A Summer of Mis-romance: On Complicity and Intimate Violence (cross-posted from Kaalratri)

Davies Fellow Caron Gentry connects the dots - from representations of women and violence in Black Heart, Fifty Shades of Grey, Wuthering Heights, Medea and the Twilight saga to relationship violence among teens in the UK, sexualized violence in the U.S military, and domestic violence in the U.S. - there is a continuum of violence (cf. Kelly 1987). As Gentry notes, "we are teaching the next generation that gender stereotypes of subaltern feminine submissiveness and passivity and dominant masculine aggression and dominance, whether they are performed by men or women, are valid."
Read more at Kaalratri.

Kelly, Liz (1987) “The Continuum of Sexual Violence” In: Jarna Holmes and Mary Maynard (eds) Women, Violence and Social Control. Macmillan: pp. 46-60.

Davies Forum Workshop Reflection

The quote I chose to write on the board during our workshop was “violence can be silent”. I thought this was a very important perspective I had not really thought of before. When Elina Penttinen started the activity, to be completely honest, I was very skeptical. I am not usually the kind of person that enjoys those particular kinds of creative exercises. However, after the first few moments of uncomfortable silence, I really did allow myself to follow Elina’s words of instructions. When we began to draw, images flowed surprisingly quite easily to me. The first set of instructions, conjured up thoughts of huge explosions and graphic human interactions. My first image was of a military soldier, decorated in an array of intricate medals and badges. The second featured a mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb and the last was the skeleton of a destroyed city.

When we got into our smaller groups to discuss our images, Sarai Aharoni pointed out how many of our images depicted the typical media representation of war. Depictions of soldiers, bombs and destruction, although important, do not take into account how violent silence can be. Sarai discussed how not giving people a voice is a type of violence, and I realized how true this was. By excluding certain groups from contributing, like women in peace negotiations, perpetuates a type of violence that many do not attribute to having the same impacts as a bomb, but it does. This really made me think about how, violence is not always ‘in your face’ and detectable. Perhaps, some of the most violent realities in our world are silent, and their silence is what allows them to be so destructive and pervasive.

--Erika 

Reflection on the Davies Workshop

I really enjoyed today’s workshop but wished that I could have stayed longer or been there in the morning. My favorite part was being a part of the drawing exercise on violence and well-being. I noticed as we were sharing our drawings in small groups that my drawings ended up being very personal and emotion based. In a group with Erika and Sarai Aharoni, we noticed that all of our drawings ranged in theme and abstraction. The thing that struck me most was that a lot of the drawings had something to do with balance and time. There is always a time for something—as cheesy as that sounds. There is a time to contemplate, a time for friends and community, a time for working, etc. This exercise reminded me that balance is very important to have in one’s life. Balance, for me, is the ultimate expression of well-being. It is the best way to clear the mind and reorient your life. I think this is why I am intrigued by the idea that anger should be productively channeled, which is something Swati Parashar kept talking about. Anger can be used as a force of good if controlled and understood. Emotions themselves are not bad and can be expressed constructively. Similar to anger, silence can be used as a powerful tool as well. Silence can have as much power as any other method and speak volumes.  

Workshop Reflections

Like Professor Wibben said, this workshop could've taken place for 3 days instead of 3 hours. I think because there were so many speakers it was hard to grasp all the information I could've were it one speaker. I felt like we barely had enough time to discuss topics into detail, and we only covered surface level information. I liked the meditation and "drawing violence" exercise, because it reminded me of the activities and meditations we would do in high school. Sometimes it's nice to just go back to the simple ways of delving into difficult topics than the more complicated ones like analyzing research right off the bat. It was hard at first to go from the calm meditation to drawing acts if violence but then I thought that was the best way to get a clear and neutral pallet first. If we were to be angry and thinking up violence before we drew, I think we would have had different outcomes. It was great that we could interpret others drawings and hear their own interpretations. It helps to put thoughts on paper because I think it makes it more real.
I especially liked what Swati said about getting angry. That's usually what motivates my passionate side. Sometimes it makes me go on long rants, but helps to get all the emotions out there, because then you can go back and look at your thoughts and fine tune it. I believe that it's passion that drives success and change. I also found my conversation with Caron very interesting. When you look at her, she is this jolly, sweet woman and then you find out that she teaches terrorist studies in Scotland. I wish that we could've had a deeper discussion about her line of work. I feel like every time I asked a question, her answer reflected her sweet disposition. I wish I could've seen more of the Caron that got riled up when she had a discussion with one of the other guest speakers who was questioning her. It was nice to see successful feminists get together and just talk with each other and reminisce. I used to have a very specific opinion about what feminists's views are, and it was nice to see the diversity in person that proved me wrong. 

