Connell p.508

Paragraph 1-6 (Ashti)

"Among the criticisms..." (508) ... "--for instance, from making a public issue of domestic violence." (509)

According to Connell, the Subaltern Studies were criticized because they did not focus a lot on the gender relations. Gender issues have always been an issue when it comes to leadership because the leaders are always men. In Connell’s writing, she states that Guha’s “superb paper” gave evidence on how women in rural society such as in India were oppressed by men. She also talks about how feminist writers talked about the way women were oppressed and how “gender justice had been a major issue in mid-nineteenth century Bengal.” (Connell, pg. 508) However, I believe that gender justice did not stay in the nineteenth century because in many contemporary countries men are still oppressing women in many different ways. During the nineteenth century, it was extremely difficult for equality between genders to be noticed but in our contemporary society, gender inequality has decreased but it is still noticeable in some content. Connell, then references Bankimchandra Chatterjee how he was a well known Indian novelist and in his essay, he talked about equality then he condemned that “in all countries women are the salves of men” (Connell, pg. 508) In our contemporary society women are still being slaves of men, women are not free to express themselves in public the way men can, they are always monitored by men which leads to taking away women’s equality and freedom. An example of this would be, the UBC’s female student, almost every female would be concerned to walk alone on campus during the night because of the sexual assaults that are happening on campus. Going on with Connell’s argument about the domestic violence in parts of India, she believes that it has been galvanized. Lastly, Connell talks about how the Samiti is a political governing communist party in India, trying to change the way male leadership is processed and “that line insisted on solidarity between working-class women and men.” (Connell, pg. 509) Although the Samiti tried to bring equality between both genders, the workingwomen shied away from direct challenge to the interests of men because of the fear of domestic violence happening to them.

A question to consider: Do you think gender inequality can diminish if our education systems begin to teach gender equality in preschool?

Comment: Diana Choi

Schools are important contexts for the socialization of young children’s gender attitudes and behaviour. Teachers and classmates shape children’s gender attitudes and, in turn, gender differences in cognition and behaviour. However, teachers must receive training in recognizing issues with traditional gender stereotypes and prejudice in order to diminish gender inequality amongst students. The teachers should also promote/encourage cross-gender interaction, expose students to counter-stereotypic models to optimize their developmental outcomes.

Paragraph 7-12 (Kacey)

"Violence Against women was" ... "best known feminist outside India, Vandana Shiva." (509)

Connell articulates India’s call to action in the development of feminist thought and organizing. In many ways, I read this piece as being a response to the work of Patricia Hill Collins and can be related to the Women's March to Washington from this weekend. It is important for folks to gather and discuss the layers and intersections that develop the theoretical framework of feminism, however, without action and a call for inclusive action, there cannot be change. Connell explains that an survey was conducted to look at the diversity of activism that was being conducted in India for the disparities of acts of violence that were being instilled on women. Under the guise of patriarchy, women are expected to conform to certain roles and expectations that limit women to a single homogenous identity, this constraint limits the possibility of diversity and growth. However, like Patricia Hill Collins, Connell explains that the feminist movement cannot move forward without theory and theory cannot move forward without the power, energy and strength of the people that are being represented.

A question to consider: did you go to the march this weekend? I was reminded of the incredible power of unity this weekend, an incredibly diverse community coming together to show solidarity for women this weekend. Photo

More fun: If your feminism isn't intersectional, who is it even for?

Paragraph 13-19 (Vanessa)

"In Staying Alive..."(509) - "led to misreadings of colonial history" (510)

In this last section of Connell’s writing, she discusses the issues with certain analyses, stating that it is focused too much on a “righteous rhetoric” (Connell, 510) that identifies women as always being exceptional and knowledgeable. She argues that it paints a picture of men as the opposite of women, and that Western men are especially terrible, as they mainly focus on profits and the market. Connell’s conclusion is based on all the different texts discussed, as she identifies that there is a major problem in the way that theories are taken from the metropole and adapted to fit the local attitudes and issues. She states that while useful in some situations, it can also be beneficial to develop new theories, just as Chatterjee suggests "an Indian history of peasant struggle” (Connell, 510) instead of just adopting European models. This can be applied to the contemporary issues surrounding the women’s march, similar to how Connell says that theory can be applied to the Indian women’s movement. Connell’s points can be seen in the way that the ideas from the Women’s March on Washington spread across many places, such as in Vancouver, and people joined in to show solidarity as well as to protest for their own women's rights.

A question to think about is: In what ways do you think different locales can develop theories of their own in a way that doesn’t take too much influence from the metropole?