Works Cited

McCann, Carole R., and Seung-kyung Kim. Feminist Theory Reader. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2010.

Welcome to Puerto Rico! www.topuertorico.org/government

www.wikipedia

What Can Be Done?

Address the problem of language barrier
Encourage Latinas to stay in school and graduate from high school
Provide financial scholarships, workstudy and internships that enable Latinas to pursue degrees in higher education
Build bridges to Latinas from other feminist groups in order to assist in achieving mutual goals

Difficulty Determining Latina Oppressions

It is difficult to determine the extent of Latina oppression due to the fact:
that most of the prevailing information concerns the male point of view,
the Latina is challenged to search for equality when it may conflict with Latino efforts
and
the Latina is grossly underrepresented in employment, education, and political sectors

Problems Latinas Face In United States

Unwillingess to fight for female equality when it seems to be in conflict with Latinos
Gender oppression in white patriarchal society
Political underrepresentation as well as underrepresentation in academic institutions and employment
Language barrier
Barriers to voting accessibilty
Disconnect from other women's issues and feminist efforts

Difference Between Puerto Rico and the States

EXEMPTION from some aspects of the Internal Revenue Code, and lack of voting representation in either house of U.S. Congress (Senate and House of Representatives), the ineligibility of Puerto Ricans to vote in presidential elections, and its lack of assignation of some revenues reserved for the states

From: Welcome to Puerto Rico

U.S. Federal Government Powers in Puerto Rico

Interstate trade, foreign relations & commerce, customs administration, control of air, land & sea, immigration & emmigration, nationality & citizenship, currency, maritime laws, military service, military bases, army, naval & airforce, declaration of war, constitutionality of laws, jurisdictions & legal procedures, treaties radio & television -- communications, agriculture, mining & minerals, highways, postal system; social security, and other areas generally controlled by Federal government in USA (mainland)

from: Welcome to Puerto Rico

It's a bird...It's a plane...

Check out our blog!

http://empowereducatechange.blogspot.com/

Another interesting blog...

Hey everybody!

I found a really interesting blog while researching for my project. It's called blackfeminists

I'll talk about it a little more tomorrow but I wanted to share the link on here so you could check it out.
http://blackfeminists.blogspot.com/

It's really informative. There is one post about racial tweets surrounding the black characters in The Hunger Games. I don't know about you but this seriously surprised me. Anyways, hope everyone's projects are coming along well! See you tomorrow!

Kim

SPEAK OUT LOUD

http://ravenwolf-speakoutloud.blogspot.com/

Hey, this is a blog I started when my daughter Elizabeth started her blog "Fashionistas"

Please feel free to contribute.

Doreen

Black Women and Misrecognition

Hey guys!

I was going through my research for my individual project and came across something I thought I could share. It is rather interesting. Anyways, one of the articles I am using is called "Is it because I'm Black? A Black female research experience" (by Uvanney Maylor). It discusses the invisibility of the black womens experience within white feminist discourse. This of course relates to my project because I am focusing on how the dual oppression of race and gender places black women in a position of not being able to relate fully to any other group.

Maylor uses the term "misrecognition" quite often. Throughout the class, we have discussed the idea that black women, as well as women of other racial minorities, have been ignored; their voices and faces invisible. Maylor says that on top of often being completely ignored, she is also misrecognised. Basically, she relates this concept to an event in her life. She said that an academic visitor asked her is she was "one of the help" when attending the university Maylor worked at. It seems as though she is being stigmatized on the spot because of her color. The visitor assumed that because she was black, she must be less intelligent. It is sad to think that Maylor had to explain her position to people who are so naive. To be completely honest, I was fairly shocked that this happened. I know I say I have a significant academic background in race and ethnic relations, but every time I hear stories like these, it makes me question humans.

Just curious if anyone has comments on this! I think it relates really well to my topic of Black Feminist Theory and would love to hear your thoughts!


Hope everyone's research is going well!
Kim

Lady F-Arts!!

Hey guys!

