========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 00:40:50 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: beatrice Subject: Re: black voices In-Reply-To: Message of Sun, 28 Apr 1996 13:29:50 -0700 from Also see Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis's "Oral narratives of African American Women in the professions" and Dorothy Sterling's "We are also your sisters" and Paula Giddings "When and where I enter." beatrice bfdgc@cunyvm.cuny.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 07:36:02 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Marge Piercy Subject: QUERY ABOUT WOMEN LAWYERS I am attempting to research the situation of women lawyers, currently and in the recent past -- say, someone getting a law degree no earlier than the middle to late seventies. I have found many (boastful) memoirs and nonfiction books by male lawyers and a few by women, but only about high profile cases and constitutional law (i.e. Roe vs. Wade). I am looking for more mundane materials, about what women who are practicing law not as prosecutors but as lawyers dealing with civil and criminal cases, torts that sort of thing. I have encountered many novels which are more romanticized than what interests me. I am not looking for material on a very successful New York corporation lawyer but daily process and ordinary law practice as women conduct it now. I have been referred to Helen Schwartz LAWYERING and am waiting, waiting for it to come through on interlibrary loan. Do you know of anything relevant? Please reply private to hagolem@capecod.net -- thank you, Marge Piercy ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 08:12:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: format for WMST-L messages (User's Guide) Each month, I post sections from the WMST-L User's Guide to remind subscribers of the list's resources and procedures. If changes have been made since the last time a section was posted, the subject header will begin "Revision:". Also, you can now consult the User's Guide anytime you'd like if you have access to gopher or World Wide Web. Gopher to gopher.umbc.edu and select Academic Department Info, then Women's Studies, then WMST-L. For those who prefer World Wide Web, the URL is http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/user-guide.html . Meanwhile, here is section one: 1) "IS THERE A PREFERRED FORMAT TO USE FOR MESSAGES SENT TO THE LIST (I.E., TO WMST-L@UMDD OR WMST-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU)?" Yes. First of all, ALWAYS put your name and e-mail address at the end of every posting. (It is important that people be able to contact you privately if they wish, and some mail systems do not identify the writer anywhere in the header.) Also, please include a meaningful subject heading, so that people will know whether your message deals with a topic of interest to them. (MANY people automatically delete messages with no subject heading or with one that doesn't interest them.) Finally, if you are replying to someone else's posting, BRIEFLY quote or summarize that posting before you offer your reply. Doing so will make your message clearer and avoid confusion. (New subscribers are continually joining the list; they may not have read the original message. And since a number of topics are often being discussed on the list at any given moment, even long-time subscribers may not remember what prompted your remarks unless you remind them.) NOTE: if you're replying to a long message, do NOT quote it in its entirety! Include just a few relevant lines. ***************************************************************************** * Joan Korenman korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu * * U. of Md. Baltimore County * * Baltimore, MD 21228-5398 http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/ * * * * The only person to have everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe * ***************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 08:34:22 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Nancy A. Barta-Smith" Subject: Re: QUERY ABOUT WOMEN LAWYERS >Sorry to send this to the list, but a message would not go through to the private address. I have participated twice recently in the feminism and legal theory workshop at Columbia organized by Professor Martha Fineman. They have published several volumes with Routledge. Since I am not myself a lawyer, I did not attend the fall conference of 1995, but it dealt with women in the legal profession. I did participate in the conference this spring on women and the academy. It brought together academic lawyers, but it turns out that one of the difficulties for these women is that they are hired mainly to teach legal writing and staff legal clinics. In the latter capacity, they are involved in providing legal services for the kinds of cases you describe--to those not able to hire expensive lawyers who do the big cases. As the mother of a recent law school graduate (U. of Iowa) now practicing at Arnold and Porter in D.C. I have to add that new lawyers even in the big corporate firms have special difficulties due to gender, beyond the trials and tribulations of new associates, as well. Professor Fineman's secretary for the workshop is Cynthia Hewett 212 854-5745. I hope some of this information is of use. NBS ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 09:32:57 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Gina Oboler, Anthropology & Sociology, Ursinus College" Subject: Re: American Academy for Liberal Education I would also like to know about the American Academy for Liberal Education, so if anyone replies, could you please reply to the list? Thanks. -- Gina Oboler ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 08:54:35 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jacqueline Haessly Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values Comments: To: Karla Jay In-Reply-To: Dear Karla, I do not have the answer to your specific question, but would like to raise another question here on a topic that is somehow implied in your question. While I am addressing the comments to you, since the message came from you, it really is addressed to all readers on this list. Thanks for raising the important question. That is linking "family values" with conservatism. Radio and TV talk shows, poliitcal candidates, and others might want to do so, but I strongly urge faculty in Women's Studies programs to refrain from doing so. Family Values, rightly understood, acknowledges that the family is the smallest of all social organizations (United Nation's Declaration for 1994 International Year of the Family). IYF's stated purpose is to strengthen the family, and all its members, in a manner that will allow both women and men, and the children of families, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to live life free from oppression, exploitation, and war (at home and in world). Some years ago, a respected family Studies scholar wrote in a regional newsletter that, given the political/religious fall-out regarding any topic concerned with family, she was almost afraid to say that she worked in the family field. As I review the messages on this list, I note that there is an abundance of messages that have to do with courses and issues re women and literature, women and history, women and development, women and advertising, women and sexual orientation, women and health, women and abortion, and on and on and on, and I wonder, what about women and family -- as a legitimate area for folks in women's studies to address publicly and with passion. Many of us in the Family Studies field ARE impassioned about all the above issues, and see them as not relegated to "conservative" or "liberal" values, but to human values grounded in justice for all. Indeed, there is an international movement that addresses such a concern called "Family Life Education for Peace", and it is clearly understood by all involved that this "Peace" must be rooted in economic, political, religious, cultural, and social justice, and must go beyond the four walls of family homes. Peace, Jacqueline Haessly jacpeace@acs.stritch.edu On Tue, 30 Apr 1996, Karla Jay wrote: > Does anyone on the list know the political agenda of the American Academy > for Liberal Education? As some of you may know, they were empowered in > 1995 to accredit liberal arts programs. The New York Times described > them as "traditional." Is this a code word for "conservative" or > "family values"? Has anyone had any experience at an institution which > has tried to be accredited by AALE? > > If you respond to the list, would you please send me a copy as well at > one of the addresses below? > > Thanks so much in advance for any help. > > Karla Jay > > ********************************************************************* > * PROFESSOR KARLA JAY JAY@PACEVM.DAC.PACE.EDU * > * DIRECTOR, WOMEN'S STUDIES OR * > * PACE UNIVERSITY JAY@PACEVM.BITNET * > * 1 PACE PLAZA * > * NEW YORK, NY 10038 TEL: 212-346-1642 * > * FAX: 212-346-1754 * > ********************************************************************* > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 13:51:52 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Gina Oboler, Anthropology & Sociology, Ursinus College" Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values I do want to second Jacqueline Haessly's concern about not linking "Family Values" with conservatism. My guess, just off-hand, would be that family issues are a major component in most people's Gender Sociology courses -- they certainly are in mine! This is probably a good time to revisit my post of several weeks ago, when I was trying to find out if anybody else was going to the Socialist Scholars' Conference or the Summit on Ethics and Meaning. Several people were interested in a report on the Socialist Scholars' Conference -- but as things worked out, I did not manage to attend that. I *did* attend the Summit on Ethics and Meaning, which was a very energizing event, dis- cussing a program which is certainly progressive enough to suit me (which I was afraid it might not be), though pretty Utopian. One of the agenda items for the Summit was to work on a final draft of a "Progressive Covenant With American Families," to which I urge you all to give attention. A "National Families Day" is being planned for Fall. I would be glad to share more information about all this privately, or on the list if Joan thinks it's appropriate. Also, don't forget Marian Wright Edelman and the Children's Defense Fund's Stand For Children event in Washington on June 1 -- I hope many of us are helping any students who will still be around at that point organize themselves to go! I also heard somewhere that the ADA is drafting something similar to the "Progressive Family Covenant" in co-operation with the Congressional Progressive caucus. Anyone know any more? I agree that it's imperative to take the idea of "Family Values" back from the right. Family is not the same as Patriarchy, despite an unfortunate history of association of those ideas. -- Gina Oboler (roboler@acad.ursinus.edu) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 10:13:40 GMT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Denise Santoro Subject: Rhetoric association Does anyone know of an association that deals with the study of rhetoric from a feminist perspective? If not, how about an association that simply deals with the study of rhetoric (excluding MLA). Please respond privately. Thank you, Denise Santoro denise@altamira.sagepub.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 14:46:53 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Raka Shome Subject: Re: Rhetoric association In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 1 May 1996 10:13:40 GMT from Yes, the _Speech Communication Association_ does just that. If you want specific info. email me privately. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 11:51:30 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kay Dodder Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values In-Reply-To: <009A1AED.D072D940.23@acad.ursinus.edu> On Wed, 1 May 1996, Gina Oboler wrote: > I do want to second Jacqueline Haessly's concern about not linking "Family > Values" with conservatism. My guess, just off-hand, would be that family > issues are a major component in most people's Gender Sociology courses -- they > certainly are in mine! I'd say this is why it's so important to be careful with our language in research, teaching and writing. I agree that "family issues", or issues concerning women and the family, are very important to explore in the Women's Studies field. But we should not confuse this with the politicized code-word "Family Values", which often DOES stand for a very conservative set of values, not consistent with feminism or women's empowerment. Any time you talk about "values", it's imperative that you start by defining exactly what you are "valuing". > I agree that it's imperative to take the idea of "Family Values" back from > the right. Family is not the same as Patriarchy, despite an unfortunate > history of association of those ideas. > -- Gina Oboler (roboler@acad.ursinus.edu) Nor is the family unit necessarily defined as a man, a woman, and their children. I would hope that a course in modern Family Studies would allow room for families which include inter-generational relatives, or which include simply a mother and her child. Again, the pitfall here is in not defining your terms. I'd hate to fall into that trap, and get into a war of code-words with ideologues. Kay Dodder University of Arizona kdodder@bird.library.arizona.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 12:00:26 -0800 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Julie Allen Subject: Re: Rhetoric association >Does anyone know of an association that deals with the study of rhetoric >from a feminist perspective? If not, how about an association that simply >deals with the study of rhetoric (excluding MLA). Please respond privately. > >Thank you, > >Denise Santoro >denise@altamira.sagepub.com The Conference on College Composition and Communication, an organization related to the National Council of Teachers of English, deals with the study of rhetoric, as well as with pedagogical issues in the teaching of writing. There is a significant feminist presence in this organization. The Rhetoric Society of America is an interdisciplinary group devoted to the study of rhetoric. Someone from Speech Communications will need to supply the names of professional organizations in that field. Julie allen@sonoma.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 12:01:19 GMT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Denise Santoro Subject: Re: Rhetoric association Yes, I would like information on this association. If you work there, please send me a pamphlet on what you're all about, what type of subdivisions you have and information on mailing lists. If not, just the address and phone number would be wonderful. If mailing info, please send to: Denise Santoro AltaMira Press 1840 San Miguel Road, Ste. 207 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Thank you, Denise Santoro At 02:46 PM 5/1/96 EDT, you wrote: >Yes, the _Speech Communication Association_ does just that. If >you want specific info. email me privately. > > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 16:04:00 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Raka Shome Subject: Re: Rhetoric association In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 1 May 1996 12:01:19 GMT from Speech Communication Association (acronym SCA) is probably the largest nationwide academic association dealing with Communication (Media, Interpersonal, Public Address, Organizational Comm, Intercultural , Rhetorical Studies) etc. It has various divisions and Caucuses: the ones having to do exclusively with feminist issues are 'Feminist and Women's STudies Division' and ' Women's Caucus.' I'll get back to you Denise privately with the phone no address etc of the main office. Can't find it now. Some of the journals where you will find feminist rhetorical stuff are; Quarterly Journal of Speech, Rhetoric and Philosophy, Communication Monographs, ....although it's scattered throughout these journals and more so difficult to exclusively point you towards any one. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 10:55:30 -1000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Office for Women's Research Subject: MELUS call for Papers C A L L F O R P A P E R S First International and Eleventh National MELUS Conference Multi-Ethnic Literatures Across the Americas and the Pacific: Exchanges, Contestations, and Alliances The University of Hawai'i at Manoa * April 18-20, 1997 Hosted by the College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature; the Center for Pacific Island Studies; the East-West Center; and the Department of Ethnic Studies The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS) will hold its first international conference at the University of Hawai'i in 1997, in acknowledgement of both Hawaii's central location between East and West and the increasingly complex relationship between the Pacific and the Americas. We invite proposals for papers, panels, etc. (less than 500 words). In addition to papers on the multi-ethnic literatures of North America, we welcome comparative perspectives that address the growing cultural or textual connections between America and the Pacific, as well as comparative perspectives on postcolonial and American ethnic literatures. possible topics: new frontiers? american ethnic literatures * immigrant literatures * border identities * critical regionalism * new directions in feminism * what about europe? * multiculturalism emerging literatures & languages pacific island literatures * literatures of hawai'i * creole languages cultures * protest & resistance literatures * why standard english? * theorizing asian/pacific literature * cultural nationalism * the languages of dance * non-u.s. ethnic literatures narrating north america & the pacific oral literatures & popular traditions * film & theater * representations of indigenous culture * colonialism, neo-colonialism, post-colonialism * transnationalism & cultural production * representations of hong kong 1997 * tourism & homo ludens * sovereignty & first nation movements * the black atlantic and the asian pacific reconfiguring american literary & cultural studies african american literature * asian american literature * chicano/a literature * euro-american literature * native american literature * the critique of nation & nationalism * cnn, www, & capitalist world culture * cultural transmigrations & transformations The conference will advertise internationally. Special sessions scheduled for K-12 teachers. Reduced registration rates for high school teachers, students, and international scholars. Presenters should be members of MELUS. For conference information, contact 1997 MELUS Conference Chair, University of Hawai'i, Manoa Department of English, Honolulu HI 96822; fax (808) 956-3083; e-mail: rhsu@hawaii.edu For MELUS membership information, contact Dr. Arlene Elder, English Dept., University of Cincinnatti, Cincinnatti, OH 45221 (513) 556-5924. DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: October 15, 1996 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 16:57:17 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Tara T Curtis Subject: Psychoanalysis and film...Query Hello all; It's been a while since I posted (been off the list for a while) and thought I'd write in on behalf of a colleague who is having trouble finding texts for a graduate level course she is teaching this Fall (yes, it's hard to believe, but she's not yet "on-line"). The course is being taught in an English department and will be focusing on psychoanalysis and film. I know that she has about 5 sources but unfortunately, I don't know what they are. I do know they're not exactly what she's looking for. She's got lots on film and lots on psychoanalysis, but very few on the combination. If anyone out there is teaching a similar type of course or knows of any information that might be useful, please respond PRIVATELY and I will pass the information on to her. As usual, I think you in advance (and if there's enough interest, I will post the bibliog. to the list). T. Curtis Dep't English University of Guelph tcurtis@uoguelph.ca (I forget what's at the bottom of my message, but whatever it is, it's probably wrong!) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 16:35:03 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: holzman Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values At 08:54 AM 5/1/96 -0500, Jacqueline Haessly wrote: >As I review the messages on this list, I note that there is an abundance >of messages that have to do with courses and issues re women and >literature, women and history, women and development, women and >advertising, women and sexual orientation, women and health, women and >abortion, and on and on and on, and I wonder, what about women and >family -- as a legitimate area for folks in women's studies to address >publicly and with passion. > > >Many of us in the Family Studies field ARE impassioned about all the >above issues, and see them as not relegated to "conservative" or >"liberal" values, but to human values grounded in justice for all. >Indeed, there is an international movement that addresses such a concern >called "Family Life Education for Peace", and it is clearly understood >by all involved that this "Peace" must be rooted in economic, political, >religious, cultural, and social justice, and must go beyond the four >walls of family homes. I have no problem with any of this, as long as it is clear that "family" includes many different kinds of families, including same-sex partnerships, single-parent families, intentional (as opposed to biologically-linked) households, etc., and is not code for heterosexism, patriarchy, and the denial of even minimal government financial support to impoverished women and children. Unfortunately, that is how the term "family values" is currently being deployed, and so if we aren't very explicit about what we mean every time we use it, we'll be misunderstood. __________________________ Clare Holzman 330 West 58th Street, 404 New York, NY 10019 holzmr01@mcrcr.med.nyu.edu It is easy to be born a human being but it is not easy to act like one. -- Tagalog proverb ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 18:56:01 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Natasha Smith (BR 1996)" Subject: Re: Contemporary British women creators In-Reply-To: On Wed, 24 Apr 1996, Sonita Sarker wrote: > I would be extremely gratified to get help in locating (i.e. naming, > citing, possibly talking with) women creating in the arts (fine arts, > literature, film) and writing in politics, in Britain in the last 50 years, > of different racial origins, especially Anglo-Saxon, Irish, and Indian... Ethel Smyth (1858-1944): composer (esp. famous for opera), writer (memoirs, essays...) and suffrage activist. Today she can be called "feminist" and "lesbian". Older than "the last 50 years" but perhaps worth looking at - an incredible and inspiring woman. Eliabeth Wood has written about beautifully about her music and life. (Ask me if you need more references). Smyth was Anglo-Saxon. Natasha Smith nxsmith@minerva.cis.yale.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 11:22:01 +1200 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Women's Studies @ Massey" Subject: Gender and restructuring I am posting this notice for a friend, please respond to her address, below: Hi - I am involved in designing a major research project on re-structuring in New Zealand organisations, and want to include a major component on gender and re-structuring. The focus is on managers - middle and senior - and especially on organisations where there has been significant downsizing of management/ de-layering. I am interested in any issues you think I might address, and in any thoughts you may have about the relationship between equal opportunties/'diversity', etc. and management restructuring. For instance, is opportunity opened up or cut off for women managers? do the 'best' managers i.e. women tend to leave and set up their own businesses or go somewhere else? might there be gender implications for new 'psychological contracts' with managers? what might be connections between gender and changing trends in white collar unionism? Also, is anyone else doing similar work? (It would be interesting to consider whether the issues for women managers might be same/different as for lower tier women workers). Or can you direct me to sources of similar research? Thanks. Deborah Jones Deborah.Jones@vuw.ac.nz Management Group Victoria University Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui P.O. Box 600 Pouaka Poutapeta 600 Wellington Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara NEW ZEALAND AOTEAROA ROOM 1102 Murphy Building Tel: 04-4721000 ext 8528 Fax: 04-471 2200 Women's Studies Programme, Massey University, PO Box 11-222, Palmerston North, Aotearoa (New Zealand) http ://cc-server9.massey.ac.nz/~wwwms ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 17:46:13 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Linda Kuzmack Subject: panelist The AAUW Educational Foundation Board of Directors is seeking a panelist in economics and business for the American Fellowships awards panel, for a two-year term through June 30, 1998. Panelists review applications in advance and meet once a year in Washington, D.C. in March to select the awardees for recommendation to the Board for approval. The panel meeting for 1997 will be held March 7-9, 1997. An AAUW vita form must be completed, which is available from the AAUW Executive Office (202-785-7717, or e-mail Pickensc@mail.aauw.org). Vita must be received by September 1, 1996. Vita postmarked after that date will be held for future appointments. AAUW values and seeks diversity in its appointments. Panelists need not be AAUW members. Please pass on this information to colleagues who support AAUW's mission and would be good reviewers for this fellowship. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 21:04:09 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: beatrice Subject: Re: group interviews In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 24 Apr 1996 10:22:45 -0700 from There's a good example of group interview in the American Educational Research Journal, Winter 1995, vol 32, No 4, pp 801-827. Neuman, S. B., Hagedom, T., Ce lano, D. & Daly, P. "Toward a Collaborative Approach to Parent Involvement in Early Education: A Study of Teenage Mothers in an African-American Community." beatrice bfdgc@cunyvm.cuny.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 18:11:59 -0000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Virginia Brimmer Subject: Re: "dysfunctional family values" Re: the discussion on the term "family values." Written in an earlier mailing: "Family is not the same as Patriarchy" (But is has been a powerful tool for/of the patriarchy.) The discussion on the term "family values" brings to my mind the same = discussion several years ago on the then very popular term = "dysfunctional family." To use that term I assumed you believed in and = valued Ozzie and Harriett, or maybe thought about them alot. It is a function of this culture for men to have power over women, for = women and women with children to live in poverty unattached to men, for = a home to be the primary place rape is committed, for racism to continue = to thrive ... the family unit is an effective tool for the instruction = and perpetuation of oppression. It is also essential that this be = denied. The word "dysfunctional" brought enormous focus, not to societal = conditions that oppressed but to individuals who just weren't doing it = right.=20 We were redirected when we got too close. Perhaps.=20 And wasn't that the point? The term "family values" has the same potential. It is a term with a = working definition. It has a past that can reinforce today's usage = equating it with oppressive tactics. "Family values" has a very real = definition rooted in a massive amount of evidence that says it has been = and will continue to be an effective tool of oppression. New words are sometimes neccesary for new meanings. Virginia Brimmer variver@naxs.com ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 23:22:56 -0800 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Nikki Senecal Subject: Re: family values > Family Values, rightly understood, acknowledges that the family is >the smallest of all social organizations (United Nation's Declaration for >1994 International Year of the Family). Perhaps we don't talk about the issue of family because 1) we reject standard definitions of family or 2) we don't believe the family is or should be regarded as the smallest of all social organizations (like, say, Shulamith Firestone). Hmm, and what does "rightly" understood mean? Whose/who's right? Radically yours, Nikki Senecal Dept of English USC senecal@chaph.usc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 03:29:41 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Amy Goodloe Subject: CFS: Women Online Speak Out Comments: To: vs-online-strat@igc.apc.org, qstudy-l@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu * * please distribute this announcement wherever women are online! * * ~ CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ~ Women Online Speak Out: a new online journal published by Women Online http://www.women-online.com/speak-out/ Women Online Speak Out is seeking submissions of articles and stories about gender and technology, women and the internet, feminist activism online, and more. Need a space to speak your mind? Tired of all the media hype? Want to show the world what "women and the internet" really means? Go for it. This web space is for you, for all women online to have a voice. If you're interested in a regular column, go ahead and suggest one. Women Online is visited by thousands of people each week so the potential audience is massive, and they need to hear our voices-- make your voice heard! SPEAK OUT! LENGTH: text must be no more than 6,000 words DEADLINES: Because the internet eliminates much of the hassle associated with printing, there is no need for a fixed deadline for submissions and publication. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis, and new selections will be published each month. If your piece is chosen you will be notified by email one week before publication. We will hold submissions for six months, and if your piece is not published in that time you will be notified. The first issue is due out mid June, 1996. CONTACT INFO: Please save your submission in text only format and send it in the body of an email or as a stuffed or zipped attachment via email. Please do NOT send submissions any other way or in any other format. If you need help with file formats, try asking your nearest system administrator or tech support person, or you might try posing the question on a help forum like internet-women-help (to join send email to: internet-women-help-request@lists1.best.com and in the body type one word only: subsingle ). There are also a number of good books on using the internet, such as Adam Engst's _Internet Starter Kit_ series for Mac and Windows users. By the end of May there should also be a web page on "file formats" up on Women Online's web site, so check back for that! SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: agoodloe@women-online.com We look forward to hearing your stories! --Amy Goodloe, Publisher and Editor http://www.women-online.com 0-+-- 0-+-- 0-+-- 0-+-- 0-+-- 0-+-- 0-+-- Amy Goodloe Women Online Consulting 510.658.9365 agoodloe@women-online.com 5856 College Ave #131 http://www.women-online.com Oakland CA 94618 http://www.lesbian.org/home.html ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 1 May 1996 22:39:41 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jacqueline Haessly Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values In-Reply-To: The UN International Year of the Family (1994) addresses the issues of family values as Valuing Families, and is open to a very broad definition/description of family. Valuing families suggests valuing the multiple ways that people get to be in families, across generations, and across cultures. It also values political, economic and social systems that support policies, practices and procedures that lead to the enhancement of life for ALL family members. The National Council on Family Life (US based, with broad international membership) has issued strong statements in support of family Life Education, and the International Year of the Family. NCFR is based in Minn, for those who would like more information. NCFR also has a certification program for those teaching in the University level Family Studies programs. Gender issues, and women's issues are a strong part of these studies. In addition, policy is a significant part of the work of NCFR -- policies that address many of the same issues that are addressed in Women's Studies programs. Hope this adds some clarity to IYF and the task of Valuing Families. Peace, Jacqueline Haessly jacpeace@acs.stritch.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 08:31:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: how to unsubscribe, etc. (User's Guide) Today's monthly excerpt from the WMST-L User's Guide: 2) "WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LISTSERV@UMDD AND WMST-L@UMDD? HOW DO I TELL WHICH ADDRESS TO USE? AND HOW DO I UNSUBSCRIBE?" WMST-L@UMDD (or WMST-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU on Internet) should be used ONLY for messages that you wish to send to all WMST-L subscribers. Messages concerning your WMST-L subscription should be sent to LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU (or, on Bitnet, LISTSERV@UMDD). If you wish to unsubscribe, for example, send the message UNSUB WMST-L to the LISTSERV address, not to WMST-L. If you receive the edited DIGEST and want to unsubscribe, your UNSUB message still goes to LISTSERV but should have two lines: UNSUB WMST-L on one line, AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE on the other. Here are some additional examples of messages to send to LISTSERV (NOT to WMST-L): Subscribe to WMST-L: SUB WMST-L Your Name Stop receiving mail temporarily: SET WMST-L NOMAIL Start receiving mail again: SET WMST-L MAIL Start edited digest: [See paragraph marked *** below] Stop edited digest but stay on WMST-L: [See paragraph marked ** * below] Stop edited digest and unsub from WMST-L (2 lines): UNSUB WMST-L AFD DEL WMST-L P ACKAGE ===> NEVER SEND A MESSAGE TO WMST-L ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION!!! NOTE: If you subscribed under a Bitnet address and sent your subscription request to LISTSERV's Bitnet address (LISTSERV@UMDD), you must send ALL subsequent mail to the list's Bitnet address. Similarly, if you subscribed under an Internet address and sent your subscription request to LISTSERV's Internet address (LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU), you must send ALL subsequent mail to the list's Internet address. If you try to set your subscription to NOMAIL or you try to signoff and are told you don't have a subscription, chances are you are sending your request to the wrong address for LISTSERV. Simply try the other address. (See also section 4) *** Also, to switch from receiving individual messages to receiving the edited digest, send the following two-line message to LISTSERV: AFD ADD WMST-L PACKAGE (on one line), SET WMST-L NOMAIL ACK (on the other line). Ignore suggestions to set a password. To stop the digest and go back to individual messages, send LISTSERV the following 2-line command: AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE (on line 1), SET WMST-L MAIL NOACK (on line 2). Reminder: If you wish to stop the digest AND unsubscribe, you must send LISTSERV a two-line message: UNSUB WMST-L on one line, AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE on the other. See section 6 for more information about the digest. For more extensive information about LISTSERV commands, send LISTSERV the following two-word message: INFO GENINTRO. You'll receive a file entitled LISTSERV.MEMO. (See section 11 for how to retrieve files sent to you in Netdata format.) If you have a question about your subscription that you want a human being to read, do NOT send it to either WMST-L or LISTSERV!! Instead, send it to the list owner, Joan Korenman [KORENMAN@UMBC2.UMBC.EDU (or, on Bitnet, KORENMAN@UMBC)]. ********************************************************* Each month, I post sections from the WMST-L User's Guide to remind subscribers of the list's resources and procedures. If changes have been made since the last time a section was posted, the subject header will begin "Revision:". Also, you can now consult the User's Guide anytime you'd like if you have access to gopher or World Wide Web. Gopher to gopher.umbc.edu and select Academic Department Info, then Women's Studies, then WMST-L. For those who prefer World Wide Web, the URL is http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/user-guide.html . Joan Korenman Internet: korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu Bitnet: korenman@umbc ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 08:52:20 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values In-Reply-To: Your message of Wed, 1 May 1996 08:54:35 -0500 Re: women and family, I would like to recommend a book edited by penny A. Weiss and Marilyn Friedman, Feminism and Community. Edi Giunt C/O FAUSTYJ@EDEN.RUTGERS.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 09:58:21 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Gina Oboler, Anthropology & Sociology, Ursinus College" Subject: Re: "dysfunctional family values" To further elaborate my position, it is precisely *because* the term "Family Values" has been popularized and resonates positively with a large portion of the population that we should preserve and reappropriate it. We should *talk* about Family Values, making it clear that what we mean by family is any situation based on mutual caring in which children, if they come into the unit, may be reared in a loving and non-demeaning way that affirms their personal worth. We should keep on reiterating that *that* is what a "family" is, not some unit made up of a mother and dominant or wage-earning father. The "Politics of Meaning" Family Covenant makes a specific statement that the ethos should be egalitarian and that gay families, single-parent families, multi-generational families, families of whatever sort are all included. Since most Americans think they believe in Family Values (though I think a great many mean something closer to what we mean that to what the Right means), the label is valuable as a starting point for the discussion. -- Gina ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 10:31:20 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rhoda Unger Subject: Re: women and crying I think you found the one paper I know about that specifically deals with women and crying (in the Psychology of Women Quarterly), but you may find some other relevant material by looking up the work of Stephanie Shields (Psych Dept -- UC Davis). She has done a number of research articles and theoretical papers on the use of emotions to label women and keep them in their place. Rhoda Unger E-MAIL UNGERR@ALPHA.MONTCLAIR.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 10:35:49 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rhoda Unger Subject: Re: Women, Men & the Media Study I have the NY Times Article from April 17th on the study, but it does not mention where it can be obtained. It does mention Nancy Woodhull of the Freedom Foundation (which is stated to be the chief financial backer of the study) as a co-author (with Betty Friedan) so perhaps you can find out about getting a copy through them. If you do find out how to get copies, please let me (and the rest of us on wmst) know. Thanks, Rhoda Unger E-MAIL UNGERR@ALPHA.MONTCLAIR.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 09:22:32 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Catherine P Smith Subject: Re: Alice Pike Barney query > > This is a request for help in locating the papers of Alice Pike > Barney, mother of the author Natalie Barney. I'm particularly interested > in her Los Angeles years (1924-1931), when she was a participant in the > arts scene in that city. My purpose is a study of musical modernism in > LA in the broadest cultural context I can manage. > Barney doesn't show up in any of the finding aids I have access to. > > Please reply privately. Thanks in advance. > > Catherine Parsons Smith > Music 226 > University of Nevada > Reno, NV 89557-0049 > > 702 784-6145 > FAX 702 784-6896 > smithcp@scs.unr.edu > ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 14:17:54 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Goodeea@Sunysuffolk.Edu Alice Goode-Elman" Subject: Re: The canary story... the story is called "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell. It is also a short play called "Trifles" reprinted in the anthology "Complements"-- Katsavos and Wheeler (McGraw Hill 1995). ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 14:57:33 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Gina Oboler, Anthropology & Sociology, Ursinus College" Subject: Re: Upcoming Events Joan -- As events transpired, I was not able to attend the Socialist Scholars' Conference. Sorry for not being able to provide a report! -- Gina (roboler@acad.ursinus.edu) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 12:35:53 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kathy Kerns Subject: Re: group interviews Beatrice, Thank you for this suggestion. I'll pass it along. Kathy On Wed, 1 May 1996 21:04:09 EDT beatrice wrote: > > There's a good example of group interview in the American Educational Research > Journal, Winter 1995, vol 32, No 4, pp 801-827. Neuman, S. B., Hagedom, T., Ce > lano, D. & Daly, P. "Toward a Collaborative Approach to Parent Involvement in > Early Education: A Study of Teenage Mothers in an African-American Community." > beatrice bfdgc@cunyvm.cuny.edu Kathy Kerns Stanford University Libraries kkerns@sulmail.stanford.edu (415) 725-1186 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 17:31:02 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Nancy A. Barta-Smith" Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values Martha Fineman's THE NEUTERED MOTHER, THE SEXUAL FAMILY, and OTHER TWENTIETH CENTURY TRAGEDIES is an excellent text from which to develop a new concept of families based on more that procreation. NBS ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 17:20:46 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Fern L. Johnson" Subject: Journal focused on Women and Communication In response to the questions about any associations that deal with rhetoric from a feminist perspective, I have several things to add. First, there is a journal titled WOMEN'S STUDIES IN COMMUNICATION which deals with all facets of communication, including rhetorical studies. The journal is published by the Organization for Research on Women and Communication (ORWAC), which also holds an annual conference. The current journal editor is Sharon Downey, Dept. of Speech Communication, CalState Long Beach, Long Beach CA 90840-2407. Subscriptions are $25 and include membership in ORWAC. There is also an informal group who have been meeting for over ten years for what is called the Gender and Communication Conference. This conference moves from university to university and is always a working conference on some theme or issue. Sonja Foss at Ohio State University (Department of Communication) and Suzanne Condray at Denison University (Department of Communication) hosted the conference held last month. There is no formal organization, but there is a list. There are a number of women active in this group who study feminist rhetoric/rhetoric from a feminist perspective. Fern Johnson Dept. of English Clark University Worcester MA 01610 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 17:52:43 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Phyllis-Joyce Kafka Subject: Re: family values In-Reply-To: <199605020626.XAA23998@chaph.usc.edu> Queries: 1. in the Nineteenth century it was "The Angel of the Hearth." 2. Hitler and the Nazis used "Kinder, Kuche, Kirke." 3. Then there was "A woman's place is in the home"(which was preached at me every day in my own family from the time I was a little girl.> For the past generation, it seems to be 4. "Family values." Can anyone inform us when and by whom, specifically, these coded slogans of female disempowerment in certain cultures and for certain classes were invented and disseminated? And does anyone know some more like these? pkafka@turbo.kean.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 16:47:45 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Lahoucine Ouzgane Subject: CFP: Postcolonial and Composition Studies *CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS* _JAC: A Journal of Composition Theory_ invites articles for an upcoming special issue devoted to composition theory and postcolonial studies. This special issue will explore the ways in which these two areas of study may most productively inform one another as well as the ways that theories of composition are--or are not--responsive to the issues raised most persistently in postcolonial studies. Articles should focus not on critiquing literary texts or on describing particular classroom techniques, but rather on analyses of how concepts articulated within postcolonial studies affect, or can affect, writing and reading processes, theories of composing, theories and practices of literacy, the history and politics of rhetoric and composition, or other related issues. Articles should be 3,500 to 7,500 words in length and use current MLA style format. Please submit two hard copies and one disk copy by January 5, 1997 to Andrea A. Lunsford and Lahoucine Ouzgane, c/o Department of English, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210. ..................................................... ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 23:00:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: Syllabi wanted: women of color/lesbians/minority women I am posting the following message for Professor Bethania Maria, who currently is without e-mail access. Please DO NOT respond via e-mail. Professor Maria's snail mail address and phone number are at the end of the message. Please reply to her, NOT to me. Joan Korenman (korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu) ********************************************************** I am putting together a much needed compendium of syllabi for courses in the areas of Women of Color, Minority Women (including Women of Color and also Immigrant, Refugee, Older, Poor, Non-traditional Worker, and Disabled Women), and Lesbians. Do you teach or know someone who teaches courses in these or related areas? If yes, would you please submit a copy of your syllabus (or syllabi) for consideration and inclusion in this compendium? If you don't, would you please pass on this request to someone who does? This compendium will be a complete effort of love and commitment to the issues. I have no internal or external funding for this project. Your assistance will be instrumental in completing this valuable teaching resource. If interested, every person who submits a sample syllabus will receive a copy of my syllabus for the course "Women of Color" or for the course "Society of Women" (which includes lesbian issues). If your syllabus is included in the compendium, you will be able to purchase a copy of the compendium at production cost. When completed, the compendium will be sold to anyone at a reasonable cost. I would like to receive your and other sample syllabi by May 25, 1996, in order to bring copies of the first run of the compendium to the NWSA conference in Saratoga Springs, New York (June 12-16, 1996). You or your designee can pick up a copy there. I can be reached through the NWSA Registration-Information table and through the Women of Color and Lesbian Caucuses. I am also a member of the NWSA Governing Council. Any ribbon-carrying Governing Council member can point you in my direction. After the NWSA '96 meeting, you can contact me directly at work (916) 278-6191. I thank you in advance for your contribution to this much needed compendium. Please send copies of your syllabi to Dr. Bethania Maria, Women's Studies CSUS, 8686 Fallbrook Way, Sacramento, CA 95826, or fax them to (916) 388-1070. Although mailed copies are preferred for a clearer reading by the scanner, last minute faxes will be considered. (No e-mail, please.) In Sisterhood, Bethania Maria, Ph.D. (formerly Bethania Gonzalez) Associate Professor in Women's Studies California State University, Sacramento ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 00:29:44 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: beatrice Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 1 May 1996 22:39:41 -0500 from A serious difficulty I see in focusing on the family in projects, such as the UN Year of ... is that it directs thought to the family as some defined unit and the rest of society as another. Thus, you value the family and ALSO value economic, etc. systems that support that family. I think we're on better theoretical ground if we conceptualize the question in anthropological terms over time and sites to consider diverse ways people have worked out ways of arranging caring for and loving. The caring and loving are part of the social, economic, and political systems rather that separate. In this way, we don't get locked into preconceived notions of what constitutes a "family." We know, for example, that in some societies biological parents have lived apart from each other, that sexual relations between adults have been fluid. It's diffic- ult for me to envision living my life easily in such circumstances, but that's probably because of the system in which I grew up and formed my feelings. beatrice bfdgc@cunyvm.cuny.