Serendip's Exchange
Some Thoughts on Intentionality and Interpretation
Our discussion on Tuesday about Spivak's idea that the author is often the worst reader of their own work has me thinking about "The Help." I'm not sure if many of you have read it, but it was on the bestseller list over the summer, and was also adapted into a film. "The Help" is, in short, the story of a rich white woman who breaks into the publishing world by teling the stories of the black household workers of her southern town. At first it reads, as it was intended, as a sweet tale a inter-racial connection and understanding which is heartwarming and inpiring to all. However, a close reading reveas that the story is actually a sort of standard llne revision of US history, in which a white person risks nothing while the black characters risk everything and, at the end, the white woman is left in a better position, while the black women are exactly where they are when they started. The book contains scant reference to the civil rights movement, and the movie, from what I understand, contains even less.
Once I finished reading the book, I commented on it on Facebook, and was met with several comments about how I had misread the book, and how the author intended to highlight the racism of the 50's. Though I never did have time to research the author's statements regarding her intention, I did end up engaging in several debates regarding the story, and those debates eventually led to me gaining a greater understanding of the people with whom I was debating.
Motherhood?
I recently read an article "Motherhood as a Retreat from Equality" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/world/europe/24iht-letter24.html?pagewanted=2&ref=feministmovement). It talks how many women go back to work after giving a birth in Germany and France.
Though motherhood seems far in the future, I know it is coming and it's coming quickly. So I asked myself a question. I want to be a doctor. That is one of the reasons to come to Bryn Mawr so I can get eduated well. And, I wouldn't be able to trust anyone to take care of my baby(ies). Then, will I be able to sacrifice my career to be a "full-time mom"? Then, is coming to BMC worth it? Will it pay off someday? Or, would having a baby make me happy?
I have always wanted to ask my feminist friends this question: which one is more important? motherhood or career? Why? If you want to go back to work after having a baby, would you feel comfortable hiring a nanny to take care of your baby? If you do not want to go back to work right after, how long will you take a break from work? And, what makes you believe that the companies still want to hire you even though there will be smarter, younger people who work for them?
Imagine Africa Field Trip Reflection: Healing & an Unforgettable Experience
I have three words: What. A. Week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many things that I want to blog about but I will stick to my incredible experience at the Imagine Africa Exhibit at the UPenn Museum. I’ll do it in two parts:
Part I: I really enjoyed the field trip with the high school teenagers—I don’t think the trip would have been the same without them. My favorite part of the museum was the exhibit that allowed us to “create” Africa or, better yet, to reveal the many “stories” of Africa. Aside from the fact that the exhibit was limiting because you could only “imagine” Africa with the images/words/media clips available, I felt empowered. I felt empowered in the sense that I had the ability to determine whether or not I wanted Africa to be described as “beautiful” vs. “Unique” or “Modern” vs. “Rural.” Of course, Africa can embody both components but having a say in what Africa meant to me instead of having someone impose their views on Africa, particularly in education settings, on me was a powerful moment. My group happened to have the word, “healing.” And although, initially, we thought that there was no healing in the world, or very little, seeing the high school sophomores excited at the chance to define Africa and to make meaning out of her history was healing happening right before my eyes.
Notes Towards Day 10: "How Little Bother It Gives Us"
"What we cannot do is judge a book by how little bother it gives us...."
(Jeanette Winterson, Art Objects: Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery, 1996).
I. coursekeeping
* signing in
* naming
* reading through Chapter 12 of The Book of Salt for Tuesday
* (finishing it for Thursday)
II. Najmabadi's essay re: sex change operations
in Iran (to erase evidence of same-sex desire) --
keeping other contexts/locations in play,
as we move back to European/American geographies
Notes Towards Day 9 (Tues, Feb. 14): Feminist Documentary Film Form(s)
Confession
I have a confession to make. In eighth grade, I was first exposed to a documentary called Invisible Children that exposed the longest running war in Africa with all its atrocities. From that point on, being apart of this organization was my life and passion. I felt so enraged that human beings could be treated as animals and slaves in this day and age. I was a founding member of the club in high school as well as at Bryn Mawr where I hosted many fundraisers and participated in peaceful demonstrations on the behalf of the children of Northern Uganda. However, this past summer after six years of involvement, I came to the realization through divine intervention per se that Invisible Children as an organization had consumed me and made me into a monster. Instead of continually being empowered to help children abducted and forced to fight in a terrible war, I was more concerned with receiving the recognition and glory for my good works. The irony in all this is that the initial spark that created this passion for activism came from this deep belief in human rights. I really started thinking about how this passion is connected to the 360 program when Teresa came to our class and asked us why we were in the class or program. Originally, I applied because I had a passion to help from a position of privilege as well as compassion. However, through the 360 program, I no longer see a single story. I had compassion for children that were used for rape as a weapon of war, but I did not allow myself to see the an amazing culture.