Check out our group blog and feel free to add comments, questions, or suggestions for improvement before the final meeting time on Tuesday!

http://ladyfarts.blogspot.com/

Thanks,

Kris, Katy, Alyssa, and Jayson

Every sperm is sacred

And here is another post because I guess I'm feeling fired up today...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/13/nina-turner-viagra-contraception-bills_n_1341642.html

I found out about this today and found it so hilarious I had to share. We have talked about the anti-abortion legislation going on and the GOP war against women in class and on the blog and this is a beautiful continuation of it I think. My favorite quote in this article comes from Nina Turner, she says that "We should show the same attention and love to men's reproductive health as we do to women's," which obviously makes me practically "rofl" as it were.  

It is really worth your time to read this. I do apologize if the men in our class find my enthusiasm about this offensive. I absolutely don't mean it that way. I don't think men should be subjected to being "required to obtain rectal exams" before being issued a prescription for Viagra any more than women should be subjected to the transvaginal ultrasound before abortion.  That is why I find this so hilarious. 

Who told us all of these things?

Hey guys, part of me hates to be trying to give you all more stuff to look at, read, and think about but a friend of mine posted this and it intrigued me so I thought I would share.

Firstly, and not to step on Jayson's paper topic at all, but I have been thinking about the idea of post-feminism a lot lately. It is something that has always kind of been there in my mind; I constantly hear people saying things like, "Do you want to hear a joke? Women's rights." I have also had many, many people ask, in all seriousness and from a little to a large helping of disdain, what is the point in being a women's studies major or to ostracize and make fun of me simply by calling me a feminist as if it were an insult.

With this in mind and within the context of post-feminism, I happened upon this youtube video. It is not about post-feminism, I don't know if you want to say it is really even about feminism at all, but it brings up some interesting things about how women view themselves.

I don't know why people think there is no place for feminism anymore. I don't know why people think women don't still need to fight for their rights, even if our rights are to keep our clothes on!

I just don't know. But I thought this video to be empowering. I guess its just nice to hear people that aren't in a feminist theory class acknowledge that there is still things wrong with the way women are perceived in this world.

Food and Clthing Drive

Hi Everyone!

I know that someone asked about a clothing drive privously in class.  I have just arranged a food and clothing drive.  I know a lot of things go into the trash when people go home at the end of the semester.  Please follow this link to the facebook event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/444893782192561/?context=create

Invite all of your friends and spread the word!

Thanks
~Brittany~

Some thoughts on the Middle East Situation for Women

Doreen Bumpus

Dr. McVickers

Global Literary Landmarks

April 25, 2012

                                                Media Analysis on YEMEN

Legacy of Colonialism

     North Yemen, the Yemen Arab Republic, was established as a tribal military polity in 1962

after the overthrow of theocratic Shiite imanate.  South Yemen, the People’s Democratic

Republic of Yemen, gained its independence from Britain in 1967.  It was the only Marxist

regime in the Arab world.

     Any of the two countries’ attempts to unify were hindered by the political differences which

included two wars.  The unification was accelerated in part by the end of the Cold War.  The two

countries were unified in 1990 as the Republic of Yemen.

    In 1994 civil war between the North and South ended with the victory of a “close circle of

tribal, sectarian and military groups” (Manea 2010) led by Ali Abdallah Saleh.  Saleh ruled since

1978 until recently when he was compelled to step down and leave the country.

Gender Rights in Yemen

     Widely practiced in the Arab world is the subjugation of women culturally, politically, and

 religiously.  However, Yemen, for its own particular degree of oppression somehow is fairly

stable in its status of women as indicated in one comparison of Yemen population’s rights in

2006 to 2009 (Manea 2010). 

     In this comparison, for the year 2009, Yemen consistently barely ranked number 2 on a scale

of 1 to 5 in measuring its non-discrimination, access to justice, autonomy, security, freedom of

                                                                                                                                            

the person, economic rights and equal opportunity.  However, for both 2006 and 2009, Yemen

ranked a solid 2.0 on the scale for “political rights and civic voice” as well as for culture and arts

(Manea 2010). 

