Christina Escamilla
May 12, 2009
Women’s studies
Final Paper- 5 reading Analysis
Choosing five readings was pretty difficult; I’ve enjoyed most of the readings. The readings that I decided on are:
· White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh
· Understanding the other sister: The case of Arab feminism by Susan Muaddi Darraj
· All the Women are white, All the Blacks are men, But some of us are brave: Black Women’s studies by: Patricia Bell Scott and Barbara Smith
· Diasporic Asian Feminism: Bridging Ties by: Anh Hua
· The Eternal Feminine: Rosario Castellanos
I choose these readings because not only were they my favorite to read, but I also felt that I could relate them to my life. These readings are all connected by the theme of race and ethnic identity. Every single reading exposes some sort of hidden misconception of an ethnic minority.
The Importance of these readings cannot be under estimated. They are related to Women’s Studies class because they incorporate most, if not all of our material. In women’s studies we have repeatedly discussed how race affects our perception of an individual. In the book “The color purple”, when the young girl is trying to leave her father he yells at her, “You’re dumb, your black, and you’re a woman!” This statement combines all the negative stereotypes that can hold a woman back. History has shown us, that women in general are held back, are judged more harshly, than men. First men received the right to vote, following men were black men, and after black men came the right for women to vote in 1920. The 19th amendment came with much criticism. Many men thought that when you gave women the right to vote, you lost some control over them. After women won the right to vote, the feminist movement died down a bit. During the 60’s the feminist movement was re-born with the second wave. Where women were fighting against being a stay at home mother, and were fighting for equality in other areas. During this period, women of certain races split off to form their own groups and organizations. The African American women, as well as the Asian, and Hispanic, realized their plight was completely different than the average white women. Normally women that are not white have to work twice as hard to be recognized as equal. White women were looked upon as almost equal with the man.
Race is still a relevant issue facing women today. My argument is that race will continue to be an issue as long as misconceptions and stereotypes are perpetuated by the media and daily lives of the human race. Women are sub-human, below the man. This alone puts them at a disadvantage, but when you combine the fact that a woman can also be a minority race; things just get harder from there. The judgments for minority can be harsh, added to the fact that you’re a woman. Blacks are loud, Hispanics are lazy, Asians are weird, these common misconceptions and generalizations can greatly harm a woman looking to advance her career.
Each author has their own take on these issues. I will explore their theories and interpret their reasoning. In “Diasporic Asian Feminism: Bridging Ties” Anh Hua, tries to explain why Asian Americans need to re-align themselves with African Americans. “During the civil rights movement in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Asian American cultural politics and activism were inspired and motivated by the Black Power movement and the anti-colonial struggles.” (Hua, 2) Hua’s thesis is how connected Blacks and Asians are in the fight for equality. She shows her reasoning by exploring five different areas of focus: diaspora, memory, home, identity, and cultural trauma. Peggy McIntosh wrote “White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences’ Through Work in Women’s Studies" In this essay McIntosh elaborates on all the ways that white people are over privileged in life. She collaborates this thesis with 46 ordinary ways in which she has experienced white privilege. (Beck, 57) Some of my favorites from her list are:
#21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.
#23. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.
#39. I can be late to a meeting without having the lateness reflect on my race.
Those were just a few from her list that I found true for me as well. In “All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us are Brave: Black Women’s Studies" by Gloria T. Hull and Barbara Smith, I found that the authors were tracing back the history of African American’s learning as well as, showing their future in politics and academics as well. The writers backed up their theories of advancement by giving key ways in which the movement must change in order to reach equality. “Only a feminist, pro-woman perspective that acknowledges the reality of sexual oppression of race and class, will make Black women’s studies the transformer of consciousness it needs to be” (Hull Smith, 24) This statement identifies one of things that need to change in order for Black women’s studies to be a better learning tool for students and others. Susan Muaddi Darraj wrote “Understanding the other sister: The case of Arab feminism”, in this essay Darraj focuses on the misperception of Arab women. A lot of western women have these awful ideas of what it means to be an Arab woman; most of these ideals are presented by the media. Darraj tries to re-wire the western mind, and gives her thesis by defining Arab feminism. She backs up her findings by showing different feminists and what they are currently doing. She also doesn’t shy from showing the pros and cons to Arab feminism. In “The Eternal Feminine” by Rosario Castellanos, she gives her ideas of what it means to be a woman in an unordinary format. She writes a play, in each of the scenes the main character is faced with problems and dilemmas that are directly related to problems not only in feminism, but in the daily lives of Hispanic women. Castellanos’ thesis seems to be the acknowledgment of these disadvantages against women. She backs up her thesis by going into the future in her play and giving a slightly alarming ending by having the main character lead a group of strong intellectual women in discussion.
I feel that these readings when read together help to create the whole picture of what needs to be done in order to change racial ideologies. In my conclusion, I have found that my own racial stereotypes need to be erased in order for me to accurately access the problem. These readings have enlightened me to the secret things, and obvious things that add to the problems of racial injustice. I wonder if these inequalities will ever disappear. These readings will have a huge impact on my career and future. I am planning on joining the peace corp, and also plan on working for a non-profit organization that focuses on women. I believe that I can take this information and use it for a foundation of beliefs. I know that when I am in foreign countries, I will be able to notice and acknowledge unfair treatment a lot easier.
· Sources: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh
· Understanding the other sister: The case of Arab feminism by Susan Muaddi Darraj
· All the Women are white, All the Blacks are men, But some of us are brave: Black Women’s studies by: Patricia Bell Scott and Barbara Smith
· Diasporic Asian Feminism: Bridging Ties by: Anh Hua
· The Eternal Feminine: Rosario Castellanos
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