Davies Forum Workshop

The Davies Forum workshop was truly a great experience. From the discussion I acquired new information and heard different perspectives on feminist research. I loved that the workshop allowed us the opportunity to hear from four very different women. I enjoyed hearing about their research and methodologies. I thought the workshop was beneficial, however I do wish we had more time to sit and discuss topics. I can only imagine what knowledge could have come out of a week's worth of conversation with the panelists.

One of the opening exercises that we did during the workshop was to draw three images of violence. I was very surprised at the many different perceptions of violence within my own group. Some of the images included depictions of violent acts, words such as “silenced” and really abstract lines and circles. I was very surprised by my own drawing: a depiction of violence on animals and nature. We had never discussed violence in that way, however, that was one of the things that I thought about so I decided to go with it! 

One of the instances that struck me during the discussion was Caron’s comments on the issues of the books Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight. She stated that women are always depicted as falling in love with their captors. I was intrigued by this statement because surprisingly I had never heard anyone reference either story in that way – I had only heard people reference both stories as “romance novels”. I am completely disgusted with the Fifty Shades of Grey series, and it still surprises me how the series could receive such high levels of popularity. Caron’s comment made me think of the way that both books could influence readers to change their perceptions of “romance”. The books essentially romanticizes violence and promotes physical and psychological partner abuse.

Overall, I thought the workshop was a success and it was nice to interact with our guest speakers, even if the time was limited! 

Davies Forum Workshop - Impressions II

These are images of the group's feedback on the drawing exercise (facilitated by Elina Penttinen) with the prompt to draw violence & well-being.

Davies Forum Workshop - Impressions I

(photos via Prof. Doubiago)

Workshop Response

The workshop was definitely an interesting experience. I have never participated or experienced anything like the workshop so it was a new, learning experience. One aspect of the class I really enjoy are the guest speakers. Although the class discussions are very interesting, it is important and vital to bring in outside experts and speakers on the topics we are focusing on.

Because I was unable to attend the earlier session of the workshop, my first activity was the drawing activity. Although a massive internal eye roll ensued when she told us to close our eyes and clear our thoughts, the moment was especially helpful in preparing us for the drawings. When she told us to draw pictures of violence, it was fascinating to see and hear about the different perceptions of violence we all hold. In the case of my group, while some of us focused on the human aspect of violence (the emotions that come with violence, how our bodies look after being stabbed, shot, etc) we also drew images of some of the more popular perpetrators of violence. Swords, guns, knives, tanks, and other military equipment.

In terms of the pictures for harmony/happiness, a lot of the images in my group focused on nature and what we perceive as happiness/harmony. For example, I drew an image of a beach with the sunset and a sailboat in the water. While I am not too fond of visiting beaches and the ocean in general, I drew it because the image of beaches and the sun are often images connected to happiness. The same happened with another person in my group regarding meditation. While she herself was not a fan of meditation, she drew it because meditation is often seen as something relaxing and harmonious. Finally, all of the members of the group drew pictures of nature. Whether it be a park, a tree or the ocean, we all associated nature as an example of harmony and happiness. After going around to everyone, it was nice to learn about the different perceptions of violence and happiness/harmony we all hold.

