Solidarity

To be completely honest about today's reading, I found it overwhelming. Mohanty's article was quite long and also information-heavy, which led me to some confusion along the way. I reread many of the paragraphs in hopes of getting a better grasp on her key points and main arguments, and found one that really stuck out to me: Mohanty, in going through the aspects of her book with which she was satisfied and those that received criticism, took the time to focus on reemphasizing a main idea in her work- that idea being connections between local and universal feminism.

Mohanty went though many parts of her book that created misconceptions, such as masculinist assumptions, opposing feminist groups, forms of generalization, differences over commonalities, etc. but I think she intended to direct the majority of readers' attention toward the issue of solidarity. She was thorough and repetitive in stating that the misconceptions, though present and widespread, are incorrect in recognizing her book to possess an opposition against solidarity across borders. Her assurance that she does believe in building a non-colonizing feminist solidarity across borders made me realize the importance of the idea I previously mentioned, connections between local and universal feminism.

I feel as though I have written many blog posts that emphasize this idea from the readings that we have done; however, that only proves my point of how relevant and serious the matter is. Feminism is not in any way an individual battle. It is a battle that has taken unity to get us anywhere, yet there is still so far to go. Mohanty made sure in this article that readers knew that she too is an advocate of solidarity across all borders. Feminism should be used to bring different groups of people together, locally and universally, not used to segregate them even further. It should not be a question of race, or religion, or culture, but rather a powerful and diverse force. Feminism is more than just a mutual interest to which people can bond over, it is a purpose, and it is the purpose of many no matter your differences.

Comments

  1. Molly AdelmanDecember 3, 2017 at 6:46 AM

    I completely agree that the article was quite dense and a bit difficult to understand. I really love your emphasis on solidarity present in the text, as she discussed the importance of solidarity and sticking together. I agree that feminism is not an individual battle but a battle that must be fought with the support and help of others.

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