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 08:10:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: messages NOT to send to WMST-L (User's Guide) Today's extremely important excerpt from the WMST-L User's Guide: 3) "WHEN SHOULD I REPLY PRIVATELY RATHER THAN TO WMST-L?" WMST-L is set up so that replies will automatically go to all subscribers. If you respond to a WMST-L message by hitting a reply key or typing "reply," everyone will read your response. This is appropriate when the contents are likely to be of interest to a number of subscribers (most suggestions for reading lists and teaching strategies fall into this category). However, if you are writing to request a copy of a paper someone has mentioned, please send your request PRIVATELY, NOT to WMST-L. Similarly, comments directed at a particular person (e.g., "Right on, Rhoda. Good point," or "Thanks for the info," or "What a horrendous experience that must have been. I don't know why people do such things," or "Hi, Jane, I'm glad to see you've joined the list. Write to me," etc.) should be sent PRIVATELY, NOT to WMST-L. Also, short general statements of approval, disapproval, or puzzlement (e.g., "Hooray! I'm glad someone finally said that!" or "I can't imagine how anyone can believe such nonsense" or "why did you send that message?") should NOT be sent to WMST-L. Finally, please also send privately most expressions of thanks or apology. [People using Pine and a few other mail systems need to be especially careful about replies: for a private reply, say NO both to using the Reply-to address and to replying to all recipients.] ************************************************************ Each month, I post sections from the WMST-L User's Guide to remind subscribers of the list's resources and procedures. If changes have been made since the last time a section was posted, the subject header will begin "Revision:". Also, you can now consult the User's Guide anytime you'd like if you have access to gopher or World Wide Web. Gopher to gopher.umbc.edu and select Academic Department Info, then Women's Studies, then WMST-L. For those who prefer World Wide Web, the URL is http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/user-guide.html . Joan Korenman Internet: korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu Bitnet: korenman@umbc ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 09:39:34 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Heather Munro Prescott, Department of History" Subject: family history vs. women's history This question is related to the current discussion re: family values. I had a discussion a couple of weeks ago with a colleague regarding the difference between family history and women's history -- in particular why a course entitled "family history" does not automatically imply that the course focuses on women -- or even deals with women in any systematic way. I was wondering if other folks on the list had encountered this problem, and if so, how they dealt with it. Please reply privately unless Joan thinks this might be of interest to the rest of the list. Thanks, Heather Munro Prescott History Department Central Connecticut State University prescott@ccsua.ctstateu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 10:07:36 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Gina Oboler, Anthropology & Sociology, Ursinus College" Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values Beatrice suggests (if I'm interpreting correctly) that we talk about systems of loving, caring, nurturing, rather than "families." That doesn't bother me at all, as long as we are clear about what issues are at stake. We need to discuss what kinds of initiatives are needed to improve the quality of life in the co-operative units in which the bulk of loving, caring, and nurturing take place. We've currently got large numbers of elders who are isolated and not integrated into any social networks to the extent that would be valuable and desireable. We've got masses of kids being raised in households where only one adult is present, usually a woman, and that one person usually overworked and often underpaid (compared to a similarly situated male), with all too little energy left over for nurturing and caring in needed ways. We've got most people in units where, even if two adults are present, both adults are working -- and economic arrangements that do nothing to relieve the stresses involved in this situation: very few part-time jobs (because employers want to minimize the number of benefits packages they must pay for), almost no part-time jobs that pay decently or carry benefits, employers trying to squeeze more time out of workers as indicated by increasing average hours of work, few flex-time possibilities, inadequate parental leave policies, inadequate after-school care provisions for children, and everybody can go on adding to the list indefinitely. These are crucial issues, and they are Women's Studies issues because most women eventually have children and our students very much *want* to figure out how to combine nurturing and caring -- especially for children -- with their other life roles. A first premise, as far as I'm concerned, is that the major task of figuring out how to do that need not, *should* not, be the concern of one gender. Another first premise is that it's not an individual problem -- social arrangements have to me adjusted to accomodate the organization of caring and nurturing. Can we teach about these issues without mentioning the word "family"? Maybe. I'd rather keep the term and have intensive discussion of what it means. I'd define it as the unit within which primary nurturing and loving takes palce, regardless of how that unit is structured. (And as a cultural anthropologist, I don't fail to examine the many forms such arrangements can take.) I like to discuss the many ways families are structured in our current society, and how they *could* be structured to solve some of the problems of caring. "Family" is a powerful and emotionally loaded word, and I'm just not willing to let the Right control and define it. -- Gina (roboler@acad.ursinus.edu) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 10:18:20 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Katherine Side Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values In-Reply-To: "Nancy A. Barta-Smith" "Re: A A Liberal Education/family values" (May 2, 5:31pm) Stephanie Coontz's work (the book, The Way We Never Were as well as the short film put out by Learning Seed called Values & The Traditional Family) are useful for looking critically at what has been held up as 'family values'. Katherine Side klside@YorkU.ca ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 09:01:53 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jacqueline Haessly Subject: Re: A A Liberal Education/family values Comments: To: beatrice In-Reply-To: Beatrice, you raise some important questions re "family". However, here is where I think a bit of research into the purpose of the UN International Year of the Family would help. IYF (and hopefully, a decade of IDF) raises at the national and international level these very questions. IYF did NOT attempt to limit the definition of family, and in fact, clearly describes all the ways that folks consider themselves part of a "family". What IYF DID do, is provide an international arena for people at ALL levels to address questions of "family", and to examine those policies, practices, and procedures in government, business, social and religious institutions, among others, that impede or support members of a family in "loving, caring, and supporting" each other. Just as IYW and IDW raised international awareness to the needs and aspirations of women, and IY CHild raised such awareness to the needs and rights of children, and are still doing so, so IYF attemps to raise to a level of national and international consciousness the needs of people who live in "family" -- however and whereever they so define themselves. It examines many of the same issues that make up IYW, but puts many of those issues in a "family" context. Thus, what is the impact of war on family life, and the ability of parents and other care-givers to nuture the young? What happens to family and community when refugee status tears people apart from family and community? How does domestic violence destroy a family? How do business decisions, development decisions impact on family and on a community? These are just a few of the multiple dimensions of exploration into the needs of family. IYF looks at family strengths, and family needs; the resources family members bring to care for each other, and the resources that are available or not available to care for each other; and also how effective those resources are in promoting opportunity for each member of the family unit (however that is defined by members of a family) to live life to their full potential. Were there some involved in IYF who wanted to see the family defined as mom, pop and 2.4 kids? Sure! Just as there are folks associated with IDW who want to see women remain in the home and care for those young. What IYF does is create an opportunity -- for the first time in history at the national AND international levels -- of bringing this conversation into the public arena. While IYF did not and has not recieved nearly the same amount of publicity as IDW, it is a topic of major importance. I also believe it is an important topic for people doing serious scholarship in Women's Studies. The gender, dvelopment, socialization issues addressed in Women's Studies programs are, for the most part, shaped by the experiences of folks who at one time in their lives, lived within the confines of "family", however one defines that family. For those interested in more information about IYF, its purpose, goals, objectives, and the issues that were raised, two resources which are available for sale include 1) 1994 International Year of the Family: Building the Smallest democracy at the heart of society. This booklet was put out by the International Secretariat for IYF, and is available from the UN. Or copies can be ordered through me for $5.00 US. Information below. 2) Promise and Possibility: Reflections on IYF and Family Life Education for Peace. This booklet consists of an overview of IYF and my own reflections working with IYF during a three year period (1992-1994) at several international IYF conferences. Also $5.00 US. 3) There are also publications, newsletters and other resources available from the UN IYF Secretariat re IYF. Price includes printing, postage and handling charges. To order # 1 or 2 Send Check or Money Order (US $5.00) for each, to Peace Talks Publications 2437 N. Grant Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 5321O-2941 USA Peace, Jacqueline Haessly jacpeace@acs.stritch.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 10:38:15 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kelly Shareen Mayhew Subject: query about gender studies programs In-Reply-To: Hi all-- I have a _very_ progressive male student in my class who is interested not only in feminist theory, but in liberatory theories of sexuality as they apply to both women and men in this culture. He's interested in going on to graduate school, but wants to research possibilities carefully. What sorts of gender studies &/or cultural studies programs are there that would welcome this sort of perspective? You can email me privately & if there's interest, I can post the results to the list. thanks! Kelly Mayhew Women's Studies/American Culture Studies Bowling Green State University kellysm@bgnet.bgsu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 10:55:53 EDT Reply-To: R1KMF@AKRONVM.BITNET Sender: Women's Studies List Comments: Resent-From: R1KMF@AKRONVM Comments: Originally-From: Cynthia H Welch From: Kathy Feltey Subject: NATIONAL COMMISSION ON WORKING WOMEN Many people have asked me to post the information I receive -- here's the most complete information on organizations w/ contact people and addresses/phone numbers. Thanks for your help. ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The Commission still exists; it is a member of the Council of Presidents, Washington DC, from whose mailing list I've taken the following address: IRENE NATIVIDAD NATIONAL COMMISSION ON WORKING WOMEN 1211 CONNECTICUT AVENUE NW, SUITE 504 202-835-3713 Another organization which may help you is WIDER OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN (CINDY MORANO) 815 15TH STREET NW, #916 WASHINGTON DC 20008 202-488-5646 FAX 202-488-5663 Cynthia H. Welch Women's Studies University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 20:20:49 +0200 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Thun Eva TFK Angol Tsz." Subject: Hungarian Women's Homepage and Mailing List We would like to inform all those who are interested in women's issues in the East Central Europe region and particularly in Hungary that there is a Hungarian Women's Homepage available at the following address: http://kazy.elte.hu/personal-home/eva/women/cimlap-h.html We have started these pages with the purpose of coming out of invisibility and making ourselves seen and heard both inside and outside Hungary. In the future we would like to develop them into a data bank or resource center for and about Hungarian women. Although for the time being most of the pages are available only in Hungarian, we are working on the English translations so that we would be able to provide information for a larger audience. We have also started a "Hungarian Gender Studies" mailing list. It is essentially in Hungarian, as primarily we would like to provide a forum for networking, discussion and exchange of information for Hungarian researchers and activists of women's organizations. But contributions from outside the country are also welcome. The address is GESTH-L@huearn.sztaki.hu. You can subscribe at the following address: listserv@huearn.sztaki.hu. Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome! Thanks for your time. Eva Thun ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eva Thun Eotvos Lorand University Teacher Training College Department of English 1075 Budapest Tel: (36-1) 267-8970 Kazinczy u. 23-27. Fax: (36-1) 267-8970 Hungary E-mail: thun@kazy.elte.hu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 23:48:00 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: beatrice Subject: Re: family history vs. women's history In-Reply-To: Message of Fri, 3 May 1996 09:39:34 -0400 from Why doesn't a course on family history automatically imply that the course fo- cuses on women? Probably because histories of families have often taken "the family" as the unit of inquiry and women have been an incidental element in it. A functionalist approach, which is, I believe, the common one, would define a a norm for a family structure and function (implicitly or explicitly), then examine whether and how women (and men) fit into that (the infamous Parson ap- proach in sociology). In psychology, whether families are studied in historic- al perspectives or not, the focus is on "family systems" - gender relations within and across generations are not addressed unless the author/professor works from feminist scholarship, understanding that gender is a fundamental category of analysis. And, to return to the thesis I suggested the other day, the ways in which gender relations in society and in families constitute each other is commonly neglected. beatrice bfdgc@cunyvm.cuny.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 4 May 1996 10:07:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: authorization/approval for messages (User's Guide) Today's monthly excerpt from the WMST-L User's Guide: 4) "I'VE TRIED TO POST A MESSAGE TO THE LIST, BUT I RECEIVED A MESSAGE BACK SAYING THAT I'M NOT AUTHORIZED TO DO SO. I'M A SUBSCRIBER --WHY WAS I TOLD I'M NOT AUTHORIZED?" B) "WHEN I SENT A MESSAGE TO WMST-L, I WAS TOLD IT HAD BEEN FORWARDED TO THE LISTOWNER FOR APPROVAL. WHY?" A) Only people whom the LISTSERV software recognizes as subscribers can post messages on WMST-L. To subscribe, send the following message to LISTSERV@UMDD (Bitnet) or LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU (Internet): SUB WMST-L Your Name (e.g., SUB WMST-L Jane Smith). If you've already subscribed to WMST-L and you run into problems, chances are that you subscribed under a different address than the one from which you sent your recent message--e.g., you subscribed under your Bitnet address and then sent a message from your Internet address, or your address has changed since you subscribed. The LISTSERV software recognizes subscribers by their e-mail address. If you subscribe under a Bitnet [or Internet] address, you have to send all messages to LISTSERV and WMST-L from that same address. If you are unsuccessful posting a message to the list's Bitnet address, try sending the message to the list's Internet address. If your e-mail address has changed since you subscribed, please contact me PRIVATELY (not via a message to WMST-L). B) Postings from all new subscribers (and old subscribers with new subscriptions) are now automatically sent to the listowner for approval. This cuts down on inappropriate messages from newcomers who haven't had time to read the welcome letter. After a few weeks, most subscriptions are quietly readjusted so that messages are no longer subject to prior review. ****************** Each month, I post sections from the WMST-L User's Guide to remind subscribers of the list's resources and procedures. If changes have been made since the last time a section was posted, the subject header will begin "Revision:". Also, you can now consult the User's Guide anytime you'd like if you have access to gopher or World Wide Web. Gopher to gopher.umbc.edu and select Academic Department Info, then Women's Studies, then WMST-L. For those who prefer World Wide Web, the URL is http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/user-guide.html . Joan Korenman Internet: korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu Bitnet: korenman@umbc ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 4 May 1996 10:45:32 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List Comments: Converted from OfficeVision to RFC822 by PUMP V2.2X From: Linda Lopez McAlister Subject: Film Review Added: From the Journals of Jean Seberg On Saturday, May 4, 1996, I reviewed "From the Journals of Jean Seberg" on "The Women's Show," Tampa's womanist/feminist weekly radio show on WMNF-FM (88.5) "Radio Free Tampa." My review is now available for retrieval from the FILM FILELIST. To obtain this review send the following command to Listserv @UMDD (Bitnet) or UMDD.UMD.EDU (Internet): GET FILM REV175 FILM To obtain a list of all the film reviews available, send a message to the same listserv address that says: INDEX FILM To get more than one review, put each command on a separate line: GET FILM REV6 FILM GET FILM REV14 FILM GET FILM REV39 FILM The opinions expressed in these reviews were mine when I wrote the review and represent one woman's opinion at a particular time.We have over 3000 subscribers to WMST-L so there are probably 2999 other views. If you would like to share yours, please do NOT do so on the WMST-L itself, but send your messages to me personally at the addresses below. I have appreciated the feedback I've received. Thanks. Linda Linda Lopez McAlister Dept. of Women's Studies, University of South Florida ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 4 May 1996 22:18:12 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Arnie Kahn Subject: tatoos & body piercing I've never understood the number of women, especially feminist women, who got tatoos and got their bodies pierced. A recent experience gave me some insight and I'd like to hear from others if my "insights" are correct. During class this semester, students announced and showed their tatoos and piercings. After the final exam Thursday some of the students went to a bar/restuarant and invited the instructors (me and another faculty member). After an hour or so of drinking one of the students announced she was going to get a tatoo. A second student said she'd do it too, and a third said she was seriously thinking about it. They asked me to go to the tatoo parlor with them. Seven student and I went to the parlor. Four students got tatoos, one had recently gotten one, and two students (and me) did not. The expressions on the students' faces after getting them was pure joy. They were damn proud of what they had done. In reflecting about the experience it seems to me that the students were exerting some control over their bodies--they were determining what their bodies would look like. They knew their parents would be upset but they felt (I think) that they were making a statement. I might add that these were all A students. One is married, one is going to law school next year, one had only a single grade of B in her four years of college. Am I correct in my naive analysis? I can't convey the pride these students seemed to feel. I know these students would not have gotten these tatoos had it not been for this class. Arnie Kahn kahnas@jmu.vax ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 00:49:11 -0300 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Carmen Poulin Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing Dear Arnie (for your eyes only), I really appreciated your message about tattoos because the whole topic has been a focus for me in the last few years. I have a really hard time with it. After reading your message, I had a long discussion with my partner who has a tattoo. We do not agree on the topic, but here are some of our reflections: Lynne thinks you are right in terms of gaining some control over one's body. We both also thought that there was a big element of group behaviour and support in the specific example that you raised. I think it is simply a fad, and I feel like a parent . . . I would be upset if my daughter or my son came home with a tattoo. Some reasons for my reaction are classist, fearful (as in a reaction to the image of the tough dangerous man/biker stereotype who will harass and rape me, just to take the image to its limit), and for Lynne, because to me it is a mark that ruins this beautiful body she has. I cannot bring myself to appreciate any of it and we have been together 5 years. Lynne argues that it also represents and affirms the right of women to own something that men have owned. To my reply that it is a statement of "equality as sameness," she suggests that she does not believe women get the same types of tattoos than men do. We both wondered if research is being done on that topic. .. the discussion is ongoing Carmen Carmen Poulin, Ph.D. Associate Professor Psychology Dept. University of New Brunswick Fredericton, N.B. Canada E3B 6E4 Tel: (506)453-4707 Fax: (506)453-4505 e-mail: carmen@unb.ca ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 07:50:33 GMT-2 Reply-To: sheena@ls.ru.ac.za Sender: Women's Studies List From: Sheena Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing > I've never understood the number of women, especially feminist women, > who got tatoos and got their bodies pierced. A recent experience gave > me some insight and I'd like to hear from others if my "insights" are > correct. > > During class this semester, students announced and showed their tatoos > and piercings. After the final exam Thursday some of the students > went to a bar/restuarant and invited the instructors (me and another > faculty member). After an hour or so of drinking one of the students > announced she was going to get a tatoo. A second student said she'd > do it too, and a third said she was seriously thinking about it. They > asked me to go to the tatoo parlor with them. > > Seven student and I went to the parlor. Four students got tatoos, one > had recently gotten one, and two students (and me) did not. The > expressions on the students' faces after getting them was pure joy. > They were damn proud of what they had done. > > In reflecting about the experience it seems to me that the students > were exerting