     This seems to indicate that Yemen is consistent in its level of rights for Arab women,

although it still has a low ranking for those years.  The fact that Arab women were vocal in the

removal of Selah from rule by the burning of their veils indicates a choice for freedom and

equality that seems to have some effect on cultural values and is gaining political voice.

     With the explosion of the short story in Arab literature and presence of Arab female authors I

expect to hear a crescendo of female voices addressing the inequalities and  injustices in their

world. This is why I feel that the next wave of feminism will be from the Arab world.

     I do not feel the Western media is accurately portraying ALL of the events in the Arab world,

however I feel often it is more inclusive of details than the Arab world is with its veiling and

unveiling of political and national events. 

    For example, the fact that CNN covered the burning of Arab women’s veils in October 2011 is

contrasted to the lack of coverage from Arab media.  The vibrant picture of women in black

burquas torching their veils is very visual, as well as the text in which women’s banners are

quoted as saying “Saleh the butcher is killing women and proud of it” and “Women have no

value in the eyes in Ali Saleh” (CNN 2011).  Although women’s level of rights is low compared

to the top rank of 5, it consistently speaks out with some level of influence and success.

Arab Media Presence In General

     The media in the Arab world generally lacks full disclosure, and is biased in its own ways

against the Western world.  Many times I would attempt to search for current events, only to find

articles that dated, or to find previous information now missing.  I also found websites, such as

                                                                                                                                                        2 

the Shabab Yemeni to consistently have no current news activities on site.  As a result, I spent

the semester skipping around websites in an attempt to understand Arab events.  Finally, toward

the end of the semester, it seemed that more news was consistently covered, and covered in

greater range and depth.  The graphics on the websites are colorful and on some of them the

advertisements, although in Arabic, are recognizable as marketing.

     My most recent searches brought the best results from the Yemen Post, and Yemen Online.

  Both of these online sources appear in quality very comparable to Western online media

sources in graphics and the range of news covered. 

Examples of current news online

     Recent news in the Yemen Post covers “Yemeni officials calling for dialogue with al-Qaeda”

 which I don’t think has much chance of success since the al-Qaeda are hellbent on killing non-

Muslims.  A French worker was handed over to al-Qaeda, talks for release of Saudi diplomat and

a Swiss teacher halted; an officer was assassinated in Yemen; April 30 was set as the final date to

execute Yemeni troops by the AQAP (al-Qaeda’s Yemeni branch); and, the interior ministry is to

activate coastal patrols.

     The Yemen Post also has “interviews” and different news category headings such as “local,

politics, business, health and international.”  There is a section for “Yemen in the News.”  The

headliner for this date was “YEMEN: Sacked Air Force Commander Gives Up.” Each news

story has a “Read Full Story” link. 

     Under the interviews, one of the stories is headlined “Government urged to let Osama’s wife

return to Yemen.”  Another interview is with “active twitterest and self-confess activist”  Saif al-

Shara’abi, a “naturalized British Yemeni” (living in London) whose “interest for politics is

something of a family legacy” (Yemen Post 2012).

                                                                                                                                                      

On the Yemen Online website, the graphics also are impressive, and the news coverage format

similar to the Yemen Post with advertising displays.  It also has several news categories, a

noticeable “subscribe button” and a “visit us on Facebook” link.

     The top story in the Yemen Online is headlined “US praises Yemen crackdown on al-Qaeda.”

  Opposite that story in smaller but still noticeable graphics, is the story headlined “More

children in Yemen being affected by measles, mines.”  Children not only are suffering a disease

western medical science has alleviated, they are also victims still of landmines! 

     Also highlighted are topics such as “CIA to expand drone campaign in Yemen;” Yemeni

troops battle al-Qaeda militants in the south;” “French ICRC worker kidnapped in Yemen;” and,

a “Special Report: YEMEN: Akhdam community angered by government neglect.”

     This news website, Yemen Online, has more depth to it than the Yemen Post, which offers a

wide range of news information, and headings such as “more headlines, politics, culture-

education, civil society, Gulf news, and more Special Reports” can be accessed for additional

news stories.

