Full Description
Feminist Conversations is a forum of cross-cultural communication among women from different parts of the world, as well as from different life paths. It draws on several disciplines, including gender studies, psychology and political science, to gain insight into the following questions: Do post-transitional societies become more women-friendly as they become more democratic? Which strategies of empowerment can women use to obtain political voice and improve their everyday lives? How do they cope with traumatic experiences and memories? Women's rights activists and feminist scholars from Lithuania, Armenia, South Africa, Guatemala and the United States reflect on the productivity of different practices for increasing political standing, the efficiency of different methods of dealing with gender violence and the different empowerment mechanisms of coping with trauma. The authors engage in a dialogue about the applicability of these practices, methods and mechanisms to various countries and cultures.
Contents
Part 1 Part I. Reflecting on Trauma and Empowerment: Theories and Practices Chapter 2 Chapter 1. Revision of the Visions: Feminism and Empowerment in Post-Transitional Societies Chapter 3 Chapter 2. From "Dirty Laundry" to a Human Rights Concern? International Norms and Gender Violence in Armenia and Lithuania Chapter 4 Chapter 3. Paradoxes of "Gender Equality" in Lithuania: Violence against Women and Equal Opportunites Chapter 5 Chapter 4. "Come Rape Us!" The Everyday Trauma of Sexual Violence in South Africa Chapter 6 Chapter 5. Losing Ground: How the Lack of Opportunity for Women to Own Land Impales the Tanzanian Economy Chapter 7 Chapter 6. Entrepreneurship: Antidote to Women's Economic Oppression Part 8 Part II. Living Trauma and Empowerment: Stories and Strategies Chapter 9 Chapter 7. Left Alone, the Widows of the War: Trauma Reframed through Community Empowerment in Guatemala Chapter 10 Chapter 8. Dolls with Jobs: A Compelling Response by Traditional KwaZulu-Natal Craftswomen in an Era of HIV-AIDS Chapter 11 Chapter 9. Confined Space:The Simultaneous Installation of Art and the De-Installation of a Relationship Part 12 Part III. Authentic Voices: Nothing Lost in Translation! Chapter 13 Chapter 10. Were All Women Born to Suffer? Understanding Resistance to Empowerment: A Lithuanian NGO Activist's Perspective Chapter 14 Chapter 11. Women and Empowerment in Armenia: Traditions, Transitions and Current Politics Chapter 15 Chapter 12. Zara's Travail: A Life Story Chapter 16 Chapter 13. Gender In/Equality in Egypt and Armenia Chapter 17 Chapter 14. Addressing Trauma through Political Action: Nineth Montenegro's Story Chapter 18 Conclusion: A Conversation among the Editors