some control over their bodies--they were determining > what their bodies would look like. They knew their parents would be > upset but they felt (I think) that they were making a statement. > > I might add that these were all A students. One is married, one is > going to law school next year, one had only a single grade of B in her > four years of college. > > Am I correct in my naive analysis? I can't convey the pride these > students seemed to feel. I know these students would not have gotten > these tatoos had it not been for this class. > > Arnie Kahn > kahnas@jmu.vax Dear Arnie, what was this class? I am fascinated to know the psychology behind this ... I also had a tattoo done last year. I'm a feminist, I'm thirty seven, now, and I felt elated after I'd had it done. I too had been brought up with a class prejudice against tattoos, that only sailors and bikers had things like ... Mom... on their biceps. As a woman those images of underworld machismo both frightened and excited me. But I definitely knew that my mother would not approve. The aesthetic had been taught me, along with the class thing, that tattoos went in the same camp as sleeper earrings with little crosses, and wearing high-heels and jeans. But the social context, cultural associations and aesthetic have shifted here in South Africa with the spread of the esoteric spiritual/pagan movement from the macho to the alternative arty motif ... Renaissance suns, moons, and freehand drawn images were all the rage last year here on the Fringe of the National Arts Festival. I am fascinated by the whole idea of body adornment and embellishment, and alteration ... in some African tribes thorns pierce the nostrils, earlobes are extended with the insertion of objects, and even the neck is extended by rings. I interviewed a few tattoo artists, and there lies many stories. The most populat tattoo, by the way, is a single rose. There is a hush of silence through which the artists would not speak. It seemed to imply real danger. One man said that if I quoted some of the things he said that he'd have his hands broken. It's about territories, and pouching on another's turf ... this is for the caravan traders. But I'd love to explore the psychology of it further. I had been toying with the idea for about fifteen years, but never quite got to it, I think because of the permanence, and all the issues of aging and sagging ... where to put it so that it would not have fallen off my bum in thirty years time! It really made me confront body stuff. Also, I have huge scars in certain places from a major car accident, and so I'm pretty permanently "body-altered" anyway, but maybe that raises the issue of choice. And what of the tattoos that have been branded on for identification, for the Jews in concentration camps. Oh, the tattoo artists to whom I spoke said that it becomes an addiction, he himself had just had another huge one added around his forearm. I know that for me it had something to do with a statement about my identity. I was just emerging from feeling like a non-blob, just having had two babies in quick succession. I certainly felt that what I'd put on my body sweetened my sense of "me". But I also keep it relatively hidden, like a secret. And possibly of more significance, that it designates that I'm not part of the Mainstream. Even with the Dockyard and Biker references, at least its on the Other Side of the Line. Oh, I had my nose pierced with a tiny, gold cresent moon when I was just finished "varsity, but when I went to Johannesburg, as an actress, my agent said: Lose the nose-ring! Lots of love and peace Sheena -- Sheena Stannard sheena@ls.ru.ac.za Tel: 27 461 28113 (international) 0461 28113 - SA ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 08:03:03 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rhoda Unger Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing Hi Arnie, One of my professional friends is Mickey (Milton) Diamond (the person who challenges all of John Money's work) at the U. of Hawaii. He has done quite a bit of work on tatooing and body piercing, but not from a feminist perspective. You may want to contact him about this (I took the liberty of forwarding your message to wmst to him). BTW, Laurel has a small tatoo of a flower on her ankle. Love, Rhoda ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 08:46:20 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rhea Cote Organization: University of Maine Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing Another feminist perspective of tattooing which I have done work on is to examine women who have had mastectomies and who have opted not to have reconstruction and tattoo the scar instead. There is a poster by Deena Metzger which illustrates this. She herself has had a mastectomy and has a tattoo on her scar. I am collaborating with a person who specializes in communications on presenting the material. Women with breast cancer stories and how they have come to terms with their healing. As far as the reactions which I have read thus far, my observation is that tattooing is a subject which has its own culture and sub-culture. The dangers of a middle class woman, formerly of the working class in this case, getting a tattoo on her mastectomy scar is the danger of entering into the sub-culture of which the stereotypes run both ways. Those with tattoos are known as painted ladies in the tattoo culture. Tattoo has been prohibited by the bible. Leviticus. Since the Middle Ages there has been a taboo in the cultures against marks of the devil. It is an ancient art which has been kept alive through the underground or working class. The interesting work of tattooing mastectomy scars gives tattooing a different meaning because of how one can reclaim that which was ugly as their own and create beauty. Thus far, the medical community which have been the ones to see the tattoo, besides the woman owning the tattoo has been enthusiastic. Deena Metzger poster is available for purchase and some physicians have done so in order to encourage other women to get tattoos. Rhea@Maine.maine.edu or RJCR@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 09:26:49 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Cindy Bily Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing Does the line "after an hour or so of drinking" in the story of the group of students getting tattoos seem significant to anyone but me? Was it the class that freed them to do it, or the group dtnamics, or just the alcohol? Cindy Bily Adrian College cbily@adrian.adrian.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 09:30:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: how to stop mail temporarily (User's Guide) Those of you who plan to be away from your e-mail for the summer or for a few weeks should be sure to save this message, today's excerpt from the WMST-L User's Guide: 5) "I'M GOING ON VACATION FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. CAN I STOP MAIL WHILE I'M AWAY, OR DO I HAVE TO UNSUBSCRIBE?" You can stop mail temporarily (except for the edited digest) by sending the following message to LISTSERV@UMDD (if you subscribed on Bitnet) or LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU (if you subscribed on Internet): SET WMST-L NOMAIL [NOTE: NOMAIL is one word] When you want mail to start arriving again, send the following message to the same address: SET WMST-L MAIL If you want to stop the edited DIGEST, even temporarily, you have to send the message AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE . To re-start it, send the message AFD ADD WMST-L PACKAGE (and ignore the request that you establish a password). Note: BE SURE TO SEND THESE MESSAGES TO LISTSERV, NOT TO WMST-L! Also, if you receive a message back telling you you're not a subscriber, see section 4) above. ****************** Each month, I post sections from the WMST-L User's Guide to remind subscribers of the list's resources and procedures. If changes have been made since the last time a section was posted, the subject header will begin "Revision:". Also, you can now consult the User's Guide anytime you'd like if you have access to gopher or World Wide Web. Gopher to gopher.umbc.edu and select Academic Department Info, then Women's Studies, then WMST-L. For those who prefer World Wide Web, the URL is http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/user-guide.html . Joan Korenman Internet: korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu Bitnet: korenman@umbc ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:28:09 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Mary Harada Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: <96050509264981@adrian.adrian.edu> Isn't amazing what alcohol does to us! In my college days it sometimes meant we ended up on a wild drive somewhere - surely more dangerous to the general public than body piercing and tatooing. A couple of times we tried to set world records for stuffing ourselves in ever increasing numbers into motor vehicles - harmless except to the car. The tatoo is forever - and I wonder how thrilled these young women will be with their body artwork in 10 or 20 years or more. Maybe the next fad among American students will be neck rings - in increasing numbers to elongate the neck - or foot binding. (or course narrow toed spike heels can do lots of damage to the foot and they are back in fashion). It never ceases to amaze me what we humans will do to our bodies in an effort to feel that we are in control of ourselves. Personally I prefer to focus my efforts on political, economic, and social equality for women rather than "body liberation" in the form of tatoos and navel rings. But to each her own! Mary Harada, Northern Essex Community College ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:42:12 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jennifer Manlowe Subject: Can anyone tell me who's "quote" this is? "If even one woman were to tell the truth about her life, the world would crack open." Thanks. Jennifer_Manlowe@brown.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:40:54 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Linda Tessier Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing Comments: To: Sheena In-Reply-To: Well, let me see if I can connect my own experience here to teaching and to theory. I went to China, I came back, and I went out my first day back and got a tattoo. I went with a former student of mine, one of the best women's studies students I've ever taught, who has several tattoos and will undoubtedly have more. She writes poems of crows and wears the crows on her body. She has indicated that all of her body alterations have significance, they are done for a purpose, they have helped to change the focus of energy in her body, and they feel wonderful. My own experience getting the tattoo was one of the most intense and invigorating experiences I can remember. What it means to me: I appreciate its permanence, I love its nature as "alive art," and, perhaps most, I have taken this image, an important image to me. a little inside myself. Just a little, but it literally lives in me. Oh. I got this tattoo, the only one I have, when I was well over 40, and the "fad" part for me was a definite drawback. I decided it was too important to me to let the fact that tattoos are a fad prevent me from doing it. Freedom and claiming the body are important, I think, to all this, but I do think there is often more going on. The tattoo affects my relationship with women's studies students. I have had some provocative class conversations about embodiment, body image, etc. as a direct result. I think what lies behind these issues is the question of whether a body is made less natural or less beautiful-in-itself by being intentionally altered. I'm pondering. Best. Tess (ltessier@cc.ysu.edu) ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:44:51 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Cindy Bily Subject: Re: Can anyone tell me who's "quote" this is? The line is from Muriel Rukeyser's poem "Kathe Kollwitz" and goes like this: What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open. I know this off the top of my head, because I just used the lines on a shirt Cindy Bily Adrian College cbily@adrian.adrian.edu for our local Clothesline Project. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 12:20:26 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ritch Calvin Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing Greetings: This is an interesting (to me, at least) thread. Kathy Acker speculates a bit about her tattoos in _Angry Women_ and in some of her interviews (I think there's also an essay by her in _Modern Art_, or something). There's also the RE/SEARCH book _Modern Primitives_. I also know there has been some work done on ritual scarification which seems related. And, I can't help but connect this with an article I recently received from CTHEORY, Arthur and Marilouise Kroker's e-journal. In it they write about a trend/fad in San Francisco where people (the specific example they were talking about was a woman--I don't know the gender breakdown overall) carve shapes into their skin with razors or knives, and the douse the open wound with gasoline and set it ablaze. She claimed that the _healing_ process is addictive, and the scars are an aesthetic emblem of control. Ritch Calvin ritch@mail.htp.com rcalvink@ic.sunysb.edu "I am who I am 'cause my dog knows me." gs ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 12:19:26 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ruth Ginzberg Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: Message of Sun, 5 May 1996 11:28:09 -0400 from It is interesting to me that in this thread I see many people without tattoos speculating about what the "real, underlying reasons" might be for getting a tattoo, & assuming that feminist women who get tattoos are victims of false consciousness or alcohol intoxication. Back when I was learning about feminist social sceince research methods, one of the things I learned to question was the notion that the researcher/theorist (an outsider looking in) was in a better position to know what peoples' "real" motivations/interests/etc were than the people who were the objects of the research/theorization/etc. (The term 'objects' is used deliberately in the above sentence.) What I wonder is: if you are wondering why feminist women get tattoos, why not just ask them? ----- RUTH GINZBERG ----- ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:15:11 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Sonja Streuber Subject: Tattoos and piercings Carla Freccero of UC Santa Cruz has written a lot about tattoos. So have, I think, DeLauretis and Butler. Here are my theoretical $.02: The tenor of this discussion so far has been on body control, but Rhea's post about women with a masectomy (sp?) getting the scar tattoed instead of reconstructive surgery gives it a different direction. It seems as if we're dealing with a shift of what has variously been established as the Western Beauty Myth. With the increasing globalization of our culture, it has become possible to inscribe the Other directly on our bodies--the Other meaning here the now accessible cultural Other and the traditionally shunned (although I think that's less of a reason in th e90s in contrast to the 60s). In a time where we are faced with the uniformity that the perfect body demands from us, in both a male and female-run media-economy, we have to invent other technologies to disguish ourselves as individuals--and at the same time to reposition ourselves in the social. This means that tattoos might be seen (and I'm consciously phrasing this very carefully), for example, as an attempt to reconstitute subjectivity while being constantly interpellated by body-cult uniformity, as a "spiritual" (can#t think of another term at the moment) aligning with a culturally other subject position (Asian, for example), rather than as a revolt against tradition, although I would not discard that, either. I, as a graduate student, would love to get a tattoo, if I, as a teacher here at the university, did not have to perpetuate and function within the traditional seriosity of the postsecondary educational system. Also, my friends have told me--it hurts! Just my two cents. Sonja =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Sonja Streuber * The arrogance associated with knowledge and Department of English * sensation lays a blinding fog over man's eyes University of California * by instilling in him a most flattering Davis, CA 95616 * estimation of this faculty of knowledge. shstreuber@ucdavis.edu * (F. Nietzsche, 1873) ============================================================================ ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 12:24:33 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Suzanne Corson Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing >Another feminist perspective of tattooing which I have done work on is >to examine women who have had mastectomies and who have opted not to >have reconstruction and tattoo the scar instead. There is a poster by >Deena Metzger which illustrates this. She herself has had a mastectomy >and has a tattoo on her scar. I am collaborating with a person who >specializes in communications on presenting the material. Women with >breast cancer stories and how they have come to terms with their >healing. > > The Deena Metzger poster called "Tree" is available at many feminist bookstores as well as from the Syracuse Cultural Workers and Donnelly-Colt catalogs. The image is also available as a postcard. Quite a powerful photograph. The image is also available in Deena Metzger's book _Tree / The Woman Who Slept With Men to Take the War Out of Them_ (Wingbow Press, the imprint for Bookpeople) - also in this book is her prose poem about getting the tattoo on her mastectomy scar. Suzanne Corson suzanne@norcov.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 14:29:53 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rhea Cote Organization: University of Maine Subject: Re: Tattoos and piercings One thing that happens in the medical community as a requirement for radiation therapy is to be tattooed in order for the treatments to be carried out. I tell it to you without parable that as a person who did not subscribe to tattoo, I was tattooed without my even knowing I was going to be tattooed with four little dots in order to receive my radiation treatment. That was for the lumpectomy and radiation. After my second bout with cancer, I had a mastectomy and a friend sent me an article with stats of survival rates...on the outside, ten years, Feb. 14th was my ten year anniversary...in which was mentioned Metzger's poster. As a reclamation, as you say, in order to gain subjectivity over my person rather than objectivity, I did have a tattoo put on my scar in the manner by which I was inspired by Deena Metzger's poster. I am 43, bilingual, Franco-American, mother of three who believes in defining feminism by the woman and her needs and not by tenets dictated to by the era of evolution which is happening and has happened in Feminism. For one thing, my cultural heritage plays a large part in defining my feminism. Cultural feminism is not mainstream feminism. At the time, the tattoo I received medically, was a cultural taboo for me. Culturally, I was damned to hell, if the cancer did not get me first. The medical community takes no note of religious beliefs. Sometimes feminism emulates the notions of uniformity too much as I have read in this discussion. I saw a woman tattooist three years after the scar had settled and had it tattooed. I'm a graduate student and an editor of a bilingual socio-cultural journal and I have written publicly about my cancer and tattoo. Men as well as women see commonality in the story of scars and redefining them. Tattoo is becoming more of a mainstreamed text. I believe. Rhea Rhea@Maine.maine.edu or RJCR@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 16:39:33 EST5EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Lauraine Leblanc Organization: Emory University Subject: tattoos Hi. I figured I'd post this to the list, since everyone seems to be responding to this topic. In addition to the works already mentioned (RESEARCH publications, etc.) I have a couple of suggestions for further readings, for anyone who is interested: Steward, Samuel M. 1990. _Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos: A Social History of the Tattoo With Gangs, Sailors, and Street-Corner Punks, 1950-1965_. Birmingham NY: Haworth Press. Krakow, Amy. 1994. _The Total Tattoo Book_ New York: Warner Books. There's also a couple of more academic works out, one called (I think) _Tattoo, Torture, and Mutilation_, edited by Mascia-Lees and Sharpe, and a couple of things written by Clint Sanders (including one article specifically on women's tattoo styles). These are from the top of my head (my works cited buried somewhere in the back of my filing cabinet), and may not be very precise, but should probably be at your local university library. I have written and presented about tattooing, although I haven't conducted the empirical data collection which seems to be required to make any conclusive statements about women and tattooing, especially (nor do I know of anyone who has done so systematically). I would caution against lumping together all forms of non-mainstream body modification - many who have one type of modification (e.g. tattoos) shudder to think of getting get another (e.g. piercings). As a tattooed academic, I haven't found the stigma of tattooing to have held me back any - and trust me, people can tell I am tattooed, even when it's really cold out. Of course, this may be because I do research on punks, where being tattooed actually enhances one's credibility. On the other hand, it may be that the stigma is dying out. Why should being tattooed be any more stigmatized than having pierced ears? Why should those of us who sport such modifications be asked to subject this form of adornment to more rationalization, explanation, analysis, and defence than any other? Isn't feminism about questioning such facile social assumptions? Lauraine Leblanc Institute for Women's Studies Emory University ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 18:49:25 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Elaine Hedges Subject: Re: Can anyone tell me who's "quote" this is? The quotation is "What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life?/The world would split open." Its from Muriel Rukeyser's poem, Kathhe Kollwitz" in hr volume, The Speed of Darkness, 1968. The "a" in Kathe should have an umlaut, which I can't reproduce here. "The World Split Open" was used as the title of an early feminist anthology of women' women's poetry,ed. by Louise Bernikow, Random House,Vintage Books,1974.Z ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 19:10:01 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Barbara Winkler Organization: West Virginia Network Subject: Tatoos Rhea, I wonder if you could post on the list how one can order the Deena Metzger poster? I have seen it and it is beautiful, both in form and concept behind the poster. My mother had a radical mastectomy 15 years ago and while I think she is now reconciled to the scarring, loss of the breast, etc. she wasn't helped a lot by the doctors in this. I've fantasized that I would get a beautiful multicolored flower - maybe a chrysanthemum if I ever had to lose my breast, but I am concerned about further scarring, etc. It's nice to see this kind of reclamation/transformation of the experience. Barbara Scott Winkler ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 18:16:48 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Wolfgang Hirczy Subject: REVIEW of Fineman's 'Neutered Mother' (fwd) This work was recently referenced by another participant in this list. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Source: Law & Politics Book Review, publ. by the Law & Courts Section of the American Political Science Association. Reproduced with permission. Editor: Herbert Jacob, Northwestern University, ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vol. 5 No. 4 (April, 1995) pp. 153-155 THE NEUTERED MOTHER, THE SEXUAL FAMILY, AND OTHER TWENTIETH CENTURY TRAGEDIES by Martha Albertson Fineman. New York and London: Routledge, 1995. 