Stó:lô poet and author, Lee Maracle, speaks on the connection between violence against women and violence against the earth at First Voices! First Women Speak! a presentation of the Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement.
Ending Domination: The Struggle Continues, a public talk given by bell hooks at the New College in Sarasota, Florida.
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While Feminism is traditionally understood as a collection of movements and ideologies that advocate specifically for women's rights and equality, it is developing into a movement to eliminate all forms of sexism and oppression. There are examples of feminism from around the world and all through-out history, but three waves have typically been identified in order to explain its modern development.
First wave feminism focused on obtaining legal and political equality for women including the right to vote, and freedom to work outside of the home. The second wave of feminism focused more on challenging gender norms and roles and cultural inequalities. Third wave feminism further blurs gender norms and roles by promoting a non-binary view of gender and sexuality that can include bisexuality, asexuality, pansexuality, transgender and agender identities. The focus on sexism's effect on women solely is also challenged with bell hooks' expanding the definition of Feminism to "a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression." This opens up Feminism to include the experience of men who have been negatively affected by sexism. Even more indicative of the third wave is the focus on micropolitics and intersectionality, and the rise of nonwhite Feminist voices. These voices, including (but far from limited to) Gloria Anzaldúa, bell hooks, Chela Sandoval, Audre Lorde, and Maxine Hong Kingston challenge white, upper class assumptions about what is good for women and advocate for consideration of how race and class affect women's point of views, needs, and desires. Other arising Feminist concerns, which some are calling the 4th wave, include sex and body positivity. This has lead to, for example, celebration of plus size fashion and models, acceptance of queer/female positive porn, untraditional sexuality, the prevalence of rape-culture, and sex work. Reproductive justice also remains a concern in the US in particular as well as sexual harassment and female images in mainstream media. |