     Looking at these online sites and the visibility of  the news, it appears that Yemen not only is

receiving millions of US dollars, it is also beginning to emulate the West in its news coverage.

Comparison of Political “Cartoons”

     While western culture has long enjoyed freedom of expression, educated or uneducated,

enlightened or ignorant, eastern culture has hidden or denied freedom of expression within its

own sphere of humanity as a continued way of life in nomadic or contemporary times.

All societies, including western, in some form mask behaviors and events.  All people, in some

way or another, mask emotions or thoughts, including in the western world.  However, in

                                                                                                                                                          4

Arabian culture this masking seems to barr relations from the Arab world and the global world

from reaching a common ground.

     Political cartoons have long been familiar to those of us in western culture, and sometimes

this form of political comment gets very base.  Nothing I have ever seen in western political

cartoons has ever been as vicious as I have seen on the Arab websites. (see: color visuals)

     These Arabian political cartoons are, to say the least, very blunt in their messages against

women, each other, and western culture. They are not a part of each and every Arab online site,

but the sites containing them, as I said, are very graphic in their opinions.

     American sarcasm is mild compared to this sampling of political cartoons (see: examples of

American “bumper stickers”).

     The main narratives seem to rely around the continued threat of al-Qaeda and religious or

political fanatics because of overwhelming hatred of the western world.  The struggle for Arab

women to attain freedom of choice in religion and over their own persons, and, tensions between

Arab nations also resonate continually throughout Arab and global news.

     I think western news media approximates the reality Yemen is experiencing, albeit from a

skewed perspective at times.  I think that Yemen media is attempting to take the best from the

west and implement it, to some degree, within its own news media structure.

Key Connections Between Literature and Reality

     In Shahrazad we saw the embedded narrative weaving multiple stories into one main

 narrative, and we saw the “veiling and unveiling” of the Arab culture.  This turned out to be a

more profound part of Arab culture than as a westerner we may have thought.  We have

experienced it in many of these countries as we have attempted to follow and understand news

events connected to them.

                                                                                                                                                          5

         The traditional Literary Canon contained primarily western white males and did not even

equitably represent western white females.  In the development of a global society, the Arab and

third world countries continued to be under represented in the Literary Canon established by

white colonialist nations.

     Today, we are seeing not only the increase in Arab literature published and distributed to the

global community, but  are also seeing the presence of Arab women in globally published short

story anthologies such as Arab Women Writers (State University of New York Press 2005) and

in areas of political and feminist voice also.

     Representations of film are now appearing on dvd (“Torn Apart”) as well as trailers for the

new film “Salmon Fishing in Yemen.” This last film is being promoted on both western and

Arabian internet sites. Capitalism seems to have some mutual value in cultural pursuits. Maybe

 there will be an Arabian version of “Bollywood.”

     The veiling and unveiling of Arab women is being reflected in their short stories.  The veiling

and unveiling of the Arab news media is changing in the way news is presented to the world. 

How much of this is due to the massive influx of millions of US dollars into Yemen alone, I

cannot say. My opinion would be that it is a major factor.

     I have not noticed much said during the semester about oil when I searched for Yemen news.

  The areas of influence I have seen are in women’s growing body of short stories in literature,

and the feminist issues illustrated by the burning of veils.  Arab women are getting global

exposure for their literature and reaching a global audience, as well as having influence on the

removal of corrupt politicians, at a price foreign to industrialized nations, other perhaps, than

what the Jews suffered at the hands of the Nazis.

                                                                                                                                                          6

     The startling brevity of the Arab women’s short stories presents myriad issues many times

within 3 pages which rival the brevity of Arabs and Jackals.  The Arab women’s form of short

stories could be compared to the western woman’s lack of private room and expression through

the literary form of poems.  Slowly the western Literary Canon is evolving.