239 pp. Cloth $59.95. Paper $16.95. Reviewed by Leslie Friedman Goldstein (University of Delaware > Martha Fineman (currently a law professor at Columbia University) is > troubled that because our society's "definition of a core, primal > family unit is also a definition of deviancy," it therefore follows > that, "Those configurations that cannot be analogized [to the core > unit]...will not be considered `normal' families entitled to privacy > and respect. They will be cast as deficient and therefore will be at > risk of more direct and intrusive state regulation and control...." > She offers this book as an "attempt to grapple with these issues." She > suggests that we live in a time where social practice and dominant > legal/political ideology are in tension with one another. "Massive > structural changes" have over taken the way many people "live [their] > family lives." But "our [American? Western? world- wide?--use of the > unqualified "we" pervades this book] ideological understanding of the > functioning and societal role of the family" has not undergone the > commensurate adaptations that would help make sense of and fruitfully > accommodate these changes in family life (all the above quotes come > from p.6). Her concern is widespread, and, thus, commentators from > Martha Fineman to Dan Quayle are exploring these issues. > > After setting forth this agenda in the introductory Chapter One, > Fineman proceeds in Chapter Two to defend a number of fairly > non-controversial propositions about women, law, and ideology: Law as > pronounced by judges (who must apply already accepted statutes or > previously adopted precedents) is inherently conservative; dominant > ideology is inherently conservative, in that it rationalizes the power > of those interests in society that are already dominant; and women > lead gendered lives and, to that extent, despite their differences > have some common interests in legal and political reform. > > Chapter Three then dances around the question of biological > essentialism (Fineman purports to oppose essentialism at pp. 43- 44, > but at 34-35 does not rule out a role for biology in shaping > male/female attitudinal differences). She claims (plausibly) that, > whatever the origin of gendered differences, feminist legal scholars > must think of policy that will address and ameliorate the inequities > women face in currently gendered society. Debating the origin of > women's attitudinal differences from men does not interest Fineman; > she condemns it as something that "will siphon energy needed for tasks > of more immediate and practical concern for law" (p.35). This chapter > also contains a brief account of the shift from "sameness" feminist > legal reform in the 1970s to "difference" feminism in the 1980s. It > will be no surprise to readers of other work by Fineman that she > aligns with the later, calling it "post-egalitarian" feminism. She > maintains, "Positions are too unequal for equality to be of use" > (p.41). Her attitude toward those who aim for equal treatment of men > and women in law is aptly captured by her dismissive reference to "the > gender-neutral fetish of liberal legalism" (p.70). > > Chapter Three in particular and the > > Page 154 follows: > > book as a whole ignore a pressing question for those feminist > reformers (like Fineman) who insist on the need for law to adapt to > women's currently gendered behavioral tendencies--namely, to what > extent will adapting the law in this way further entrench gender > stereotypes, thus making women more suppressed than ever? To a > surprising degree, this book exhibits an obliviousness to the problem, > a problem that has been much debated in the feminist jurisprudential > literature. > > Chapter Four chronologues briefly the history of child custody law as > to divorced women and single women in the U.S. > > Chapter Five, after noting the absence of scholarly evidence about the > impact upon children of being raised by single mothers, produces > numerous quotes to show that single motherhood is being blamed for a > host of societal ills. Within this discourse, the "cure" for the > problems, rather than economic and societal supports, is perceived to > be getting a father into the home. This material will not be new to > anyone who has paid even a little attention to the news media in the > past decade. Fineman then examines depictions of divorced mothers, > noting a judicial trend toward encouraging either joint custody, or > under single custody attempting to maximize two-parent contact for the > child. Fineman's view of this trend is that it amounts to an effort to > put women back under the patriarchal control of their husbands, for > reasons that she explains more fully in Chapter Six. Chapter Five then > moves on to depict mainstream discourse about divorced mothers. This > section is far from convincing. Fineman asserts, "There is a widely > held perception that a large number of unwarranted maternal > allegations of child abuse (particularly sexual abuse) by fathers have > been made in the context of divorce"(p.119). For this she cites > exactly one "authority" who makes such claims. Finally the chapter > notes a frequent tendency among journalists to assume that single > (divorced or never married) mothers are more likely to commit child > abuse than married mothers, although there is no evidence to support > the assumption. > > Chapters Six and Nine strike me as the core of this book, and I return > to them below. > > Chapter Seven describes ways that the concepts of public and private > are deployed in legal discourse about families. The chapter focuses > particularly on the various subsidies (e.g. health and pension > insurance privileges and mortgage help) offered to the supposedly > self-sufficient private family and the falseness of the dichotomy > between such families and those receiving AFDC benefits. Chapter Eight > attacks fathers' rights discourse, the new reproductive technologies, > and strict enforcement of child abuse and neglect laws against mothers > -- all on the purported grounds that they exemplify "further > separation of mother from child" (p.217). > > Chapter Six presents Fineman's detailed argument why societal efforts > to maintain approximations of two parent families by fostering contact > (not only economic but also emotional) between children and the > fathers who are not attached to the child's mother amount to a > re-entrenchment of patriarchy. Her basic claim is that such efforts > end up constraining women in their child rearing autonomy and in > > Page 155 follows: > > geographic and occupational mobility, but she does not acknowledge > that ex-husbands or economically derelict unmarried fathers are > similarly constrained -- evidently she assumes they are less > constrained than women are because they care less about their > children. This assumption that men care less for their children > pervades the book (see, e.g., p. 155), as does another, that "the > contemporary hostility between the sexes" (p.154) is, if not > permanently inevitable, at least intractable for the foreseeable long > run. These two assumptions underlie most of the conclusions of the > book. Hence, her response to the feminist goal of co-equal parenting > and non-hierarchical marital relations, is a long paraphrase of, > "Don't hold your breath." These two assumptions explain her belief > that, as long as the two genders stay "constructed" the way they are > now (which will be a long time), policies that aim to enhance the > child-parent relationship between the child and BOTH parents (when the > biological father is not living with the mother) are policies that > will end up putting the mother under patriarchal domination. > > Instead she proposes (in Chapter Nine) a set of what she calls utopian > reforms of family life. She would abolish the legal tie of marriage, > make all intimate relations between consenting adults a matter of > ordinary contract, tort and criminal law. She imagines that this > reform would eliminate such problems as marital rape. (She suffers > from a limited imagination; I can imagine that individual women might > well contract their way into sado-masochistic relationships, or at > least into the permanent "consent" to sexual intercourse that > Anglo-American common law imagined for wives.) She would have law > protect as a family only the "mother-child dyad," which phrase she > wants understood as a metaphor for the caregiver-careneeder dyad. She > urges adoption of this phrase as common usage, shortsightedly > insisting that such usage would be nonetheless compatible with a > societal aspiration that "motherhood should not be confined to women > but be a societal aspiration for all members of the community" > (p.235). In this "utopian re-visioning" of society, fathers would have > no necessary legal tie to their children or the mother of their > children. They would be free under law to live out the old "love 'em > and leave 'em" playboy philosophy without the slightest legal > sanction. Children (unless their mothers had successfully contracted > to the contrary) would grow up without nurturing fathers, instead > raised by mothers who would receive adequate social and economic > support through tax dollars. The nurturing of the elderly, disabled, > and pre-adult members of the community would be done by women and by > those occasional men who cared to do work that went by the name > "mothering." Despite the labeling of such nurturing as "mothering," > people would still tell each other that all people, not just females, > should do it. > > If this strikes you as a desirable utopia, you might enjoy the book. > If it does not, but you are curious about Martha Fineman's work, I > recommend that you read instead her 1991 book, THE ILLUSION OF > EQUALITY: THE RHETORIC AND REALITY OF DIVORCE REFORM (Chicago: > University of Chicago Press, 1991). > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Copyright 1995 http://www.polisci.nwu.edu:8001/subpages/reviews/fineman2.html --------------10DF11BD7515-- --------------------------------------------------------------- Private replies: Wolfgang Hirczy Public replies: familylaw-l@lawlib.wuacc.edu To subscribe, signoff: listserv@lawlib.wuacc.edu Listserv questions: Mark Folmsbee, zzfolm@acc.wuacc.edu Message Archives: http://ftplaw.wuacc.edu/listproc List owners: Linda Elrod zzelro@acc.wuacc.edu Lissa Lord zzlord@acc.wuacc.edu Washburn's WashLawWEB, a comprehensive legal research site: http://lawlib.wuacc.edu/washlaw/washlaw.html ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 20:31:02 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: the Cheshire Cat Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: <01I4BN9XV8J88X278Y@VAX1.JMU.EDU> On Sat, 4 May 1996, Arnie Kahn wrote: > I've never understood the number of women, especially feminist women, > who got tatoos and got their bodies pierced. A recent experience gave > me some insight and I'd like to hear from others if my "insights" are > correct. > In reflecting about the experience it seems to me that the students > were exerting some control over their bodies--they were determining > what their bodies would look like. They knew their parents would be > upset but they felt (I think) that they were making a statement. I find the whole tattoo issue rather interesting actually. Having been brought up in a culture where there was much focus on the Holocaust (and which forbids tattooing) and having read much about SM culture, I find it interesting to examine the different ideas about tattooing. To me tattooing among young female Jews looks like one of three things: 1. A lack of empathy with Holocaust experiences -which may or may not be a good thing. I can see that there might be benefits to denying that particular part of the past, but I also see it as dangerous in that I feel that one ought not to simply leave the past behind without understanding it very well 2. A rebellion against traditional law Again, both positive and negative. The religious laws which prevent tattooing are laws which for the most part women had no voice in, but on the other hand they are part of a continuous tradition which has been a source of stregth for many women, and from which has come not only strong women, but also a large number of both men and women who are committed to a disproportionaltely large number of liberation ideologies. 3. A kind of cool decoration which may or may not have any deeper meaning. Women may be getting them for the same reason men did: to look a little dangerous, to be "tough" or perhaps for some other reason entirely, like -everyone else, or everyone that they think is cool is doing it. Of course, the first two reasons above are quite limited in scope, and stated in very very cursory way. Alana ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 20:44:13 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: the Cheshire Cat Subject: source for study? In-Reply-To: I am looking for a study which I have read and know it exists, but I have been unable to re-find. Can someone help me out with this? It a study in which individuals were given photographs of men and women dressed in police uniforms fire"man" uniforms, etc and then given requests to pick out photos. It was discovered that photos were picked out on the basis of whether or not the gender of the person was described (i.e. if you described someone as an actor, a man would most often be picked, if one said, actor or actress or femaleor male actor then the number of photos picked for women increased.) If this is not clear I'll be happy to try to explain further. Alana Suskin alanacat@wam.umd.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 20:58:59 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Marge Piercy I notice a certain amount of class bias in the reaction to tatooing. It is a working class and marginal phenonema as many on the list have commented already. My brother, who did not finish high school but joined the Marines during World War II had himself tatooed on his biceps, the MArine insignia & motto and something about my mother pus an eagle. Then after the war he decided to become middle class. Eventuall he became an executive at Honeywell and never again wore a short sleeved shirt in public. IO do not really understand the different between all the different body changes that are acceptable in a society (hair removal or hair implants; hair coloration, styling, cutting, perming; then we move on to liposuction, rib removal, face lifts; and of coruse all the temporary things, costume, makeup) and those that are suitable only for sailors and prostitutes -- bikers nd bad girls. Liposuction is far more dangerous than being tatooed, but it is not associated with bikers, sailors and punk kids. Decorating ourselves is something just about all human cultures do. According to what we are used to, we find some of it silly but acceptable, some of it quite natural and some of it outrageous. I remember when ear piercing was associated only with immigrants, gypsys and others regarded as being down the social ladder. My mother was proud not to have her ears pierced; like my grandmother, I was proud to have my ears pierced. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 19:54:54 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kimberly Allison Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing Everyone has made astute observations and contributions to this discussion of tattoos. I would like to add a summary of the multitude of perspectives that I have encountered while attended and teaching at Texas Woman's University. I have taught freshman composition for almost 4 years and have also taught a semester of women's studies at TWU. I have never attempted to hide my easily visible tattoos from my students; thus, I have gotten some very interesting responses. I am always surprised to find that at least one other female student in the class has a tattoo and is very pleased with it. I use my tattoos in class discussions of ethos (appeal to credibility), identity, class and gender differences, body image. In one argumentative writing course, a group of female students video-taped one of the students getting a tattoo as their collaborative (process) essay. This film encited a long discussion of why women get tattoos. The majority of the women expressed a desire to own their body, to adorn themselves, and make a statement about their identity. When I asked students in what situation they got their tattoo, most revealed a new experience or new level of identity formation. Thus, their tattoos mark a period of growth and understanding of self. I found this information to be fascinating since I associate my own tattoos with similar experiences. Furthermore, I have found that most female students have considered getting a tattoo for an extended period of time before actually taking the plunge. I considered it for 1-1/2 years before getting my first tattoo. In our discussions, students explain that they have waited because of a concern about any future obstacles this tattoo may cause them in pursuing their careers. Amidst many undergraduate students, a good portion of the graduate students I teach with have a tattoo, if not more than one. This phenomena cuts across age, ethnicity, and class. Few of these women got their tattoos while under the influence of alcohol. Interestingly, most of the students, who have revealed their tattoos to me, keep them hidden during school and work hours. These women explain that they have gotten their tattoos for themselves, not as a faddish adornment. Many of the feminist women have gotten tattoos that cannot be stereotyped as women's tattoos--roses, butterflies, etc. One woman has only tattoos that celebrate the earth goddesses. Other women (like myself) have purely symbolic tattoos that have significance only to them. I must add that many women I have met have chosen piercings instead of tattoos since they are not permanent. These piercings are adornments and reveal the independence of identity but allow women to change their expression of such. I hope this information will help you in your study of women's perceptions of tattooing and piercing. Kim Allison Texas Woman's University ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 06:18:54 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jane Elza Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: I recently advised some students who had extensive piercing and one ran a tatoo palor. Both were male. There is an element of "I am different" or "See me" in the activity, but I am wondering if for females it isn't also a rejection of society's standard of beauty, and for both, a forcing of people to look beneath the surface? Dr. Jane Elza jelza@grits.valdosta.peachnet.edu Political Science Dept., Valdosta State University Valdosta, Ga. 31698 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 07:34:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: Too many messages? Try edited digest (User's Guide) Today's monthly excerpt from the WMST-L User's Guide: 6) "DOES WMST-L EXIST IN A DIGEST FORMAT?" Yes. If you choose the edited digest option, each day you will receive anywhere from one to five files containing most of the WMST-L messages of the past day (messages that should not have been sent to the list to begin with are omitted). Related messages will usually be put in the same file, and each file will begin with a table of contents. The digest reduces both mail clutter and, usually, mail volume. (Please note that this is NOT the huge, unselective bundle of messages that many listserv digest features provide. Do NOT use their digest command.) If you would like to receive the daily digest file rather than individual mail messages, you should send the following 2-line e-mail message to LISTSERV@UMDD (if your WMST-L subscription is under your Bitnet address) or LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU (if your subscription is under your Internet address): AFD ADD WMST-L PACKAGE SET WMST-L NOMAIL ACK Note: If you've subscribed on Bitnet, the digest may arrive as a file rather than as an e-mail message. If you don't know how to receive a file, see section 11 of the WMST-L User's Guide or ask the computer support people at your institution. If you'd prefer to receive the digest(s) inside mail message(s), alter the abovementioned AFD ADD statement to read as follows: AFD ADD WMST-L PACKAGE F=MAIL . However, even if you receive the digest(s) as mail messages, YOU CANNOT REPLY AUTOMATICALLY! If you wish to reply to a message in the digest, you must start a new message and address it either to WMST-L or to the individual. Also, LISTSERV may ask you to set up an AFD password. You're best off not doing so. If at some point you decide you want to stop the digest and switch back to receiving individual messages, send the following two-line message to LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU: AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE [on line 1] and SET WMST-L MAIL NOACK [on line 2]. To unsubscribe and stop the digest, put AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE on line 1 and UNSUB WMST-L on line 2. ************************ Each month, I post sections from the WMST-L User's Guide to remind subscribers of the list's resources and procedures. If changes have been made since the last time a section was posted, the subject header will begin "Revision:". Also, you can now consult the User's Guide anytime you'd like if you have access to gopher or World Wide Web. Gopher to gopher.umbc.edu and select Academic Department Info, then Women's Studies, then WMST-L. For those who prefer World Wide Web, the URL is http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/user-guide.html . Joan Korenman Internet: korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu Bitnet: korenman@umbc ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 08:04:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: women's legal rights resource I've just received the following announcement about new online resources for women's legal rights, available in both English and Russian. I know nothing more about this. For more information, please contact the people whose e-mail addresses are in the announcement. Joan Korenman (korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu) ******************************************************** NETWORK OF EAST-WEST WOMEN (NEWW) ANNOUNCES AN ON-LINE LEGAL RESOURCE SERVICE ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS The Network of East-West Women is pleased to announce the opening of two electronic conferences, one in Russian and one in English, with corresponding majordomo mailinglists on women's legal rights issues. These conferences will provide an ongoing Legal Resource Service for all who are interested in gender and law issues in post-communist countries. Each month we will concentrate on one legal theme, such as labor law, family law, and so forth. The research and compilation of materials is being coordinated by a team of law professors, law students, translators, and NEWW staff, headed by Dr. Isabel Marcus of SUNY-Buffalo and a law student at SUNY-Buffalo named Lori Hirtelen, together with Dr. Marley Weiss of University of Maryland School of Law; Dr. Joan Williams of Washington School of Law at American University; Dr. Martha Fineman of Columbia University Law School; Dr. Nadine Taub of Rutgers University Women's Litigation Clinic; attorney Robin Phillips of the Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights; Dr. Anne Goldstein and Kristen Hansen of Georgetown University Law School; Urszula Nowakowska of the Women's Rights Center in Warsaw; Lena Kochkina of the Moscow Center for Gender Studies; Irina Doskich and Galina Venediktova of NEWW-Moscow; Victoria Vrana, Dorota Majewska, Lisa Mbele-Mbong, and Shana Penn of NEWW-D.C. Translations will be coordinated by Olga Lipovskaya, director of the Petersburg Center for Gender Issues. **In the first month we will present annotated bibliographies, Internet resources and other materials on DOMESTIC VIOLENCE that provide local and international understandings of the laws and legal debates** For example, the digest on Domestic Violence will present materials on Self-Help; Recovery; Working With Battered Women; Legal Education and Lawyers as Service Providers; Impact on Children and Related Issues; Shelters and other Programs for Women; Teenage Dating Violence; Women Who Kill Their Batterers; International Perspectives and Human Rights (to name a few). We invite you to make use of the articles, bibliographies and announcements that are posted to these conferences and to please send us materials you think are appropriate, timely and useful. While we welcome any legal question or announcement, particularly when a political situation demands immediate attention, we encourage you to focus on the proposed monthly topic as much as possible. More information about how the Service will operate is included in a project summary which accompanies this letter. >From Moscow, the Legal Resource Service is being managed by Irina Doskich and Galina Venediktova, whose email address is and from Washington, DC the Service is managed by Victoria Vrana at . St. Petersburg Center for Gender Issues, under the direction of Olga Lipovskaya, will be translating many of our materials. The address for the Russian language conference on Glasnet is and the address for the English language conference on Womensnet is . [NOTE: the two addresses in this paragraph are not complete Internet addresses; do not use them. Try instead the ones in the preceding paragraph.] TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE CONFERENCE IN MAILING LIST FORM: Send a message to majordomo@igc.apc.org Leave the subject line blank Write: subscribe neww-rights in the body of the message. TO POST TO THE LIST: Send an email message to neww-rights@igc.apc.org For more information about the Russian-language conference/mailing list, contact Galina Venediktova or Irina Doskich. *********************************************************** NEWW'S ON-LINE LEGAL RESOURCE SERVICE IN RUSSIAN AND IN ENGLISH a project of the Network of East-West Women supported by the Eurasia Foundation The On-Line Legal Resource Service Project aims to create a self- sustaining infrastructure of useful informational resources and ongoing technical assistance that will support the networks of women's NGOs and other NGOs currently helping to create a rule of law in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the former Soviet Union (FSU), one that includes women and women's social and legal concerns. The Project is the necessary next step to advancing women's broad-based, long-term access to communication technology and timely information that was begun under the NEWW On-Line project. Greater access will enable women to join, and even lead, the information revolution that will help break down decades of cultural isolation and give voice and influence to the NGO sector, and especially to women's advocates. This project will specifically support the legal efforts of the many women who have been trained to use e-mail to further their advocacy goals. NEWW's overarching commitment to creating self-sustaining structures for women's NGOs is evidenced in the anticipated results of the Legal Resource Service. In one year's time, this project will develop on- line informational resources that will leverage an NGO's ability to influence policy decisions and gain prominence in the legal realm. Equally important, these technological and advocacy initiatives, traditionally male preserves, will be led by women. Women must be generating the content of the Internet as well as using it. 1. We have organized resource development into six categories: a. law school curriculum and public education materials; b. local, national and regional reports, legislation, conferences, training workshops, news alerts, activities, lists of related organizations; c. international human rights documents, such as UN. conventions; d. U.S. articles, case studies and legal success stories; e. legal research by interns; f. legal discussions and consultations by teams of experts. 