn’t understand how women who work to be superficially attractive every day felt she was oppressed (Akarapisan, 2011).

This example is important because it shows how, though we may not see it at first, as Western feminists we still function under certain rules and have certain behaviors associated with genders. Even if we reject the male-female binary we still do so in part by changing our appearance to contradict or comply with the stereotypical appearance associated with a gender. We are not exempt from having cultural practices simply because we are currently a dominant culture and furthermore those cultural practices are not inherently correct.

Returning to Australia we see many examples of another main reason that Western feminism is rejected by Indigenous women; it does not acknowledge the Western women’s privilege over the Indigenous women. “White feminists have not recognized or challenged the implications of racism or the historical and political discrimination that Koori women face... That is why many Koori tiddas (sisters) view feminism as simply another White politically controlled institution, established to benefit White women, first and foremost.” (Felton and Flanagan, 1993, 55)

As some may be quick to point out Indigenous women are being included more and more in feminist discussions. Though this is a positive step some women feel that it is irrelevant. In Bronwyn Fredericks essay “Repowering Ourselves: Australian Aboriginal Women,” she argues that in feminist discussions she is considered a heirloom not a valued voice in the feminist community. According to her Indigenous women are often asked to speak of “pretty business” (culture, customs, beliefs) but, as she puts it, “they want us but not our opinions.” (Fredricks, 2010). Whether this is true or not, which undoubtedly varies from case to case, Indigenous women often feel marginalized, rejected, or ignored in the Western feminist discourse.

Tikka Jan Wilson’s paper on her experience exemplifies another main, unacknowledged issue between Indigenous women and Western feminists. During a work in a clinic for abused women Wilson observed the conflict that ensued when two Aboriginal women were hired to work with the clinic. Both women ended up being fired or quitting because, as the White women saw it the women were not doing their jobs right and as the Aboriginal women saw it they were being discriminated against due to race.

Now the clinic views the Aboriginal community as lazy and the Aboriginal community views the clinic as racist. The Aboriginal women felt they were not trained properly because they were only given the same training as the other workers. Wilson points out that, again, in Western thought different means lower but as we have seen in Aboriginal society this isn’t the case. The Aboriginal women felt that the women at the clinic did not acknowledge their white privilege or work to change it. Hiring and firing decisions were made by the democratic system of voting so Aboriginal women were outnumbered in any decision.

Wilson highlights what might be the most important barrier to break down if we as Western feminists wish to genuinely include Indigenous thought in feminism. She states “While (violence towards women) was and is a significant aspect of racist colonial violence, it tends to high-light the commonality of Aboriginal and white women both suffering sexual violence at the hands of white men, while it erases the racial violence of white women towards Aboriginal women(and men)” (Wilson, 1996, 10).

White women did play a role in the oppression of both Indigenous women and men. They were often owners of Indigenous workers, schoolteachers, workers on religious reserves, and later government workers who took Indigenous children from their families. These roles are just as harmful as dispossession and genocide. The “education” and “Christianization” of Indigenous people has had a profound, lasting effect on communities.

Because Western feminists see that Indigenous women have been and remain oppressed by white men Western feminists a unifying commonality. In making this connection, however, Western feminists exclude their role in colonization, assimilation, and loss of culture. It is understandable, then, that Indigenous women do not feel that White feminists have a right or inherent role in the re-empowering of women, especially when traditionally Aboriginal culture did not have the extreme violence and inequality we see towards women in all cultures today.

Globalizing Feminism?

As this essay has shown, Australian Indigenous values do not oppress women but in fact empower them through a balance of inclusion and respectful separation of genders. In some ways women’s Indigenous roles contradict Western feminism because Western feminism often maintains a colonial attitude and as a result Indigenous women often do not feel they have a place in Western feminism. One may think that it is impossible for Western feminism to become a part of Indigenous belief systems and if Western feminism continues to focus only on what they dub “women’s issues” (rape, abuse, gender discrimination) without acknowledging White privilege, cultural beliefs, and alternative thought then I agree. I also believe that, though feminism may be used as a tool in dealing with the patriarchic practices and systems colonialism has brought into Indigenous communities, it is not the end-all be-all that will provide equality for Indigenous women.

In her essay “Globalizing Feminist Ethics,” Alison Jaggar theorizes that, “Paradoxically… the same features that enable small moral communities to liberate the thinking of their members often simultaneously operate to limit that thinking.” (Jaggar, 1998, 14, emphasis added). We can see exactly this arising in Western feminism. The Western feminist community, a marginalized group in Western culture, are able to think freely within their community but to do this they must exclude the other. The other, one may expect to be the patriarchic male, but in fact it is anyone that opposes Western feminist values of equality, non-discrimination, democratic decision-making, and liberation. As a result the movement is discriminatory, unequal, and undemocratic because it excludes anyone who does not share these values.

If we as Western feminists are able to look potential flaws in our belief systems and consider concepts from other cultures as viable ways of empowerment for women we might be able to reach a form of Indigenous feminism. Often after meeting with Western feminists I feel motivated but in a oppressed, angry, and resentful way. But after meeting and spending time with Indigenous women I was motivated, confident and empowered. Obviously women have power in Indigenous communities, but unlike within Western feminism men are not criticized and the system does not have to be restructured for women to feel powerful.

Patriarchal systems have been globalized and now feminism is trying to do the same but I suggest that, before continuing onward, we look back at the cultures that still maintain systems that don’t oppress women and learn from them. Though we can’t and maybe even don’t want to go back in time we can by understanding functioning systems reform our own.

In Australia “White” inhabitants have been present for less than 250 years where as Indigenous Australians have lived in Australia for at least 60,000 years. If we are seeking to create societies where women are not marginalized, ignored, and abuse based on their gender why wouldn’t we take from the examples that still exist today? Of course in our modern world reverting back to “the old ways of life” will not work- I do not foresee every culture in the world separating gender roles just as I do not see every culture accepting Western feminist thought.

I suggest instead that we adopt the practices that still work and open the conversation to everyone trying to participate. Think of it as a sharing circle. Though not everyone has the same religion, morals, or background, the goal isn’t to make it so. The goal is to discuss, think, create, and empower with acknowledgment of privilege, racism, and other forms of discrimination. This is the direction feminism must take if we as feminists want to achieve a sense of community that is inclusive, productive, and useful.

Work Cited List

Akarapisan, Kannaporn. "Women, Religion, and Thailand." The Institute of Religion, Culture, and Peace, PAYAP University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 10 Nov 2011. Lecture.

Bell, Diane. Daughters of the Dreaming. 3rd ed. Spinifex Press, July 2002.

Felton, Catrina, and Liz Flanagan. Institutionalized Feminism: A Tidda's Perspective. Sydney: 199

Fredericks, Bronwyn. "Re-empowering Ourselves: Australian Aboriginal Women." Signs. 35.3 (2010): 546-550

Gordon, Roy. Personal Interview. 08 Apr 2012.

Jaggar, Alison M. "Globalizing Feminist Ethics." Hypatia. 13.2 (1998): 7-31.

McKay, Marlene Elizabeth. Engaging Feminism: A Pedagogy for Aboriginal Peoples. MA thesis. University of Saskatchewan, 2005

Wilson, Tikka Jan. "Feminism and Institutionalized Racism: Inclusion and Exclusion at an Australian Feminist Refuge." Feminist Review. 52. (1996): 1-26.