Conclusion

     Colorful images of the “Other” found in periodicals such as National Geographic, have

traditionally exposed us as youth to exotic cultures such as the Arabic by evoking visions of

mystery, magic, and intrigue.  Entertainment, such as Hollywood film media, has perpetuated the

stereotypes of “other” that continue to create bias and fear.  Recently, the media of film, via

independent venues, began to open up consideration of a revised version of “other” and perhaps

begun to advance the global community towards mutual respect of  all cultures.

     While The Washington Post” states in its article “For Yemeni women, the future looks

uncertain,”  the determination of Yemeni women to oust Selah and their flagrant display against

Arab tradition by mass burning of their veils indicates a rising female voice against oppression

and a determination to be counted as equals within their culture.

     As I stated, I feel the next significant wave of feminism will emanate from the Arab women. 

The “third-world” female population is overburdened and unable to rise up in a significant

manner, whereas the Arabic women in spite of their oppression and persecution are vocal and

having some significance in political events, such as with the ousting of Selah in Yemen.

     The feminist movement, in the United States for instance, is fractured and still trying to define

and theorize feminism.  The middle-, upper-class white woman is becoming the “other” and

slowly sinking into poverty as well.  The chicana/latina movement for feminism is hampered by

                                                                                                                                                       7

the reluctance to oppose their men.

     It has been difficult to identify with a culture such as the Arabic that has had so little presence

in western academics other than the translated western version of the  Arabian Nights.   The

Hollywood tradition of portraying the Arabic culture as exotic as well as mystical and sinister

has permeated Amercian pop culture for decades. 

     This lack of exposure to the richness of Arabic culture and history has been exasperated by

 the irrational zeal of some Islamic fanatics to murder non-believers, even at the expense of their

own Arabic youth and women.

     Personally, it is difficult for me to connect on a religions level with a culture that worships a

 Holy Book, the Koran, which is perhaps my skewed perception, written by a prophet who

espouses killing non-believers.  My divinity espouses reaching out to non-believers to “spread

the Gospel” and doesn’t promise me a bunch of virgins in the afterlife if I bomb and

murder myself as well as innocent bystanders.  My God doesn’t tell me to hijack airliners and

crash them into skyscrapers.  But this is my perception, and may not accurately reflect a culture

that I have had limited interaction with and know next-to-nothing about.

     All in all, it has been a profound challenge to process this course material, but definitely and

 interesting one.

    

    

 Works Cited

Raghaven, Sudarsan.  “For Yemeni women, the future looks uncertain . . . .”  The Washington Post.  December 25, unk.

www.articles.cnn.com/2011-10-26/middleeast/world_meast_yemen-pr...  “Yemeni women burn veils to protest regime.” October 26, 2011.

Manea, Elham.  “Yemen.” Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2010.

www.yemenpost.net  

www.yemenonline.info/

    

 

    

    

"Sluts Across America"

Hi guys,

I just wanted to let you know about a really awesome internet movement called "Sluts Across America" (http://www.slutsacrossamerica.org/). Here's some information on it:

"In a direct attack on the GOP’s War on Women, a new project called “Sluts Across America” has been launched to highlight the absurdity of judging those who use birth control “for totally valid, responsible, and mature reasons”; show that supporters of reproductive rights exist everywhere; and re-appropriate and take ownership of the derogatory term “slut.”

The site involves a simple interface that asks users to input their location and a reason for supporting access to birth control. It then displays the users’ statements and locations anonymously, under the heading “I’m a slut because…”"

There's already a ton of voices around our area, but feel free to add yours (girls AND boys)! 

~Kris

OSCAR

OSCAR Times and Presentations:


Doreen -
Unknown

Alyssa -
1:00 Senior Seminar
2:00 Publishing Chapbook
5:00 Illuminated Poem

Kristen -
2:20 Senior Sem
5:00 Illuminated Poem

Jared -
2:30/3:00? Senior Sem
5:00 Illuminated Poem

Liz -
2:00 Publishing Chapbook?


Make sure you come see the Illuminated Poems...Alyssa and I may have a sassy walk off.

BEWARE of Legos !!!

http://visiontoamerica.org/9310/feminist-group-declares-war-on-legos/