2. Topics for resource development are: a. LABOR: discrimination, harassment, pay equity, occupational health and safety; b. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: rape, trafficking of women, domestic violence; c. FAMILY: marriage, divorce, family support, maternity leave, special vs. equal treatment, domestic violence; d. HEALTH: reproductive, sexual, physical and mental, environmental, occupational; e. FEMINIST LEGAL THEORY: special versus equal treatment; racial and ethnic difference; case studies; f. MEDIA: pornography, portrayal of women in media, censorship; g. EDUCATIONAL: opportunities, curriculum, sports; h. SOCIAL INSURANCE: allowances, pensions, work outside the wage labor force; i. CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS AND PRISONS. The nine topics will be developed, one per month, over the first nine months of the project. Within each of these nine topics, we will provide materials pertaining to the six categories aforementioned. For example, labor law will include relevant international human rights conventions, gender curriculum, U.S. case studies, and so forth. We anticipate that some of the topics and subtopics will overlap. In every month, a MONTHLY DIGEST of current events, publications, news alerts, and legislation -- will be regularly updated, not only according to specific monthly topic but also according to the immediate legal debates ensuing in various republics. 3. We will compile monthly lists of related organizations, for example, a list of: a. legal advocates in the FSU and CEE, and of U.S. legal consultants -- to be appended monthly; b. women's legal centers and policy research institutions in the FSU; c. domestic violence and rape crisis counseling centers, shelters, and services in the FSU; d. women's information and gender studies centers in the FSU; e. public interest law centers in the FSU; f. human rights groups in the FSU; g. government and private foundations that support women's human rights issues. 4. We are publishing both a GUIDE TO WOMEN'S RIGHTS ADVOCATES and a COMPANION GUIDE TO INTERNET RESEARCH by the close of 1996. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 14:49:46 +0200 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Veronika Oechtering Subject: IFIP-Conference on Women, Work and Computerization 1997 ---------- Call for Contributions --- PLEASE FORWARD --------------- IFIP-WWC 97 6th International IFIP-Conference on Women, Work and Computerization "Spinning a Web from Past to Future" May 24-27, 1997 Bonn, Germany Email: IFIP-WWC97@rrz.uni-hamburg.de URL: http://www.uni-hamburg.de/~frauen/first.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SCOPE AND OBJECTIVES We invite you to submit original work to the 6th International IFIP-Conference on Women, Work and Computerization. WWC 97 is organised by the Special Interest Group 'Women's Work and Informatics' of the German 'Gesellschaft fuer Informatik' (GI). The conference is being held under the auspices of IFIP WG 9.1 (Computers and Work) and is co-sponsored by the German National Research Center for Information Technology (GMD). The conference will provide an interdisciplinary forum for researchers, practitioners and users in the field of information technology. Contributions are invited from both women and men. This year's theme is 'Spinning a Web from Past to Future'. We would like to discuss how different areas of society are being transformed by computer technology, but with particular emphasis on changes in women's work and life and how these have come about. Such transformations include transition from women's traditional work to work based on modern technology; from communicating within personal communities to communicating within virtual communities; from traditional job gendering to new perspectives on 'who does what'. This series of conferences now has a tradition of interpreting the word 'computerization' not just in the narrow sense of computing systems, but also in a broader sense which includes the organisational and social context in which computer systems are designed and used. We are seeking the presentation of both empirical and theoretical research. International perspectives are particularly welcome. Contributions can deal with, but need not necessarily be limited to, the following topics: 1. Information Society, Multimedia and Networking Can women's request for interpersonal networking be realised by new IT? How can multimedia and telecooperation be used successfully in order to improve women's living and working conditions? What is the impact of the transiency and changeability of electronic artifacts? 2. Creating Models and Tools Which aspects of feminist perspectives, such as epistemological criticism, can be integrated into informatics? Which paradigms and metaphors have contributed to the construction of computer (software) and the theory of computer science? Do they exclude women? How should computer systems be designed which consider the requirements of women, e.g. user interfaces? 3. Not without a body? Bodily Functions in Cyberspace (How) Is the body represented in cyberspace/virtual reality and to what end? The body as interface. Transgressing the gendered body? Incorporating software agents. 4. Labour and Living: apart or together? Do public and private space merge? Technical and social/political chances for flexible time-management; what are the restrictions? No more jobs without IT-knowledge? Global division of labour: on the way to equality? 5. Education What should be the elements of an informatics curriculum which represents informatics as a node in the web of other disciplines? How can the subjectivity of modelling and designing be taught in informatics? Will IT remove the distinction between public and private education? 6. History - Herstory Herstory of feminist criticism of IT. Has feminist criticism changed women's strategies for gaining access to and influencing new technologies? Can women's influence be recognised in formative processes of informatics? 7. Philosophical and Sociological Aspects Is it possible to identify an attitude which is specific only to women in their use of technology? What implicit strategies in the information society can be identified which exclude women from important political, cultural and social contexts? What happens to a gendered language in human-computer-interaction and in computer-mediated communication? Women constructing computer science 8. We will also provide a special opportunity for women working in computer science to meet and share experiences. For this topic we are seeking contributions written only by women. Submissions should be research contributions to computer science. Papers should provide a brief introduction to the area of computer science being discussed. In addition the author should either explain why she has chosen this field of work or if there are any specifically female points of view and contributions which are relevant. And she should, if possible, discuss the consequences of her work for women. Contributions can be on any topic in computer science, such as: Multimedia and networking - Software theory and practice- System Modelling and Optimization - Information Systems - Computers in Education - Computer Systems Technology - Security and Protection in Information Processing Systems - Artificial Intelligence - Human Computer Interaction - Foundations of Computer Science - etc. By including this topic we hope to encourage female computer scientists to contribute to the IFIP-WWC 97 conference. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- LOCATION The conference hotel is situated in the city of Bonn, the former capital of West-Germany, and still the location of the federal parliament and its ministries. Bonn is easily accessible by road, rail and air. It has beautiful surrounding countryside and we are planning special sightseeing events. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBMISSION GUIDELINES We are planning a mixture of plenary sessions including presentations from invited speakers, tutorials and workshop/poster sessions. Therefore several different types of contributions are solicited: regular papers, discussion notes, posters, tutorials, videos and demonstrations of software. We are arranging worldwide teleconferencing sessions. Guidelines for each of the different types of contribution are given below. Further guidelines are available at the conference address. All submissions must be in English and conform to the relevant guidelines. Each submission must have a cover sheet that includes: * Title and authors * Name, affiliation, addresses (telephone, fax, email) * Category of submission (paper, poster, etc.) * Name of primary contact person Important deadlines: Full papers and discussion notes due: October 1, 1996 Tutorials, posters, videos, demonstrations proposals due: October 15, 1996 Notification of acceptance: December 15, 1996 Camera-ready copy of papers for the proceedings due: February 1, 1997 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAPERS AND DISCUSSION NOTES Papers should not exceed 8 pages including abstract, figures and references, printed in 10 point Times font. They will be judged on quality and relevance to the conference themes. Papers will be reviewed by an international panel of referees. All papers that are accepted by the programme committee will appear in the conference proceedings which will be available to conference delegates. We also welcome discussion notes, or short critical statements, on the conference topics which will be discussed at the workshops, but will not be published in the conference proceedings. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- POSTERS, VIDEOS, DEMONSTRATIONS Posters, videos and demonstrations should present work in progress and work that relies on dynamic interaction. Submissions will be reviewed by an international panel of experts in the subject area. Presenters may give a short talk about their submission. Presentations will be on display throughout the whole conference and short descriptions will be published in the conference proceedings. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- TUTORIALS WWC 97 will offer tutorials which give participants the opportunity to learn about theoretical and practical aspects of the conference themes and to enable interdisciplinary discussions during the conference. In particular we need tutorials to bridge the gap between discourses in social sciences and informatics (e.g. between feminist theory and design perspectives for information systems) and to provide practical knowledge in computing (e.g. networking software). Proposals are solicited for half-day and full day tutorials that will be held on Friday, May 23, 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Organising Co-Chairs: Doris Koehler, Veronika Oechtering, Ulrike Petersen Tutorials Chair: Jutta Eusterbrock, Doris Koehler Posters, Demonstrations and Videos Chair: Ileana Hamburg Teleconference Chair: Steffi Engert Proceedings and Electronic Publishing Chair: Doris Koehler Main organiser contact and treasurer: Ute Claussen Local Arrangements: Eva Huettenhain, Ulrike Petersen Design: Maike Kaluscha, Conference Management: Christine Harms ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- PROGRAMME COMMITTEE Alison Adam (United Kingdom), Barbara Becker (Germany), Susanne Boedker (Denmark), Andrew Clement (Canada), Cecile K. M. Crutzen (Netherlands), Steffi Engert (Germany), Ulrike Erb (Germany), Jutta Eusterbrock (Germany), Christiane Funken (Germany), Eileen Green (United Kingdom), Joan Greenbaum (Norway, USA), A. Frances Grundy (United Kingdom), Ileana Hamburg (Germany), Hanja Hansen (Switzerland), Marita Heisel (Germany), Ute Hoffmann (Germany), Eva Huettenhain (Germany), Vivi Katsa (Greece), Doris Koehler (Germany), Vitalina Koval (Russia), Bettina Kuhlmann (Germany), Christel Kumbruck (Germany), Gloria Mark (Germany, USA), Cecilia Ng (Malaysia), Veronika Oechtering (Germany), Uta Pankoke-Babatz (Germany), Ulrike Petersen (Germany), Bente Rasmussen (Norway), Fanny-Michaela Reisin (Germany), Gabriele Schade (Germany), Heidi Schelhowe (Germany), Britta Schinzel (Germany), Bettina Schmitt (Germany), Angela Scollary (Australia), Lucy Suchman (USA), Marja Vehvilainen (Finland), Ina Wagner (Austria), Gabriele Winker (Germany) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXPRESSION OF INTEREST IN IFIP-WWC 97 If you are interested in the 6th WWC-Conference and if you require further information, please send a letter, fax or e-mail to the following address: IFIP-WWC97 c/o Doris Koehler Hamburg University Computer Centre Schlueterstr. 70 D - 20146 Hamburg, Germany Fax: ++49 +40 - 4123-6270 EMail: IFIP-WWC97@rrz.uni-hamburg.de URL: http://www.uni-hamburg.de/~frauen/first.htm ------------------------ END -- Call for Contributions ------------------------ ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 08:57:00 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Heather Munro Prescott, Department of History" Subject: female President of Ireland I just caught the tail-end of an interview on the "Today" show with the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. Does anyone know anything about her? Does she support women's issues? Katie Couric mentioned that her position is largely ceremonial -- what exactly does this mean? Please forgive what might seem to be rather dumb questions -- I am largely ignorant of political issues in the Republic of Ireland, since they are usually overshadowed by their neighbor to the north. Please respond privately since this is probably not of interest to the entire list. Thanks, Heather Munro Prescott History Department Central Connecticut State University prescott@ccsua.ctstateu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 08:40:00 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Virginia Sapiro Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing I was not going to participate in this discussion until I read the posting suggesting that "a lack of empathy with the Holocaust experience may or may not be a good thing." The reason I find tatooing unattractive in the extreme is that having spent my childhood in the 1950s and 1960s my only experience with tatooing was the numbers on the arms of the survivors. Certainly I also saw "bikers" and such with tatoos, but my main association is with the survivors. Seeing tatoos makes me remember a horror I wasn't yet born to witness. While for many Jewish children growing up in the 1950s we couldn't understand why adults kept holding over us this shadow of something that had happened "so long ago," I now cannot understand how not "empathizing" with those who experienced the Holocaust -- or other forms of genocide, or slavery, or any of the other forms of inhumanity I became a feminist to help eliminate -- can be a good thing. There has long been a debate within women's studies about whether those who haven't had particular experiences (of being a woman, of being African American, of being impoverished, etc) can teach about people who have. Searching for empathy is a start. There is a poem we read at the Passover Seder each year, by Abraham Shlonsky, "A Vow:" In the presence of eyes/which witnessed the slaughter,/ which saw the oppression/ the heart could not bear,/ and as witness the heart/ that once taught compassion/ until days came to pass/ that crushed human feeling,/ I have taken an oath: To remember it all,/ to remember, not once to forget!/ Forget not one thing to the last generation/ when degredation shall cease,/ to the last, to its ending,/ when the rod of instruction/ shall have come to conclusion./ An oath: Not in vain passed over/ the night of the terror./ An oath: No morning shall see me at flesh-pots again./ An oath: Lest from this we learned nothing. Virginia Sapiro ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 09:52:04 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: the Cheshire Cat Subject: Re: Tattooing &c In-Reply-To: <199605060058.UAA19549@mailhost.capecod.net> Rib removal? Is that really something people do to themselves? Who does this and what for? I hope I don't offend anyone, but yikes! That sounds very scary to me. Alana ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 10:33:10 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: NANCY DOWN Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing I agree that we need to ask feminist women why they get tatoos. I have 2. One is a personal symbol of spiritual empowerment--a Norse helm of awe. The other--my partner and i got identical tatoos befor our handfasting to symbolize our spiritual union. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 10:34:10 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: the Cheshire Cat Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: <26050608403299@ps.polisci.wisc.edu> On Mon, 6 May 1996, Virginia Sapiro wrote: > I was not going to participate in this discussion until I read the posting > suggesting that "a lack of empathy with the Holocaust experience may or may not > be a good thing." > long ago," I now cannot understand how not "empathizing" with those who > experienced the Holocaust -- or other forms of genocide, or slavery, or any of > the other forms of inhumanity I became a feminist to help eliminate -- can be a > good thing. There has long been a debate within women's studies about whether I just want to be clear, since it was my post that is being objected to: I meant " not empathizing" in the more literal sense of empathizing -I certainly wouldn't have much respect for those who couldn't at least sympathize. The Holocaust took place before I was born, but many of my family members died in it, and I feel much the same way that you do (even though I'm yet another generation removed) on the other hand, simply because the Nazis tattooed their victims with numbers ought not necessarily in itself mean that tattoos of all sorts ought to cause revulsion. On the other hand (without starting a war here, I hope) I think that tatooing definitely does have SM overtones and those overtones are (arguably) ones of women's submission. Part of the reason why those overtones are there is precisely *because* of the Holocaust and the Nazis practice of tattooing victims. Note much of the Nazi-like paraphrenalia in the SM movement. So I think there's an argument to be made on both sides. Nevertheless I want to be clear that, of course, we must know our history and be able to understand the points of view of the victims of various oppressions and genocides as much as we can, but on the other hand we ought not to become to engrossed by them and give them too much power over us, either. Alana ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 16:24:44 MET Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: JAKOBI SABINE Organization: University of Trier Subject: request for public/privat dichotomy literature I just started putting together material for teaching a women studies course. Are there any good recent articles/books dealing with the private/public dichotomy which are useful in undergraduate classes? Thanks in advance Sabine Jakobi Trier University/Germany jakobi@uni-trier.de ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 11:35:41 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Larry Ashley Subject: Mary Robinson It was a close call about whether to post privately on this one, but perhaps others would like the reference: The _NATION_ ran an opinion piece by Margaret Spillane on April 15 (p.11+) arguing that Mary Robinson would make an interesting choice to replace Boutros-Ghali as Secretary General of the UN, and in the course of doing so detailed interesting features of Robinson's ideology. Perhaps in line with the NATION's bent, more about class than feminism in the analysis, but useful as a starting point. Larry >>I just caught the tail-end of an interview on the "Today" show >>with the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. Does anyone >>know anything about her? Does she support women's issues? >>Katie Couric mentioned that her position is largely >>ceremonial -- what exactly does this mean? Please >>forgive what might seem to be rather dumb questions -- I >>am largely ignorant of political issues in the Republic of >>Ireland, since they are usually overshadowed by their >>neighbor to the north. >> > >>Heather Munro Prescott >>History Department >>Central Connecticut State University >>prescott@ccsua.ctstateu.edu >> > >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >/ Lawrence R. Ashley BITNET:Ashleyl@SNYCORVA >/ Department of Philosophy INTERNET:Ashleyl@SNYCORVA.CORTLAND.EDU >/ 125 DeGroat Hall SUNY DECnet:SCORVA::Ashleyl >/ SUNY College at Cortland Bus. Phone: (607) 753-2015 >/ P.O. Box 2000 Home Phone: (607) 753-0058 >/ Cortland, New York, 13045 Fax by prearrangement to home phone. >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 11:54:27 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jace Condravy Subject: Re: Tattoos and piercings I got my first tatoo (a small blue rose on my back) when I was in my mid-twenties; I'm now 43, so I sought a tatoo long before it was faddish (I added another about ten years ago). At the time of the first tatoo, I was very conscious of trying, as Sonja put it, to distinguish myself as an individual. I was teaching junior high school and resented the staidness of the image that that profession implied (at least to me). I had seen tatoos on women who probably qualified as "hippies" and found them to be beautiful. I perceived them as body art. That tatooing was taboo to my middle-class values (some of which I reject and others that I hang on to for dear life) and a practice generally reserved for men also appealed to me in my relatively new and fairly simple feminist consciousness. Knowing that I carried on (in?) my back a lovely symbol of protest against the seriosity of the public school system gave me immense satisfaction. I found the tatoo so visually appealing that I opted, years later, for another in a slightly more visible place--my ankle. Neither were particularly painful, and I have few regrets. >From the horse's mouth, Jace Jace Condravy English Dept. Slippery Rock University Slippery Rock, PA 16057 jcc@sruvm.sru.