A Mumble Jumble of Thoughts
During Thursday's discussion, I had much to say about the education system and how I am perfectly content with the way it is; in fact, I think I was defending the system. I have come to adapt to its ways, and even dare to say that I have mastered it well—enough to know to do what I am told, say what it expected of me, and never question the system. The thought of changing a system that I have successfully maneuvered for the last 16 years of my life scares me. I’m not even sure I want to imagine a world that is any different—where students can freely do whatever they need in order to fully understand and digest material, where the established roles of teachers and students are broken down. Honestly, using the restroom without asking for permission is still something I can’t do in my college classes; I have always known my place a student and never questioned it, just always adapted to this role. But it never occurred to me that other people can’t. I was selfish in my thoughts the other day when I mentioned that in an environment that caters to everyone’s needs, I will be displaced. There are so many people who have been feeling like this for quite a while, and barely anyone to speak up and do something for them.
Notes Towards Day 10 (Tues, Feb. 16): The Art of Representation
History/Structure of Ghanaian Education System Sources
“History of Education in Ghana”
http://politicalpola.wetpaint.com/page/HISTORY+OF+EDUCATION+IN+GHANA
“The Educational System of Ghana”
http://ghana.usembassy.gov/education-of-ghana.html
“Higher Education in Ghana”
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=160902
“A Brief History of the Ghanaian Educational System”
http://www.tobeworldwide.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=4
“Ghana Education System”
http://yfughana.webs.com/ghanaeducationsystem.htm
“Evolution of the Educational System in Ghana Since Independence in 1957”
http://www.uew.edu.gh/index.php/our-offices/office-of-the-vice-chancellor/137-past-vice-chancellors/prof-jophus-anamuah-mensah/prof-jophus-anamuah-mensahs-speeches/83-evolution-of-the-educational-system-in-ghana-since-independence-in-1957
interdependence
I’ve been thinking about how useful it is to have so many different majors present in this literacy class and 360 - In a discussion on Tuesday in Psych, many of us were really confused about how to proceed with the unfamiliar psychology terms. But Manya was able to give us a really good explanation - we kind of drilled her for information! Also, Lucy and I were talking about her background in Anthropology this morning - this will be useful in our explorations of culture.
We are a community of many different skill sets - and we can benefit from all of those disciplines when we are open to learning about and from each other. It’s really difficult to ask for help - especially when (often) our previous education calls for independence and individuality. However, knowing your resources and using them effectively - that does not imply dependence, but a kind of fusion or interdependence.
BMC Libraries Appreciate Gender Diversity
So I was taking a survey sent out by BMC's library services, and I just wanted to publicly appreciate their acknowledgement of gender diversity.
Notes from Feministing 2/9 at Haverford College
Hey all, these are the notes I took at the Feministing talk at Haverford College last night. I hope they are useful, or at least amusing.
1st speaker:
- Australian
- "stealth feminism"
- feminism that doesn't call itself feminism
- BAGGAGE --> some is completely deserved
- Doesn't deserve baggage by those who want to see it fail, who don't want to see women have equal pay, etc (right of who to have sex with/how often, right to have children, etc)
- Poverty, democratic representation, sexual assault
- STEP ONE: Pop culture
- The Ugly Truth: "No one wants to fuck comfort and efficiency" (re: clothes that feminists wear"
- View with a critical eye
- Meeting people where they are and using language they understand (re: stealth feminism/how to explain feminism)
- If you need proof that sexism is "alive and well" in America, look at pop culture
- "You take [pop culture] too seriously"
- Pop culture is a gateway drug to feminism
- Start with: Dancing with the Stars, rap songs, romantic comedies (romcoms) --> very clear to see faults
- Then move to: politics, literature, own relationships
- Feminism is alive and well and it needs you
2nd speaker:
Escape the Unfair/Corrupt?