In terms of the mini lecture each of the speakers gave one by one after the drawing exercise, it was interesting to hear their different perspectives, opinions, experiences and beliefs. It was also nice to have a little debate going on afterwards. But the one part of the talk that really stood out to be was Caron's talk about the issue of Fifty Shades of Grey and The Twilight Series and the issue of how women are fascinated and interested in the issue of liking or romanticizing their captors. Although I am not a fan of the Twilight Series or Fifty Shades of Grey it is interesting to note because of how popular each of the books/series are today. In the case of the Twilight Series, a lot of my friends who read, watch and genuinely enjoy the series see it simply as a romance novel. They seem to forget about or completely disregard the fact that Bella romanticizes with her captor. After the popularity of these types of novels, it will be interesting to see whether it will (or has) lead/led to an increase in these types of books.

Overall, the workshop was helpful and interesting  Although I would have liked for a little more time for debate among the class (but more specifically among the speakers) it was fun nonetheless. Also, the spicy chicken wrap was quite delicious.

2013 Davies Workshop Response - Allie Khori

         

2013 Davies Forum Workshop: Feminist Perspectives on Studying Women, Violence & War

April 8^th, 2013

Invited Guests (Davies Fellows):

n  Sarai Aharoni, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (http://saraiaharoni.com/)

n  Caron Gentry, University of St. Andrews, Scotland (http://www.standrews.ac.uk/intrel/people/index.php/ceg1.html)

n  Swati Parashar, Monash University, Australia (http://profiles.arts.monash.edu.au/swati-parashar/)

n  Elina Penttinen, University of Tampere, Finland (http://www.uta.fi/jkk/pol/yhteystiedot/penttinen.html)

 

          What really struck me about the workshop was the commitment that I saw the speakers show to an aspect of feminist research which states that the input of all individuals should be taken seriously (though not necessarily agreed with.)  They seemed genuinely interested in what we students had to contribute, despite our youth and the fact that for many of us, feminism and/or gender and sexuality studies are relatively new. 

            I also appreciated the different perspectives they offered, not only in terms of opinion but of background, research approach, and even method of inquiry.  We partook in an art activity led by Elina.  First we were guided through a short relaxation exercise, and then we were asked to draw for a short period of time in response to the words Elina gave us which pertained to violence/peace binaries. 

Even though I consider myself an artistic person, and I can often be found doodling, the images that I drew in our exercise surprised me, both in terms of what images I first associate (at least, at that moment they were my first associations) with violence, and how specific and personal they were because I don’t think of myself as someone who’s been exposed to much violence.  This activity reminded me of something one of the speakers at the ISA conference mentioned; how everyone is not just “affected” by violence and war, but how everyone is touched by violence and war in a way that is unique to that person and their individual circumstances.  This concept can be closely linked to an investigative method used in feminist securities studies which (in theory) attempts to focus on the unique individual and then compare them with more generalized knowledge (See Cynthia Enloe’s work, especially Nimo’s War, Emma’s War).

            The artistic activity we participated in helped us examine and reflect on our emotions and their connections to particular words/concepts.  This was directly related to one of the pieces we read by one of our workshop panelists: Swati Parashar.  Her piece, from Chapter 36 “(En) gendered Terror: Feminist Approaches to Political Violence” of her as of yet unpublished book, speaks to the suppression of emotions that she experienced when trying to “remain objective” while conducting research.  She found this endeavour to be problematic, as at a fundamental level it is humanly impossible to be totally “objective.”  Thus it would follow that remaining very aware of one’s emotions would help one to identify one’s bias, and thus present a more truthful account of one’s view.  I perceive this inclusion of the researcher’s bias to be one of the most vital contributions that Feminist IR makes to academia as a whole.

Enloe, C. (2010) Nimo’s War, Emma’s War: Making Feminist Sense of the Iraq War. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. 

Swati, Caron, and Elina--Sorry it took so long to post...Had technical problems!