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 07:44:17 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Schweitzer Subject: family values I wrote an overly long posting yesterday to this list on the issue of family values and what it has come to mean -- why it works as a symbol of the conservative desire to re-invoke a rigid assignment of social roles by gender. The moderators thought (probably wisely) it was too long to post -- so if anyone wants a copy, just send me a private e-mail and I can forward it to you. Mary Schweitzer, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of History, villanova university (on leave 1995-97) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 14:23:30 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Nancy A. Barta-Smith" Subject: Re: REVIEW of Fineman's 'Neutered Mother' (fwd) >Regarding the rather lengthy review of Fineman's Neutered Mother posted recently, it seems that it is the writer of this review who cannot envision men as caregivers, not Fineman. In fact, she invites them to take on this role. When Fineman presented the ideas in this book at Drake University as keynote speaker for Constitutional Law Day in 1994, there was similar reaction from male lawyers in the audience, though women in general understood her point quite well. As I understand her book, any person caring for the "inevitably dependent" (children, elderly, the sick)becomes in a sense "derivately dependent" since caring for others disadvantages one economically (the time one spends caring for others is unsalaried labor). These persons deserve the subsidies typically available to the heterosexual married couple who may or may not have children. She adheres to the term motherhood and resists the neutral language of parenthood precisely because it obscures the significant difference between what motherhood and fatherhood entail in the current system. Fatherhood has not traditionally made it impossible for a man to earn a livelihood. Women's impoverishment and economic disadvantage lifelong is very much related to the way in which caring activities interrupt employment (or cause women never to seek it) in order to take care of others. To avoid the term motherhood for caring "response abilities" would continue to obscure this fact, as does the "neutral language" of "parenthood." NBS ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 13:13:32 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Rita A. Marinko" Subject: Re: Mary Robinson In-Reply-To: Your message of Mon, 6 May 1996 11:35:41 -0400 <01I4DU5HCHG2000U3H@SNYCORVA.BITNET> > It was a close call about whether to post privately on this one, but > perhaps others would like the reference: > The _NATION_ ran an opinion piece by Margaret Spillane on April 15 > (p.11+) arguing that Mary Robinson would make an interesting choice to > replace Boutros-Ghali as Secretary General of the UN, and in the course of > doing so detailed interesting features of Robinson's ideology. Perhaps in > line with the NATION's bent, more about class than feminism in the analysis, > but useful as a starting point. Larry > > > >>I just caught the tail-end of an interview on the "Today" show > >>with the President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. Does anyone > >>know anything about her? Does she support women's issues? > >>Katie Couric mentioned that her position is largely > >>ceremonial -- what exactly does this mean? Please > >>forgive what might seem to be rather dumb questions -- I > >>am largely ignorant of political issues in the Republic of > >>Ireland, since they are usually overshadowed by their > >>neighbor to the north. > >>> > > >>Heather Munro Prescott > >>History Department > >>Central Connecticut State University > >>prescott@ccsua.ctstateu.edu > >> > > > >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > >/ Lawrence R. Ashley BITNET:Ashleyl@SNYCORVA > >/ Department of Philosophy INTERNET:Ashleyl@SNYCORVA.CORTLAND.EDU > >/ 125 DeGroat Hall SUNY DECnet:SCORVA::Ashleyl > >/ SUNY College at Cortland Bus. Phone: (607) 753-2015 > >/ P.O. Box 2000 Home Phone: (607) 753-0058 > >/ Cortland, New York, 13045 Fax by prearrangement to home phone. > >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > > Another article you may want to look at, even though about 5 years old, is the biographical piece on Mary Robinson in an annual publication, Current Biography Yearbook. She was featured in the 1991 volume. The biographies in this yearbook are usually 4-5 pages with an accompanying picture of the person. --- Rita A Marinko Social Sciences/Humanities Reference Librarian rmarinko@iastate.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 14:22:26 -0400 Reply-To: Yin-Fen Lu Sender: Women's Studies List From: Yin-Fen Lu Subject: White Slave Does anyone know why prositution is also called "white slave" in the beginning of this century? Is there any racial issue in the definition? Thanks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yvette Lu *^_^* Women's Study George Washington Univeristy ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 13:38:55 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: dawn flood Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing I've been following this thread and it is fascinating. I felt I had to respond to this particular message. Tattoos hurt! I'm sure an hour of drinking helped some people to "brace" themselves for a long (depending on the size of the piece) and painful experience. But I'm also sure that drinking was not the only factor that went into the decision. I have several good friends who are tattoo artists and I have work done myself and I know that no respectable artist would take a group of "drunken rowdies." As for my take on tattoos and piercings - I am extremely proud of my tattoos which represent something very important to me. Some might call them "faddish" but I see the issue in a much different light. Although that part of my life is over, the tattoos serve as a poignant reminder of an important and fun time in my past. I also have a nose ring and had my belly pierced briefly. I think body decoration is a fabulous type of personal expression, and a very liberating experience. And yes, it does amuse me when people stare because I'm not a "proper lady." My parents are supportive of all my decisions and I think they like having such a "rebel" their youngest daughter. As a Ph.D. candidate in history, I sometimes get strange looks, but more often people ask me about the tattoos and my nose and I am happy to share with them. For the most part I really think people are getting more used to body decoration and are less uptight about such things. Dawn Flood University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign flood@uiuc.edu >Does the line "after an hour or so of drinking" in the story of the group of >students getting tattoos seem significant to anyone but me? Was it the class >that freed them to do it, or the group dtnamics, or just the alcohol? > Cindy Bily Adrian College cbily@adrian.adrian.edu Shelly Williams, Secretary III, Women's Studies, 911 S. Sixth, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Fax: 217/333-0151 Phone:217/333-2990 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 12:44:34 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: brenda beagan Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: <199605061838.NAA208274@ux7.cso.uiuc.edu> i know a few women who have tattoos, all feminist, all lesbian. one woman got hers as a form of spiritual self-identification; she connects deeply with the image tattooed on her breast. one woman got a tattoo, again a very personal image, on her breast just before entering law school. she wanted something to keep her grounded in who she is, knowing law school would challenge that intensely. for her it was a reminder that she is not of the mainstream, though immersed in it for a few years. she promised herself a new tattoo for each year she survived law school. the last two women are a lesbian couple, and they both teach in elementary schools. they got their tattoos in selectively visible places so that they could to some extent choose not to have them visible, but most of the time they would be visible. again, it was a sort of self-reminded that "i am not exactly one of you" i think women get tattoos for a lot of different reasons. i know the time i have been most tempted was when i was working a menial retail job that i hated, and women would come into the store and i guessed they were feminist or lesbian and wanted then to know i was too, and knew all they could see was the "girl behind the counter." i wanted a visible statement of "i am not what you may think i am." i wonder about similar reasons behine not just tattios and piercing, but also the trend for women shaving their heads? any thoughts? brenda beagan@unixg.ubc.ca ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 09:45:00 WET Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Diane Maluso Subject: Women's Heritage Web Site Announcing a new Website created by my Women's Studies Class: The Hawai`i Women's Heritage Project http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/club/maluso/382entry.html The project was the work of WS 382 (Hawai`i's Female Heritage) at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa and is a presentation of the lives of real women in Hawai`i. There are three exhibits: the students worked in two teams to create presentations of *Hula:From a Native Perspective* and of *A Woman of Taoist Medicine*. The instructors (myself and Lee-Ellen Marvin) have adapted a museum exhibit of *Women and Work in Hawai`i* for the web. Our website highlights the multicultural heritage of Hawai`i and debunks many myths about women here. We would be very pleased if you would visit our project. Feedback is surely welcome. Course syllabus, a woman-focused scavenger hunt, student homepages, an extensive bibliography, and links to html tutorials and other online heritage sites are all part of our website. .. Diane Maluso maluso@hawaii.edu Visit my homepage at: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~maluso =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | The only appropriate reply to the question "Can I be frank?"| | is "Yes, if I can be Barbara." .... Fran Lebowitz | =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 14:34:56 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: June Cotter Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing I've also followed this thread. I have a small butterfly tatooed on my left hip. It is there so I can show it when I want, or cover it when I want. I think of it like unromoveable ear rings- body decoraton. My thoughts on it have varied. Initially I got it because I was told I absolutely couldn't, by my ex-husband. Defiance, and a way to "own" my body. My OB thought it was great. My husband ignores it. It hurt at first-like a bee sting. But it is a part of me, a part of my maturation process and of defining who I am. I think the whole thing becomes very individualistic- every one has different opinions on them, as demonstrated in this thread. In Peace, June ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 14:16:08 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: June Cotter Subject: Re: Tattooing &c I have read that rib removal was very popular in the early 1900's to make the waist smaller. Anyone else heard that?-June ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 15:54:21 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Von Bakanic Organization: College of Charleston Subject: info on separatist communes I have a student who is interested in information about feminist communes. I used to have the address of camp sister spirit in Mississippi, but in a purging frenzy I deleted the info. Can anyone please send pertinent info to my e-mail address listed below. Please don't bother the list with this unless you think your response has value to the majority of the group. _____________________________________________________________________ Von Bakanic, Ph.D. (803) 953-7105 Dept. of Sociology internet address: College of Charleston bakanicv@cofc.edu Charleston, S.C. 29424 FAX (803) 953-5738 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 15:23:38 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: MS LISA NAGEL Subject: Contemporary Women's Issues Database RDS introduces Contemporary Women's Issues (TM) Database May 6, 1996 Responsive Datase Services Inc., (RDS) today announced the introduction of its newest full text database, Contemporary Women's Issues (TM), a CD-ROM product designed to provide access to global information related to women's issues. RDS is a privately-held firm that develops, produces and markets electronic and CD-ROM databases. Commenting on the announcement, company spokeswoman Meg Harris said, "We have created Contemporary Women's Issues to serve the informational needs of women in both developed and developing nations. This unique database focuses on timely, meaningul issues such as development, human rights, violence and exploitation, women in politics, the workplace, education, legal status, lifestyles, health and reproductive rights, and much more. "Covering over 500 sources published by more than 80 organizations in 20 countries, Contemporary Women's Issues contains an estimated 9,500 full text and 500 abstracts on a single CD-ROM disc. Our staff of information specialists review publications that report on issues from approximately 135 countries. Relevant full text articles are selected from newsletters, journals, proceedings, instructional pamphlets, hard- to-find reports, alternative press, legislative actions, personal narratives, and book and media reviews. We also include helpful tables and statistical data. "Contemporary Women's Issues was designed in conjunction with experts in the field of women's issues. We have established an international research network in order to provide users with a global perspective on women's issues-and fulfill our mission of addressing the needs and interests of women worldwide. Contemporary Women's Issues is invaluable for a wide range of applications and users including colleges and universities with programs and courses in women's studies...students and faculty involved in research...public libraries, where patrons can use the database to gather information on personal issues and as a springboard to identify local sources of assistance...and developing nations, where women's rights organizations can keep abreast of activities and occurrences around the world. 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Contemporary Women's Issues (TM) 23611 Chagrin Boulevard., Suite 320 Beachwood, Ohio 44122 USA Tel. 216-292-9620 Fax 216-292-9621 e-mail: customer_service@rdsinc.com ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 16:34:21 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Cheryl Sattler Subject: Feminist Weddings I hope this is an appropriate call for help to the list. First, I'm getting married and I'm looking for wedding resources for "alternate" ceremonies. Please send anything, as I have very little. That brings me to my second question. I'm having some problems with the in-laws-to-be, who are quite British (which is to say, in this case, quite conservative). Are there stories or traditions I could use to help them get over a few "minor" details: like why I won't "obey" in the vows; why I'm not changing my name; why my father won't give me away; etc., etc.? We've tried explaining things like "equal partnerships" and, quite frankly, since I'm a Ph.D. and quite well published under my own name, the thought of changing it is..disconcerting, to say the least. But I'm not really familiar with the research or folklore of weddings and alternate ceremonies (like hand-fasting, which I saw mentioned here). I'm thinking of putting together a program for the wedding explaining some of the "alternate" traditions it will contain (e.g., the unity candle). Any marriage scholars out there? Cheryl Sattler csattler@CapAccess.org ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 19:58:05 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rhoda Unger Subject: Some expert comments on body art From: PONY%"diamond@hawaii.edu" "Milton Diamond" 6-MAY-1996 18:15:04.45 To: ungerr@alpha.montclair.edu CC: Subj: Tattoos and body piercing (follow up) Received: from relay1.Hawaii.Edu by ALPHA.MONTCLAIR.EDU via Pony Express SMTP with TCP (v9.5.0-moe002); Mon, 6 May 96 18:14:46 EDT Received: from [128.171.144.11] ([128.171.144.11]) by relay1.Hawaii.Edu with SMTP id <11590(8)>; Mon, 6 May 1996 12:13:32 -1000 X-Sender: diamond@uhunix4.its.hawaii.edu Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: ungerr@alpha.montclair.edu From: diamond@hawaii.edu (Milton Diamond) Subject: Tattoos and body piercing (follow up) Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 12:12:41 -1000 Rhoda, Thanks for the message. As you can see below I sent it to a colleague with whom I'm collaborating for the body mod study. I guess she does a great job in her response which should be instructive to him in ways he would have never suspected. You might want to forward copies to any others you think would find Lani's response informative. Be well, Mickey >Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 11:29:46 -1000 >From: Mama Lani >To: kahnas@jmu.vax >cc: diamond@hawaii.edu >Subject: Tattoos and body piercing (follow up) >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Status: > >[Feel free to repost this to your listserv.] > >Your email to the Women's Studies List was forwarded to me by Dr. Milton >Diamond, a U of Hawaii School of Medicine professor. > >My day job is as a university administrator, but I maintain the Tattoo >FAQ guide on the newsgroup rec.arts.bodyart. "Heavily tattooed" by most >people's standards, I have been maintaining the FAQ for almost three >years, and am a regular contributor to the newsgroup. I also maintain a >number of other FAQs, including the one for branding and cutting. > >>I've never understood the number of women, especially feminist women, >>who got tatoos and got their bodies pierced. > >The question of what drives someone to desire bodyart (tattoos, >body piercings, brandings, cuttings, etc.) is something of an age-old >question--however there are a few generalities we've basically been >able to agree on, such as the desire to become self-empowered, and >self-confident, as well as to customize the body to view themselves as >more unique individuals. > >>In reflecting about the experience it seems to me that the students >>were exerting some control over their bodies--they were determining >>what their bodies would look like. They knew their parents would be >>upset but they felt (I think) that they were making a statement. > >In your particular experience, the above reasons are probably true, >*however*, there is the added element of "identifying with a group" in >that the women all went in to do it together. This gives the women >something of a collective experience (a "ritual", if you will), the >memories of which they can share together as well. > >I must add a negative comment here, however. You mentioned that they all >went to the tattoo shop after having spent an hour at the bar. You do not >indicate whether these women had been drinking alcohol. However, most of >the better, reputable professional tattoo artists would never provide >tattooing services to someone who is drunk, or has alcohol in their >system. This impairs judgment ("Mom! I woke up this morning and found >this tattoo on my butt!"). It also causes excessive bleeding ("like a >stuck pig"). In fact, "NO DRUNKS" is fairly common signage in tattoo >shops. From the consumer's perspective, the drunk condition may mean not >being as selective about which tattoo shop to go to, or what sort of >design to get. Unless the women in the group had all done their research >prior to the evening (and as college students, they should've had access >to the Internet's usenet newsgroups--leading to their finding and reading >my 100+ page comprehensive Tattoo FAQ), had selected their chosen artist >and their design, I am afraid some of them will end up not being 100% >pleased with their results in the long run. > >>I might add that these were all A students. One is married, one is >>going to law school next year, one had only a single grade of B in her >>four years of college. > >If I may be so humble, I have my master's degree and I am the assistant >to the dean of a graduate school. I know priests, university department >chairs, computer software engineers, librarians, school teachers, doctors >and lawyers who are "into" bodyart and who sport a rainbow of colors >under their professional wardrobes. Just because the only people who wear >clothes to readily show off their tattoos and body piercings are "bikers" >or "punk teenagers," does not mean they are the only ones who have >bodyart on their bodies. I have well over $1,000 worth of tattoos and >body piercings on my body--yet in a business suit, you cannot see >ANYTHING different about my body. > >Consider for a moment that if "bikers" and "punks" were the only ones >getting bodyart, how would all of the tattoo and body piercing shops make >a full-time business out of their work? It may be the masters'-degreed >professional working for a database research company, making $80k a year >who has the disposable income to spend $10,000 on a full back piece >tattoo covering their entire backs. > >Yes, "good girls get tattoos, too." The fact that this astonished you, >means you (as with so many others in the general population) held one of >the most basic of ugly stereotypes. I find that a bit ironic considering you >must be pretty open-minded and enlightened about women's studies issues. >If I may make an analogy, it is like saying "wow, I only thought >prostitutes gave blow jobs." > >>Am I correct in my naive analysis? I can't convey the pride these >>students seemed to feel. I know these students would not have gotten >>these tatoos had it not been for this class. > >You may be excited that their taking your class prompted them. HOWEVER, >it is very important to know that your course was a VEHICLE for them to >get their tattoos. Your class was not what caused them to decide. They >made that decision on their own. Otherwise, it would be like saying "The >girls went out to have sex and wouldn't have had it not been for my sex >ed class." > >If I may be so forward, could I make a suggestion? If you end up offering >the same (or similar) course in the future, can you please read all of >the FAQs (mine as well as Anne Greenblatt's comprehensive body piercing >FAQ), and read rec.arts.bodyart for a while? If bodyart comes up as a >specific subject, have your students read the FAQs as well (however >please refrain from asking them to post "college paper surveys" in the >newsgroup--we are pretty jaded with those). Your students will then be >able to have an ADVANCED-level discussion that goes past the basics. > >You can retrieve a copy of all FAQs via anonymous ftp from the MIT FTP >server: > > ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/bodyart > >Our FAQs have been given a four-star rating from Magellan because of its >comprehensiveness. Anne and I believe our documents are the most widely >available, exhaustive guides published anywhere regarding bodyart. >Between our two FAQs, a hard copy would now be over 300 pages long. They >are updated on a regular basis, and are available free of charge to >anyone with direct access to the Internet. > >Feel free to email me if you have any questions. :> ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 22:36:24 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Arnie Kahn Subject: The last word on tattoos? Comments: To: ungerr@alpha.montclair.edu, lani@lava.net I want to thank Joan for her patience with all the postings on tattoos. I received the following post with permission to forward to the list. Unless your reply is relevant to Women's Studies teaching, research, or administration, I suggest further comments should be directed to Mama Lani at lani@la.net or to me, kahnas@jmu.edu ******************************************************************* From: Mama Lani Subject: Tattoos and body piercing Hi Arnie; [Feel free to repost this to your listserv.] My day job is as a university administrator, but I maintain the Tattoo FAQ guide on the newsgroup rec.arts.bodyart. "Heavily tattooed" by most people's standards, I