Feminist Activism Summary

The theme of this weeks readings was activism and activist movements and how they shape feminism for future generations. Throughout this response I will be comparing the three readings for this week, and I will pick out and analyze specific points and arguments that stood out to me, while also mentioning aspects that I agreed with.

What does it mean to be an “activist”? Christ Bobel poses this question in his article ‘I’m not an activist, though i’ve done a lot of it’: Doing Activism, Being Activist and the ‘Perfect Standard’ in a Contemporary Movement. Bobel makes a strong point in saying that women in particular have a problem with identifying as an ‘activist’ and consider using the term to be inappropriate when one has not actually ‘lived

The author touches on the subject of rape and its relation to black women’s history of oppression, and how the word may be sensitive to some women because of that exact history. I found this aspect of the reading to be very interesting, and even hurtful to read. The author also touches on the idea that younger generations are taking feminism in a new direction, while older feminists are feeling left out and not included in activist movements like the “Slut Walk”. I personally, have always sort of found something off about activist movements like this and have realized, being to a few that there can still be a severe divide in women when it comes to race, age and sexual orientation. If the point of these activist movements is to bring women closer together, Reger makes me wonder if these movements are doing the opposite. Although they do partially bring women together over the issues of men, and being oppressed they also can pit women against each other without even meaning to. The idea that “Slut Walks” are keeping feminism alive, is also a riveting point brought up by Reger when she says “While many claim that feminism is done and gone (see Reger 2012c) the existence and emergence of the

In the reading, I enjoyed reading the multiple stories from young girls with indigenous backgrounds and how they feel that ultimately their culture is being defamed and they are being stereotyped as “dirty indians” and other horrific names. This reminds me of what happens around Halloween with costumes and people dressing up as “indians”, in very revealing clothing, making noises and chanting to express their costume to others. This reading is arguing that people have forgotten about the history of Canadian indigenous peoples and that this large community is still suffering today because of this. When thinking about colonialism and the idea that years ago, Europeans took nearly everything from indigenous peoples it makes me very upset. I have an indigenous background, as my great-grandmother was a Mohawk tribe leader (one of the only women who were able to call themselves a tribe leader) and my grandmother always tells me about the hardships they went to, and she went through as a child growing up with a very prominent indigenous mother. The author talks about the idea of decolonizing, which is