I had a ton of fun! Besides the fact that I was able to leave work early and was fed extremely well all day I really enjoyed meeting the vastly different feminists. Swati, the angry and emotional feminist was brilliant, and contrasted against the clam nature of Elina the discussion was great! Balancing joy, anger, and real events I think is an art that has yet to be perfected. At dinner I learned about the world of academia and that the author of most my research is passive aggressive and her work considered mediocre at best. In other words, I have a lot of emailing to do! I enjoyed having multiple guests with varied view points, it made for a lively discussion. I spoke with Swati mainly about her work in Sri Lanka and she spoke to me largely about the LTTE. It was interesting to hear about her talks with LTTE female fighters and how their security was firmly rooted in the fact that they were the ones holding the guns. I spoke with Elina about the conference material that they had read and we laughed about it... I offered her the idea that possibly it was written for a wider and less informed audience. I wish I had been able to speak to Caron more. I am waiting for her paper on captors and novels such as Twilight and Fifty Shades of Gray!

Can we have them all come back? Also that restaurant was great! Now enjoy pictures! 

Workshop Reflection

The class workshop was an immensely positive experience for me. I have been having a lot of doubt about my goals in college and in academia and it was nice to meet so many educated women who really exhibit why research skills and education will be important for me in the future. Each of our guests was incredibly different and I loved the range of conversations that took place and the perspective that each woman brought to the table. I only wish we had more time and to continue these conversations and go more in depth on specific topics.

The drawing activity we did was surprisingly revealing – demonstrating how we all perceive different emotions in very distinctive ways. Anger and violence are often very sharp and distinct, while well-being is less so. Why is that? I feel immensely more connected to being in a “war-zone” because (even though this is a broad, sweeping statement) I feel like the planet is a war-zone, the United States is a war-zone, and though we are not fighting or experiencing violence and displacement in the same way it is experienced in the Middle East, we are individually connected to the conflict in a way that I’m still not sure I fully understand. Violence is in the undertones of our society, which could be why subconsciously we can describe it in more definable terms.

I also enjoyed learning about the various research projects the guests and my classmates are undertaking. I think it was important for me to see how others are connected to their research in order for me to realize I can pursue my interests and further my studies as well as engage others.

- Jillian

Davies Forum Workshop Reflection

I absolutely loved this workshop and I really wish I could have been there all day. It was so inspiring to be able to sit and talk with women who are working hard to incite change and have dedicated their lives to bettering their communities. I thought it was wonderful that these women's goals and focuses were so diverse even though they were all feminist scholars.

For the drawing exercise I was in a group with Lisa and Professor Wibben. It was fascinating how different all of our interpretations of violence and well-being were ranging from very abstract (Prof. Wibben) to extremely precise (Lisa). in our group we discussed the discomfort that doing art exercises brings us. We talked about struggling with the idea that what feminists do--thinking, feeling, talking, and in this case, making art--is not valued in American culture and how that impacts our own feelings about what we do and whether its worthwhile or silly. It was a fascinating and painful conversation, because I do often struggle, as do all feminists, with the way feminist work is perceived. 

After this exercise our guest speakers talked about their projects and methodologies, which was a wonderful learning experience. I loved the different ways that emotion plays into everyone's work, from wanted to bring a positive light to difficult subject matter to really harnessing the pain of truth. 

One of the biggest things I will take away from the experience is Swati Parashar's advice to value anger. I think that one of the biggest problems that feminism faces, especially in America, is complacency. We talked quite a bit about the importance and inherent nature of emotion in feminism, but I think that it was very good for me to be reminded that in this success-oriented, distanced culture, there needs to be room for emotion and anger and pain and all those human things that make us able to better ourselves and others. Rarely do people encourage us to be angry and harness the power of that anger, so I thank Dr. Parashar for making that statement.

Davies Forum Workshop Reflection

I really, really LOVED this workshop! I'll admit I was a little apprehensive at the beginning - it's both exciting and extremely intimidating to meet and maintain a discussion with such intelligent feminist scholars when you only have very basic knowledge about feminism yourself - but after starting off with the drawing exercise, I felt a lot more at ease to discuss my ideas and ultimately saw this workshop as a different learning experience!

I was placed in the group with Elina, who facilitated the drawing exercise. I'm really into introspective activities, so being able to reflect quietly gave me the chance to center myself and my thoughts before launching onto a discussion. I also appreciated sharing our own drawings and ideas in smaller groups before sharing altogether. What I loved the most about this activity was that it was so simple, but apt in demonstrating the complex nature of violence itself - violence cannot be pigeonholed into one single definition. Like everyone's drawings, not one idea of violence was exactly the same, ranging from specific memories to abstract ideas. I definitely feel like drawing our ideas instead of just discussing them shed a different light on the subject that I hadn't thought about before.

All four speakers had so many interesting things to note - Sarai's discussion on Palestine and trying to figure out ways to spread awareness of women's issues was thought-provoking, as was Caron's ideas on "intimate terrorism" - her allusions to Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight, noting that women falling in love with their captors is often romanticized was eye-opening and definitely something I didn't notice before! I also loved Swati's questions of writing emotions into these political issues, owning up to our own experiences and bringing ourselves into writing - which was then further explained by Elena, acknowledging that often times, scholarly work encourages us to be objective observers, when in reality, we all are defined by our experiences and can never truly be neutral observers and reporters.

I also had the pleasure of having dinner with them too! We went to Zazie's (which was so delicious, oh my goodness, I can't even explain!) and I was able to talk to Caron more and listen to her experiences living and teaching in Scotland - something I was very interested in since I'm looking to study abroad in Europe, namely England, so I was able to get some bits of knowledge for future reference! Unfortunately, I wasn't able to talk with Swati and Elina as much as I would've liked to, but it was definitely an honor to sit and dine at the same table with them that night! All in all, this was an amazing experience - probably one of my favorite college experiences to date! Thanks, Davies!

Davies Forum Workshop

Let me begin by saying that the Davies Forum has provided a wide range of wonderful learning experiences. Having said that, it makes my designation of the Davies Forum Workshop as the best opportunity thus far all the more significant. In addition to our class, the Davies Forum workshop included Sarai Aharoni, Caron Gentry, Swati Parashar, and Elina Penttinen as facilitators. I thought that this wide range of individuals was incredible. Much of the reading that we have done thus far has seemed to agree harmoniously. At the workshop, all of the facilitators appreciated and respected the work of the others, but was also willing to offer different opinions and perspectives. I saw this most of all in the dynamic between Elina Penntinen, who is from Finland and focuses on experiences of joy, and Swati Parashar, who, originally from India, focuses on variations on the access to violence.

The workshop began with introductions and an explanation of what has led us to being interested in women, war, and violence. We quickly delved into discussions regarding privilege, positionality, and authenticity. Although I still struggle with these myself, I think it is important to remember that there is a continuum of violence, and so even if we aren’t “in the war zone,” we still have experience with war and violence. Secondly, there is something to be said for shared humanity. To a certain degree, people all over the world experience emotions like grief, joy, fear, and pride. Lastly, there is something to be said for being an ally, no matter what privilege you have.

The second half of the workshop began with an activity that forced us to meditate before drawing depictions of violence and well-being. I found it interesting how many of us included a wide variety of types of violence. For example, there were scenes of violence done unto one’s self, domestic violence, and the typical war combatant violence. Other important notes included the importance of time to reflect and the importance of community. Finally, we returned to discussions about emotions, and whether one type or another is more important to studying International Relations, which lead to a bit of an argument about the potential for transformation and resilience. Ultimately, I’d have to play PC and say, “Its all important!”

I learned a lot at the Davies Workshop and felt that being invited to the table was empowering. A lot of our reading was reflected in the discussion we had and I was glad to see that a difference of opinions didn’t have to lead to a silencing of opinions.

-Laur