Comments on: The Fear of Feminism

By: At least they’re warning us | The Harvard Library Innovation Laboratory

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 00:56:26 +0000

[...] turns out to be a hoax played by some activists — all too [...]

By: Gabriella Kozisek

Gabriella Kozisek — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:06:21 +0000

Well written article! I really enjoy reading your blog because of you guys always publish informative articles. I enjoyed it once again. I plan to bookmarking this website. I believe I will subscribe to this feed also. Thanks! ……..

By: TB

TB — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 20:42:40 +0000

That note you saw was all a hoax by some Brown students.

https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/mcm1700p/Uncovered.

By: Rumjhum Biswas

Rumjhum Biswas — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:49:36 +0000

Thanks for the link Oishik! Have saved it alrweady.
Also Anindita for the zubaan link.

By: Anindita Sengupta

Anindita Sengupta — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:49:20 +0000

Very informative article, Oishik. And here is the link to the Zubaan bookstore in case anyone wants to buy the book: http://www.zubaanbooks.com/zubaan_books_details.asp?BookID=100

By: Oishik

Oishik — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:29:16 +0000

Thanks for your comment Rumjhum. There’s a huge amount of work on Third World/ Postcolonial Feminism arguing on the lines of what Mohanty does — some notable authors are Uma Narayan, Ratna Kapur Lila Abu-lughod, not to mention Gayatri Spivak. In the light of Sarkozy’s ban on the burqa and the post 9/11 obsession with this piece of clothing Lila Abu-lughod’s work is very insightful… here’s an essay by her called ‘Do Muslim Women Need Saving?’… it’s available at http://www.smi.uib.no/seminars/Pensum/Abu-Lughod.pdf

Mohanty’s book is available in India, published by Zubaan…

By: Oishik

Oishik — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:18:09 +0000

Hi Ammel… thanks for providing the link…

By: RMJ

RMJ — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:33:36 +0000

Figures! Feminism + non-Western centered ideas = scaaaaary stuff for W and his cronies.

By: ammel

ammel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:49:32 +0000

Find her essay (1986) at http://blog.lib.umn.edu/raim0007/RaeSpot/under%20wstrn%20eyes.pdf

By: Rumjhum Biswas

Rumjhum Biswas — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:18:14 +0000

Thank you so much for this well written and informative article. For a long time I looked at western ideas of Asian/oriental feminism suspiciously, though I did pot have anything substantial other than anecdotes and a few stuff I’d read here and there. Looks like I wasn’t off the mark. I have not read Chandra Mohanty’s book; would love to read it. Hope you return to this portal with a detailed review of her book. Is it available in India?

One more thing:-

While fear of feminism is not a defeat for feminists it does manifest itself in ugly ways, at least in our country. Since this is still GLBT pride Month, I’ll recount the story (a very old one and I can’t remember exactly when or where I had read it) of two women in North Kolkata who were terrorised by local/para boys because they were lovers, they were even threatened with rape; they had to flee. And that is just one small example. Women are largely powerless in our society, the fear of feminism or the need to keep women subjugated in will and indentured in spirit is such a powerful need/desire that it can well lead to complete dispossession and annihilation (of women).

Regards,

Rumjhum Biswas