Today’s class, (well it’s 12am, so technically, yesterday’s class) is still spinning through my head. I am not a silent person, and I can’t stop wondering why I was so quiet during class. The answer I’ve come up with is, that although I’m not a silent person, I definitely am a fixating one, as in I have a fixating personality. When I hear something that strikes me differently, I fixate and think-it to death, and thinking something to death takes a lot of effort- how could I have strength to speak?
So now that I have had some time to let my fixation formulate, I can talk. The fatherly advice froggie generously shared with us yesterday got me thinking. I’m paraphrasing, so forgive me, but it was something to the effect of, “you don’t have to work in a corrupt system.” I don’t think the word corrupt was used, but it was something like that. This advice struck me as odd, because it is the opposite of what I’ve been taught, that is not a judgment on the advice, it’s just a noting of difference.
graphic novel > academic writing?
This week has been one of my favorite weeks at college, ever. I think it has a lot to do with the conversations we’ve been having in class. I’ve been connecting things from this class to lots of things in my life outside of class, I’ve been reading more, thinking more, smiling more, and writing. I feel really lucky to have been a part of reading what we’ve read and saying what we’ve said this week, and I feel sad to be saying goodbye to this unit. I hope that we can make graphic novels as exciting as academic writing (I’m laughing at myself because the response to that seems so glaringly obvious to me: YES! OF COURSE WE CAN!)
Anyways...
Performativity of Breast Milk
With all of this talking of "Breast-Giver," I thought it would be relevant to reference Jess Dobkin, a performance artist.
Note: the image for the ad is not an accurate representation of the exhibit. It was not as if people were coming up to women and receiving breast milk directly from them. I think that one of the reasons why this exhibit was so impressive was because of the formality of it. Dobkin got several women to donate samples of their breast milk, which was then pasteurized. Samples were given to visitors of the exhibit. Sometimes a woman would offer commentary on her diet throughout pregnancy, as some noticed differing subtle tastes.
You @ the board...
Reading "Goblin Market" as a Feminist Text
Reading “Goblin Market” as a Feminist Text
With its rhyming cadence and fable-like narrative, “Goblin Market” might easily be interpreted as a children’s poem. However, it is also the tension between these two elements—form and content—that evokes the question of whether or not “Goblin Market” might be considered a feminist text. Despite the cadence and use of a tone often found in children’s literature, “Come buy, come buy: /…Bloom-down-cheeked peaches, /Swart-headed mulberries, /Wild free-born cranberries,” (4-11) the protagonists in this fable-like narrative encounter mature and sexually suggestive situations. When Laura and Lizzie encounter the goblin men and their fruit, the language of the poem maintains its child-like tone but the words are also sensual and mirror the sexuality that emerges as a reaction to the fruit. It is this sexuality that is at stake throughout “Goblin Market”. By choosing to create tension between form and content, Christina Rossetti highlights female sexuality and desire in her poem. Doing so in a form so closely resembling a fable allows Rossetti to discuss female sexuality and desire in a public forum, which her position as an English female writer in the 1800s would not have allowed her to do more explicitly. Subsequently, “Goblin Market” functions as a feminist text through its acknowledgement of female sexuality and desire.
Resources on NGO Impacts in Ghana
I was recently asked to post about assessing the impact of NGOs in Ghana. Here are some resources that I found:
Be sure to check out the Institutes, Think Tanks and Reports section of your course guide. It lists several websites that will have reports from major non-profits in West Africa.
In addition to the general social science article resources (e.g. JSTOR, ProQuest, Google Scholar, etc.) two databases that will have international NGO reports would be:
Search these databases for keywords like (NGO or non-governmental organization or intergovernmental organization) and (accountab* or monitor* or evaluat*). Here are links to two productive searches I ran in Google Scholar's Advanced Search screen:
