Women All Day Everyday:The Future of Feminist Security Studies

Feminist Security Studies. What loaded words! How can one word be political, social and economic all at the same? I'll tell you how. We live in a world where everything is on the table for the taking, to benefit individuals. The days of tribal societies are long gone. Now, our minds are in "me, myself and I" mode, because it's an option. We have to work twice or thrice as hard to make sure people are never comfortable are that. Once that state of individuality is reached its hard to go back. People get one taste of the sweetness of security and vow to never let it go, even though we learn over and over again through out history that we need one another.
Regardless of public opinion, I don't see the major progress women have made. Why have women become stuck in fake security? Yes, we have made strides, but at least in the past, violence against women was right there, open for the world to see. Now women don't even realize when violence is being enacted on them. In fact, American women have this idea that they "are so free", while women in other parts of the world are "so oppressed". I think that is where the future of Feminist Security Studies lies, because I know I live in an educated bubble where me and people around me somewhat understand this.
Waking women up to the reality that is right in front of their noses. Don't settle, don't be satisfied, and don't leave it someone else. Don't compare yourself to women across the nation because at the end of the day, we are all women. Don't complain about your salary that is still less than your male counterpart in the 21st century, and then talk about how crazy feminism is. Feminism isn't a special passion that only some acquire. It isn't the famine in Somalia, or the Arab Spring. This is about 51% of the world who deserve to be treated with same  respect and dignity as the other 49% and aren't. Easier said than done, but we have the privilege to do so, why not? "What is more, feminists insist that the question of identity and security are fundamentally interwoven: Any security narrative is also a narrative of political identity"(Wibben 2011, p. 109).

In the words of Betty Hutton to Howard Keel: "Anything you can do I can do better."

MSA's fundraiser for Somalia

When Somalia was first declared in a state of famine in 2011, awareness skyrocketed and people all over the world were doing their part to aid the country. However, like most crisis, people forgot and moved on to the next international crisis being publicized by the media. We are now in the year 2013 and the crisis is still crucial. In fact, the famine has most affected women and children. Because of the lack of food, women are forced to scavenge and venture far from home in hopes of finding food for their families and this leads to dangerous situations. Men and rebel armies formed from the chaos and conflict a famine creates, use this opportunity to exert dominance and proceed to rape, rob and kill women. A year into the famine, and mothers still feared sexual violence and worried for their daughters’ safety. Women are being displaced at an alarming rate, suffering from the corruption of militias who distort aid distribution to their advantage.

What’s happening in Somalia is telling of the role of women in the country. The treatment of women in Somalia is very similar to that of Sierra Leone, Liberia and many other countries we studies in Jones “War is not Over When it’s Over.” On top of the fact that they are starving and can’t feed their children, they can’t walk outside without being harassed or raped by a man or a soldier. A crisis rarely ever stays within its limits and will spin out of control if not handled. A famine turns into conflict, which can turn into a civil war. In addition, those that have the least rights have even worse living situations in times of crises. From history we know this, so governments should predict this and focus their energy on keeping women, the fruits of society, safe because they always bear the brunt of these crises.

The Vagina Monologues

I went to go see the Vagina Monologues on Saturday. This was my second time watching them (I watched them last year) and I enjoyed them just as much. I was surprised at all the men in the room and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Before college, this wouldn't be something I would normally be interested in watching. Now, I think the concept is really inspiring. It simply tells the stories of women and how they feel about their vagina's in a world where having a vagina gives one less rights. There are stories that women in the audience can relate to, laugh with, and cry with. It was also cool because they added in parts about SF and USF. My favorite one was one the story about how the women's vagina was pissed off and angry. This one was especially funny, but it also made a point. That it's time vaginas were treated with respect and allowed the freedom without being scared or restricted. It's time they were treated gently and given the opportunity and most importantly priority in receiving pleasure. Basically, women are becoming fed up, and are going to fight for what they want until they get it. "Hell hath no fury like a women scorned."
One thing I found interesting is that women go for years without even looking at their vagina. Why is that? There was a story about a woman who finally saw it and was empowered, and another about a woman who when a man saw her vagina and thought it was beautiful, it empowered her. You would never hear of a man never looking at his penis. It really makes you think of what each sex prioritizes and why.
I also liked how they paid tribute to rape victims and in the end each actress said why she was performing these women's stories in the Vagina Monologues. It makes me think what I my vagina would wear, say, or think if I were to be interviewed. 

Cynthia Enloe's Visit

Cynthia Enloe has to be my favorite speaker. I loved her attitude and her approach to feminist studies. I think it takes a certain amount of skill to be able to collect the stories of women who have been through so much and make them come alive without even meeting them. I think it was very important that these women's stories be heard, even if they don't know it. Everyone should get the chance to have an outlet to share their struggles and achievements, because people can learn from the unexpected and it sends a message of empowerment. I like that she said she wonders if it really is her place to be spreading awareness of the issues these women face. Where is the line drawn between making a difference, and using privilege to do it?
I also liked that for her public lecture she chose to talk about something that hit close to home, but she did it in a different light. The Boston bombing brought so much light to the corruption in the media and journalism. One thing that really struck me was her explanation of the news interviewing the mother of the brothers who bombed the Boston race. She asked what was the point of that? They purposely interview her to blame her for her horrible parenting skills that caused her sons to carry out the bombing. They have no interest in hearing her side of the story or her feelings, and they go in there with judgement already. And what is else is she going to say but how her sons were good boys and she didn't expect this? No mother expects her son to commit such a horrible crime. It's interesting that the mother is always to blame and not any other guardian for these types of situations. Americans watching the news at home see that the women are always to blame for the way children turn out, and that has an affect on families. It's a fact that is talked about quite often, that women are always gossiping and judging each other's parenting. Each mother feels like she is right. The mother is always portrayed as weak and not in control of her children. If we go by parenting stereotypes, shouldn't the father figure to be to blame for not disciplining his sons enough? Cynthia Enloe definitely expanded my feminist curiosity. 

Film Festival- 5 Broken Cameras

5 Broken Cameras was an amazing movie documenting a Palestinian man and his view of the occupation through each of his five cameras which each represent a new moment in his life. It was so real and raw and unlike any documentary of Palestine I've seen before. He bought his first camera to capture the birth of his son. He watches his son grow threw the lens of his camera and also ended up catching protests, the IDF abuse, and his land being taken away in the process. Each year his son grew represented something monumental happening in his town in regards to the occupation. His camera gave him the strength and courage to document these heart-breaking moments--his brothers being taken to jail by the IDF, him getting shot, his best friend dying, and his house being invaded. He felt that his camera was protecting him. He witnessed not only men on the front lines of protests for the town to get their land back, but women as well. He watched strong young and old women fight back against the soldiers and not take the humiliation. He watched them hold signs and march through the streets right along their fellow Palestinian brothers.
I've always believed that when a community stands for something strongly enough, it brings together men and women and the differences in biology cease to matter. I think that is one of the reason the army is so unequal--because the soldiers don't believe in the cause and the lies the government is feeding them. They have no reason to unite with their fellow soldiers, because the cause isn't important to them. They end up not focusing and not respecting the female soldiers. If they were truly passionate up fighting for the sake of their country, rape and power would not be a priority.  In the end this community got their land back. People died in honor, people fought together, they didn't lose hope or focus and it paid off. 

We are the Future

It's interesting that Feminism is inherently a response to something. As long as there is inequality and violence against women, feminism will continue to develop as a reactor for these issues. For each generation of females, different inequalities exist, and so there will be different forms of feminism to respond. Can feminism stand as a concept on its own? Can there be feminism without inequalities? Would there be a point? I used to think that feminism was a form of extremism, and I'm glad I was able to take this class because it makes me realize that women's rights isn't about extreme ideas, but the main idea is that they need to be singled out in the sea of inequalities, because women are different from men. They aren't worse or better, just different. And different problems need different courses of treatment. One of the biggest problems surround the fact that we are trying to solve algebraic and trigonometric equations the exact same way! And the fact that men are the standard just reemphasizes that point. Statistics really help me put it into perspective. There are over 200,000 victims of sexual assault each year in the U.S. I know that I can't be passionate about everything, but the fact that is new information to me really makes me upset. How can we help others, if we don't even help ourselves first? WHY is this number new information? It's overwhelming to think about this answer. It's because there is a carelessness about women that has been institutionalized since the founding of this country, and so the citizens of the U.S. grow up not knowing or not caring. Because of the frustration and the slow improvement, women have taken up other measures. Although I don't agree with them, I understand where they are coming from. Oppression makes people do some crazy things.
For example, the Femen movement sprouted up recently in the media because of their means of exposing "female oppression." Although I deem it to be crazy, to them it is their way to stand up for justice. Even though this is a blog, and I am supposed to write about my feelings, I'm tired of it. Honestly, I'm just tired of having to be on the defensive all the time and every where go. From class to the comments on the streets, to conversations with friends, I feel like it never ends. I have to take an intro to the Quran class for major and it is very difficult to sit in that class with a room filled with people who are so clueless about Islam, especially during the class on what the Quran says about women. I feel like that is my life condensed into one room. Sometimes there are so many things I want to say that I end up saying nothing at all. Then I regret it. I don't want to victimized myself and after this class, I know that there are way worse problems happening to women around the world, but that doesn't mean I can shut off my feelings.

