Japanese politician calls wartime sex slaves 'necessary'

and no.... this is not an onion article....

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/14/world/asia/japan-hashimoto-comfort-women/

Head of U.S. Air Force's anti-sexual assault unit arrested for sexual battery

http://www.sfgate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/The-Air-Force-chief-of-sexual-assault-4492622.php
I have no words...... this on the heels of that Air Force general overturning a jury's sexual assault conviction.

Very reminiscent of Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, right here in SF. Be interesting to see if this Airman actually loses his job. Sadly, probably not.

Future of Feminist Security Studies : CURIOSITY

Our discussion about the future of Feminist Security Studies brought up some important ideas, many that were reiterated in our readings. I particularly found our discussion regarding how we could continue to cultivate our initial feminist studies. An important idea we touch on was that “it implies a radically different ontology based on an acceptance of vulnerability and uncertainty where ambiguity and strangeness are embraced, or at least acknowledged” (Wibben, 2011 p.113). There is a deep-rooted aversion to admitting one’s vulnerability and uncertainty, especially in the academic field. This class has taught me, it’s okay to admit you don’t know the answer or that you’re not comfortable with some material. I think this is extremely important to understand moving forward. We should be finding more questions than definite answers. Just the act of realizing those questions exist and are important is a critical step in feminist studies.
Similarly, the idea that “how open a researcher is to engaging in (self-) reflexive research processes, interrogating their own positionality and privilege, questioning its impact on what can be perceived, being willing and able to be surprised, and adopting a stance of curiosity” (Wibben, 2011 p.111) has made me realize things before that I accepted as givens. Recognizing what we are not questioning is what I will concentrate on in the future. It has made me look back on so many papers, presentations and classes I have taken in the past in a new light, which is what I think feminist studies as a whole is all about; recognizing certain aspects that are left unquestioned and maintain a curiosity to identify them.

Wibben, A. (2011). Feminist Security Studies: A Narrative Approach. New York: Routledge

Flirting with Danger: Power & Choice in Heterosexual Relationships.

Jillian and I went to see the film Flirting with Danger: Power & Choice in Heterosexual Relationships. I was already quite skeptical of just the title, as the term ‘flirting’, in my mind, brought up a connection to slut-shaming, as almost placing some blame on the victim. I interpreted it as a way of saying the women in the film were knowing towing the line between safety and danger, like a game.

A very interesting revelation brought up in the interviews, was that all the interviewees were highly educated and aware of what defined rape and sexual assault, yet they were not likely to label their interactions as such when they met the criteria. They would say they weren’t victims, they were not like ‘those’ women. I think this brings up a very important issue surrounding the stigma of being a survivor of sexual assault.

I really enjoyed how Lynn Phillips dissected the way popular culture idealizes two contradictory roles for women, that they are apparently suppose to embody at the same time: the overtly sexualized women and the ‘good-girl’ persona. Phillips showed clips of music videos, television shows, advertisements and many more that displayed these contradictory depictions. One second a woman is suppose to be a ‘strong’ woman in charge of her sexuality, the next she is suppose to be virginal and delicate. I’m definitely not sure what the solution to this will be, but it was extremely rewarding to have it pointed out so blatantly, as it was shown in the film.    

--Erika

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.  

Cynthia Enloe Reflection

I felt very fortunate to be given the opportunity to learn and absorb advice from Cynthia Enloe. Her book and reflections helped me answer questions surrounding research and our roles as responsible members in academia. I particularly enjoyed her extensive details of the book publishing process. It can be easy to assume, glancing down at a book, that somehow the title, cover and back blurb just came together with no real extensive thought.

One of my favorite topics that we discussed, was the notion that ‘the personal is political’. I think this is such an important concept to consider and talk about in a group setting. Before taking classes with Professor Wibben, I thought politics was a completely separate realm in itself, distinct from science, business, sports, film and the personal. What I have come to realize from many classes and from talks like Enloe’s is that everything is political. The way we make decisions, rationalizing certain choices, what we consider more important and how we interact with others is all rooted in the politics of living. Her description of the book-making process illuminated this reality in a very tangible way.  She detailed going back and forth with the publishers about the name, if it was too associated with a Disney character, and deciding on a book image.

Another key piece of advice she provided was thinking about your audience. One of my favorite things she said concerned the style of writing. She urged us to use notes, but not in a combative way. I had not really thought about this before, but a certain style of writing can be very aggressive and serve as a deterrent to hearing what an author has to say. I don’t think this means you have to compromise your passion, but it just means that you should be aware of your audience, so that people can fully understand your intentions and ideas.

--Erika

Crisis In the Congo Reflection - Uncovering the Truth Reflection

I attended the Crisis in the Congo film screening and discussion. I particularly liked the message of the discussion that centered on the important role that professors, students, activists and ordinary people can play in effecting positive change in the Congo. The talk featured Kambale Musavuli, a student coordinator and national spokesperson for “Friends of Congo”.

I think Musavuli could have focused more on the role of women in international politics and the potential to address the ensuing violence by opening more positions for women in military, aid and trade negotiations. Women are considerably marginalized in the world of international politics, which is heavily gendered (Enloe, 1990). The power of local elites depends on their relation to metropolitan powers in the post-colonial capitalism in the Congo. Thus, uncomfortably suspended between local and global culture lies hegemonic masculinity of neocolonial societies (Connell, 2000). I think this plays a major role in the Congolese relationship with the U.S. and other western powers, which influences the continued violence. 

The opening film was quite graphic. Usually I don’t particularly like shock-value cinematography that simply uses dead bodies or starving children like props, but the film used these images in a meaningful and evocative way. I think for many people living in privileged societies, such as the United States, it can be easy to forget that there are still incredibly violent and torturous wars going on throughout the world. These images provoked a sense of urgency that is necessary. It reminded me of the power point Ann Jones showed us. The beautiful photographs of nature and the women’s dreams, intermixed with images of domestic violence and torture. In the same way the film juxtaposes the beautiful images of the Congo, with immense natural resources, with the heart-wrenching images of dead families.

As we have been discussing in the Davies Forum, institutionalized hierarchies of oppression are extremely difficult to not only challenge, but to simply get people to consciously recognize their existence. The film explored the role the United States and other allies, such as Uganda and Rwanda, played in triggering an extensive humanitarian crisis. France, Belgium and the U.S. have killed millions of Congolese, mainly due to foreign intervention in an effort to gain control of Congo’s extensive mineral wealth. Musavuli stressed the importance of recognizing the role of these western powers in the ensuing violence. I think this particular stress on recognition of privilege and power translates to feminist activism as well. If we could get people to actively reflect on and discover the ways in which gender hierarchies and oppression play a role in their everyday lives that would make the prospects for change much greater.

I particularly liked Musavuli’s promotion of community building through collaboration of Congolese youth, human rights activists and international actors. Sometimes aid projects have the tendency to simply ignore the needs or input of local populations and impose western ideals onto a certain society. He briefly mentioned that women could be part of this group, but I feel that their roles could be much more prominent than a simple side note. Promoting the same ideals as the projects Ann Jones worked with in Thailand and Cote D’Ivoire, women should have access to the tools to promote and articulate the issues within their own communities. Although I recognize the predominant need to end the violence, I believe women can develop a strong voice in conjunction with establishing peace. One does not negate the other, in the name of efficiency and time management. 

--Erika