This facebook page has some great articles regarding how a community of Muslim women feel about Femen.

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. 

Anu's Visit

I loved the Anu that came to class and had a conversation with our class. That Anu was open and more critical and seemed to stand firmly with out any hesitation for what she believed in--women's rights in the military. I am very critical of the military and usually judge those involved very harshly, but she helped me see a new perspective. That through women joining the military, it makes a statement for women's rights. The U.S. needs to take it one step at a time. For example, have equal training requirements for men and women. She made a good point when she said when you tell women that they only need to do 50 push-ups instead of the 100 that men do, that's all they will think they are able to do. Women have been striving to reach goals set by men for a long time, and if that is the standard then women will meet it. She was critical of her behavior along with other soldier's behaviors from the military environment.
I have met others like this as well. When I went on the Beyond Bridges Israel Palestine trip, our group met with members of the IDF who were also critical of their behavior and even  regretted some of their actions and what they one stood for. Although I think it's great that we can be critical after the event as happened, I wonder what good does that do? The actions have already happened and the words have already been spoken. There is only so much one can do. Have these reflections affected those in the military today? I can only hope that the work done to spread awareness will be enough or make a dent in all the inequalities occurring the military. It made me realize why I am so critical of the military. It's because it is one institution that has the ability to affect millions of other's lives, not just american lives.
When Anu gave the public presentation to all of USF, her attitude totally changed. She seemed very defensive of the military and had more pride in the institution that was part of the reason for women's inequalities. She barley touched on what it was that affected women in the military and more on female's achievements. Some things she said didn't sit right with me. For example, she talked about one of her heroes [Martha McSally] who worked to get the requirement for wearing a scarf in Saudi Arabia banned for female soldiers. I think this was just disrespectful because of cultural norms--no matter where you are. You are invading a country, invading women's privacy, destroying their lives and the least you can do is accept the cultural norms. The hardest thing is that she didn't believe that what the military was fighting for was corrupt. She was fighting for women's rights in American while at the same time taking away rights of women in Afghanistan. The irony is so blatant to me I don't understand how people miss it. It just emphasized the fact that America's "freedom" is all that its cracked up to be so to speak. We claim that these countries in African and the Middle East and South Asia are jealous of our freedoms and our democracy when the reality is I think we are just as "uncivilized," we just know how and have the resources to cover it up a lot better.

~Sarah

Davies Forum Workshop - Impressions I

(photos via Prof. Doubiago)

Sierra Leone: Girls

Sierra Leone: Girls

            In the chapter “Sierra Leone: Girls” from Ann Jones’ War is Not Over When it’s Over, Jones shows that in the wake of a devastating civil war women and young girls are still experiencing the degradation, rape, and limitations that they were during wartime. Jones retells her experiences of giving cameras to girls and women to photograph their crumbling villages and scores of pregnant and unsupported teens. One of the central issues, according to Jones, is that older men, many from other countries, often seduce and rape very young girls and then leave them when they get pregnant, worsening their poverty and making going to school an impossibility.

Ann, Jones. "Sierra Leone: Girls." War Is Not Over When It's Over. New York: Metropolitan, 2010. 92-130. 

From the Trenches, by Tami Jacoby

Summary of article “From the Trenches: Dilemmas of Feminist IR Fieldwork” by Tami Jacoby. In: Ackerly, B., Stern, M., & True, J. (2006). Feminist Methodologies for International Relations. New York : Cambridge University Press. 153-173) 

This article discusses the ways in which research in the field offers constraints and opportunities for re-thinking the broader concepts of social science research. Jacoby uses the example of her fieldwork in Israel-Palestine, which centered on questions of security for women. Her experiences during her interview process emphasized the importance of the different definitions of ‘security’ held by different women. Her perspective also reflected the themes of flexibility, reflexivity and open-endedness because she defines research as an “ongoing negotiating process between subject and researcher which includes revision of initial questions and hypotheses” (Jacoby, 2006, p.172). This flexibility included departing from her prepared research questions, engaging in free dialogue and omitting certain personal information in order to avoid pre-judgment and/or self-censorship.