have been maintaining the FAQ for almost three years, and am a regular contributor to the newsgroup. I also maintain a number of other FAQs, including the one for branding and cutting. >I've never understood the number of women, especially feminist women, >who got tatoos and got their bodies pierced. The reasons for what drives someone to desire bodyart (tattoos, body piercings, brandings, cuttings, etc.) is something of an age-old question. However there are a few generalities we've basically been able to agree on, such as the desire to become self-empowered and self-confident, as well as to customize the body to view themselves as more unique individuals. In addition, many *WOMEN* (or should I say "womyn"?) choose to get bodyart and interpret the procedure as a rite of passage. In the Bay Area, lesbians began the original "movement" of contemporary "cuttings," whereby the artist used a scalpel to incise patterns onto the skin. Many womyn felt that the process of bloodletting, of opening the skin, and experiencing POSITIVE PAIN of a voluntary procedure, was their way of exorcising and taking back their bodies from the abusers who had used pain to hurt the womyn in their younger years. As you can imagine, that is a POWERFUL experience. Occasionally, some people will ask about the use of anesthetics during tattooing and body piercing procedures, because they fear or dislike the thought of the pain. While I personally believe that each individual has a right to make that decision independently, many readers of the newsgroup will jump to the defense of pain. For them, "accepting the pain" is part of the process. "No pain, no gain" if you will--perhaps not unlike some people's notion that childbirth should be natural, without the aid of an epidural--that the glory of new life should be borne of voluntary pain. >In reflecting about the experience it seems to me that the students >were exerting some control over their bodies--they were determining >what their bodies would look like. They knew their parents would be >upset but they felt (I think) that they were making a statement. In your particular experience, the above reasons are probably true, *however*, there is the added element of "identifying with a group" in that the women all went in to do it together. This gives the women something of a collective experience (a "ritual", if you will), the memories of which they can share together as well. I must add a negative comment here, however. You mentioned that they all went to the tattoo shop after having spent an hour at the bar. You do not indicate whether these women had been drinking alcohol. However, most of the better, reputable professional tattoo artists would never provide tattooing services to someone who is drunk, or has alcohol in their system. This impairs judgment ("Mom! I woke up this morning and found this tattoo on my butt!"). It also causes excessive bleeding ("like a stuck pig"). In fact, "NO DRUNKS" is fairly common signage in tattoo shops. From the consumer's perspective, the drunk condition may mean not being as selective about which tattoo shop to go to, or what sort of design to get. Unless the women in the group had all done their research prior to the evening (and as college students, they should've had access to the Internet's usenet newsgroups--leading to their finding and reading my 100+ page comprehensive Tattoo FAQ), and had pre-selected their chosen artist and their design, I am afraid some of them will end up not being 100% pleased with their results in the long run. ***Note, none of the students were drunk. They had between 0-3 beers ***prior to going to get tattoos. ***Arnie I am not representative of the typical tattoo clientele, in that my level of planning is usually seen only by a select percentage of customers. When *I* decide to get a new tattoo, I carefully decide what design I want, where I want it on my body. Then depending on the design I want, I research what artist in the US I would be most happy with. I then phone the artist long distance, and make an appointment (usually at least three months away). I buy round trip airline tickets and fly to the shop, with a guaranteed appointment. On average, a tattoo trip will cost me at least $400 in airfare, another $100 in accommodations, and a minimum of $200 on the tattoo itself. In this way, I have been able to get tattoos from some of the best artists in the country. >I might add that these were all A students. One is married, one is >going to law school next year, one had only a single grade of B in her >four years of college. If I may be so humble, I have my master's degree and I am the assistant to the dean of a graduate school. I know priests, university department chairs, computer software engineers, librarians, school teachers, doctors and lawyers who are "into" bodyart and who sport a rainbow of colors and/or jewelry under their professional wardrobes. Just because the only people who wear clothes to readily show off their tattoos and body piercings are "bikers" or "punk teenagers," does not mean they are the only ones who have bodyart on their bodies. I have well over $1,000 worth of tattoos and body piercings on my body--yet in a business suit, you cannot see ANYTHING different about my body. Consider for a moment that if "bikers" and "punks" were the only ones getting bodyart, how would all of the tattoo and body piercing shops make a full-time business out of their work? It may be the masters'-degreed professional working for a database research company, making $80k a year who has the disposable income to spend $10,000 on a full back piece tattoo covering their entire backs. Consider also that some body piercings can take as much as six months to heal correctly--and that the healing process involves a clockwork cleaning regimen that only the most dedicated will follow through on. Yes, "good girls get tattoos, too." The fact that this astonished you, means you (as with so many others in the general population) held one of the most basic of ugly stereotypes. I find that a bit ironic considering you must be pretty open-minded and enlightened about women's studies issues. If I may make an analogy, it is like saying "wow, I only thought prostitutes gave blow jobs." >Am I correct in my naive analysis? I can't convey the pride these >students seemed to feel. I know these students would not have gotten >these tatoos had it not been for this class. You may be excited that their taking your class prompted them. HOWEVER, it is very important to know that your course was a VEHICLE for them to get their tattoos. Your class was not what caused them to decide. They made that decision on their own. Otherwise, it would be like saying "The girls went out to have sex and wouldn't have had it not been for my sex ed class." If I may be so forward, could I make a suggestion? If you end up offering the same (or similar) course in the future, can you please read all of the FAQs (mine as well as Anne Greenblatt's comprehensive body piercing FAQ), and read rec.arts.bodyart for a while? If bodyart comes up as a specific subject, have your students read the FAQs as well (however please refrain from asking them to post "college paper surveys" in the newsgroup--we are pretty jaded with those). Your students will then be able to have an ADVANCED-level discussion that goes past the basics. You can retrieve a copy of all FAQs via anonymous ftp from the MIT FTP server: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/bodyart Our FAQs have been given a four-star rating from Magellan because of its comprehensiveness. Anne and I believe our documents are the most widely available, exhaustive guides published anywhere regarding bodyart. Between our two FAQs, a hard copy would now be over 300 pages long. They are updated on a regular basis, and are available free of charge to anyone with direct access to the Internet. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. I have sent carbon copies of this to both Dr. Diamond as well as to Anne Greenblatt. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 23:02:02 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Dianna Taylor Subject: tatoos This is in response to both Arnie's original posting, and Ruth's comment that if one wants to know why feminist women get tatoos, one should simply ask them. No one has (directly) asked me, but I thought I'd go ahead and share. I got my tatoo 3 summers ago, the summer before I started grad school. I was 28 years old, I was totally sober ;-), and no thoughts of gaining "control" over my body played a part in my decision. I was working in a restaurant with several folks who were tatooed, and who knew people (male art students) who did tatooing. The tatoos were very well done, and most of them were really cool (one friend had a caricature of his dog, "Bug Head.") I began thinking it would be fun to have one and eventually decided to do it. Mine is a "woman symbol:" the circular part is a globe. _I_ think it's cool, and I get a lot of compliments on it (sometimes from total strangers.) I don't think anyone has yet mentioned the notion of "pleasure" in this thread, and that, if anything, motivated me in my decision. I like it. I think it looks funky, and it gives me pleasure having it on my body. I plan to get another one this summer. (Memories of pain take awhile to wear off!) Arnie's comments about the women in his class who got the tatoos being "married," being "good students" made me pause. I, too, fit into these categories. What kind of assumptions about women underlie such remarks? Arnie: from your previous posts I can tell you are a "feminist man" (don't want to categorize YOU!), and also don't want to assume anything or put words in your mouth. I'd be interested to know what your thoughts were when you made these comments. Why were these characteristics of the women important? Because they disrupt the stereotype of the tatooed "biker chick?" Because tatooing seemed out of character for such women? Just curious and interested. My dad was the only person who reacted negatively to my tatoo. He said it was a "silly thing to do." But I think he's getting used to my "silliness." Dianna ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 13:15:09 +1000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Marj Kibby Subject: Women and the Web Comments: To: "Maureen Dyer,Uni of SA" I teach an undergraduate subject on Narrative and Gender, and amongst other things look at orality and literacy and the way that the "technologising of the word" reduced the value of narrative forms like gossip, self disclosure, diaries and other personalised forms, often described as "women's" forms. My feeling, unresearched, is that the "re-technologising" of the word that has occurred with the World Wide Web, has actually revitalised some of these forms, and that Web narratives occupy a space somewhere between orality and literacy, which may have gender implications. Does anyone have any thoughts on this or know of actual research? Marj Kibby Marj Kibby Dean of Students, The University of Newcastle Callaghan, NSW, 2308 Australia Ph: (049) 216604 Fx: (049) 217151 Email VFMDK@cc.newcastle.edu.au ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 20:59:18 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Robbin Ladd Subject: Re: Psychoanalysis and film...Query In-Reply-To: A good start on the film/psycho quest would be Tania Modleski's book The Women Who Knew Too Much. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 00:35:54 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: June Kaminski Subject: Re: family values In-Reply-To: <199605061444.HAA06846@dfw-ix11.ix.netcom.com> Hello, I would a appreciate a copy. Thankyou, June Kaminski, june@kwantlen.bc.ca On Mon, 6 May 1996, Schweitzer wrote: > I wrote an overly long posting yesterday to this list on the issue of > family values and what it has come to mean -- why it works as a symbol > of the conservative desire to re-invoke a rigid assignment of social > roles by gender. The moderators thought (probably wisely) it was too > long to post -- so if anyone wants a copy, just send me a private > e-mail and I can forward it to you. > Mary Schweitzer, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of History, villanova > university (on leave 1995-97) > > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 08:21:38 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Vashti Braha (SAR)" Subject: Re: info on separatist communes In-Reply-To: <01I4E38T6WES006GKR@cofc.edu> I am very much interested in this topic, so please post to the list, especially if the information includes articles and books about feminist communes, not just addresses of them. Thanks! I have many friends I'll be forwarding the information to when it appears on the list. vashti braha: braha@virtu.sar.usf.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 22:50:13 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ruby Rohrlich Subject: Re: info on separatist communes In-Reply-To: <01I4E38T6WES006GKR@cofc.edu> yYes I think my response may be of value to the multiple recipients of WMST-L. An anthology which includes separatist communes is WOMEN IN SEARCH OF UTOPIA, edited by Ruby Rohrlich and Elaine Baruch, published l984 by Schocken Books. It was the first in our time, or one of the first, dealing with women's communes. Since then, others have appeared. Ruby Rohrlich On Mon, 6 May 1996, Von Bakanic wrote: > I have a student who is interested in information about feminist communes. > I used to have the address of camp sister spirit in Mississippi, but in a > purging frenzy I deleted the info. Can anyone please send pertinent info > to my e-mail address listed below. Please don't bother the list with this > unless you think your response has value to the majority of the group. > _____________________________________________________________________ > > Von Bakanic, Ph.D. (803) 953-7105 > Dept. of Sociology internet address: > College of Charleston bakanicv@cofc.edu > Charleston, S.C. 29424 FAX (803) 953-5738 > ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 23:11:27 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ruby Rohrlich Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: I think the following item should interest all those who have been discussing tatoos and body piercing. In l979 Harper & Row published THE DECORATED BODY by Robert Brain, an anthropologist, I believe. Here are the titles of the chapters in this book: The Painted Body, The Tattooed Body, The Scarred Body, The Mutilated Body, The Plastic Body, The Symbolic Body, the Animal Body, the Social Body,The Religious Body, Passage Rites. " Here are the opening sentences in the Preface: Human beings and human activities are complex and diverse. It is impossible either to categorize them or to generalize about them. The decoration of the body is exception. A people may be both painted and tattooed and the motive for this may be simultaneously sexual, social and magical." The illustrative pictures are fascinating. Ruby Rohrlich ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 09:23:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: ending tatoo thread Hi, folks. The tatoo thread has provided much interesting information that hasn't appeared on WMST-L before, and for a while the discussion stayed reasonably close to the list's focus: Women's Studies teaching, research, and program administration. However, with an occasional exception, the thread is moving away from that focus. As many of you know, the list's heavy mail volume is a continual problem for many subscribers. Thus, I am writing to ask that no more personal testimonials or general discussions about why women do or do not get tatoos be sent to WMST-L. Many thanks once again for your understanding and cooperation. Joan Korenman ***************************************************************************** * Joan Korenman korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu * * U. of Md. Baltimore County * * Baltimore, MD 21228-5398 http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/ * * * * The only person to have everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe * ***************************************************************************** [End of file] Buffer: TATOO.TEMP | Write | Insert | Forward Command: inc sig. ascend-remote0%ed: host unreachable. file: FACULTY:[KORENMAN]EVE$INIT.EVE;5 Esc-chr: ^] help: ^]? port:3 speed:14400 parity:none echo:rem VT320 .... ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 10:52:09 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kelly Shareen Mayhew Subject: Re: White Slave Comments: To: Yin-Fen Lu In-Reply-To: hi yvette-- there's a really interesting book out right now that talks about the "white slavery" "scare" around the turn of this century in America called _Delinquent Daughters: Protecting and Policing Adolescent Female Sexuality in the United States, 1885-1920_ by Mary Odem (Chapel Hill, 1995). While not strickly analogous, the term "white slavery" was used to police ("protect") young white women's sexuality and to pave the way for institional/juridical reforms in the late 19th century (mostly age of consent laws which were in the process of being raised via the spectre of evil men kidnapping and selling young white women into sexual slavery). Thus, "white slave" is not strictly analogous to "prostitution", but was used instead in an era that was desperately trying to control/regulate prostitution and police young white middle class women's sexuality. So, yes, there is DEFINITELY a racial issue in the definition, since young black women during slavery had no such protections and young chinese women were imported (and I use that word advisedly) to the US as sexual slaves, but didn't have the same protections as white women of the middle classes. I' might also add, that working class white & european immigrant women weren't really included in these protective concerns either. Kelly Mayhew Women's Studies/American Culture Studies Bowling Green State University kellysm@bgnet.bgsu.edu On Mon, 6 May 1996, Yin-Fen Lu wrote: > Does anyone know why prositution is also called "white slave" in the > beginning of this century? Is there any racial issue in the definition? > > Thanks! > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Yvette Lu *^_^* > Women's Study > George Washington Univeristy > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 09:49:47 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Shahin Gerami Subject: Re: request for public/privat dichotomy literature In-Reply-To: Message of Mon, 6 May 1996 16:24:44 MET from I had a book published by Garland Press, Women and Fundamenatlism: Islam and Christianity, 1995. I address the issue of Private and Public duality within the context of these two cultures. It is used in several undergrad. classes in Anth and Soc! They send desk copy. ********************************************************************** SHAHIN GERAMI PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY SOUTHWEST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804 BITNET:SHG226F@SMSVMA (417) 836-5145 INTERNET: SHG226F@VMA.SMSU.EDU ********************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 11:11:54 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: the Cheshire Cat Subject: Re: White Slave In-Reply-To: On Tue, 7 May 1996, Kelly Shareen Mayhew wrote: > yes, there is DEFINITELY a racial issue in the definition, since young > black women during slavery had no such protections and young chinese > women were imported (and I use that word advisedly) to the US as sexual > slaves, but didn't have the same protections as white women of the middle > classes. I' might also add, that working class white & european > immigrant women weren't really included in these protective concerns either. Right. I know that Russian Jewish women were regarded as a huge problem in this respect. Lots of them turned to prostitution and were also not protected.... I would bet that the Irish were at some point also, since both these groups are groups that were not "white" at the time. Alana ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 10:21:41 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "L. Higgins" Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: For those interested in other scholarly and feminist analyses of the body, you might want to check out a special issue of the JOURNAL OF AMERICAN FOLKLORE Winter 1994 and BODYLORE 1993 (U Tenn P) both edited by Katherine Young. On Mon, 6 May 1996, Ruby Rohrlich wrote: > > I think the following item should interest all those who have been > discussing tatoos and body piercing. In l979 Harper & Row published THE > DECORATED BODY by Robert Brain, an anthropologist, I believe. Here are > the titles of the chapters in this book: The Painted Body, The Tattooed > Body, The Scarred Body, The Mutilated Body, The Plastic Body, The > Symbolic Body, the Animal Body, the Social Body,The Religious Body, > Passage Rites. > **************************************************************************** Lisa L. Higgins c547634@showme.missouri.edu University of Missouri-Columbia "I believe that unnamed truths and unconditional love will have the final word." Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. ***************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 12:15:15 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Dr. Carolyn V. Bell" Subject: Re: Tattooing &c In-Reply-To: <318E6C18.5CA9@kc.grapevine.com> Rumor has it that Cher has ribs removed to accentuate her waist!!! Can't speak for truthfulness of rumor. On Mon, 6 May 1996, June Cotter wrote: > I have read that rib removal was very popular in the early 1900's to make > the waist smaller. Anyone else heard that?-June > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 12:23:00 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Elizabeth Mazur Subject: Re: Feminist Weddings I don't have exactly what you're looking for, but Anna Quindlen has a smart and well-written essay, "The Name is Mine," in Living Out Loud (1988, Random House in hard cover). Also, a short description of the history and meaning of traditional wedding customs can be found in a chapter by Bron Ingoldsby, "Mate selection and marriage," in the edited book, Families in multicultural perspective, B.B. Ingoldsby & S. Smith (eds.), NY: Guilford Press. Good luck and congratulations! ELIZABETH MAZUR EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY PSYMAZUR@ACS.EKU.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 13:15:49 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Alison Furlong Subject: Re: Feminist Weddings Sorry about this - I would have replied privately, but I deleted the original message along with the sender's address. Take a look at an essay called Brideland, by Naomi Wolf. I found it in a collection of essays on feminism called _To_Be_Real_. The entire book is excellent, but that essay in particular sounds like it might be what you're after. Hope this helps! -Alison Furlong furlong@cua.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 13:28:32 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Viki Soady Subject: Re: CFS: Women Online Speak Out I would like to suggest a regular column called "valuwomen" which would be an advice column and/or maybe a discussion site for mentoring and sharing among university women in all capacities: faculty, graduate students, students, and staff. The idea would be to encourage questions which typify the unique pressures and challlenges faced by women in higher education. Part-time and non-traditional students would, of course, be encouraged to contribute to the discuaaion as well. It would be a place for women who share a common cause: the advancement of women through success in education and professional lives. Dr. Viki Soady Director of Women's Studies Ashley Hall 107 Valdosta State University Valdosta, Georgia 31698 912-249-4842 vsoady@grits.valdosta.peachnet.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 14:15:24 GMT Reply-To: SJG@reader.demon.co.uk Sender: Women's Studies List From: Sarah Gamble Subject: Re: Women and the Web Marj - I absolutely agree with your point - it is one that has occured to me too. For all the hysteria over the use of the computer, not many people seem to have realised that it has revived the art of letter-writing, which, as you imply, is a form which has always been identified with women. I see devices such as e-mail as pre-eminently suited to the cultivating of relationships of all kinds within a much wider sphere than has hitherto been possible. Through lists such as this I can correspond with other women in other parts of the world whom I almost certainly will never meet, but does that make our contact any less 'genuine'? Since I've been using e-mail, I've certainly never written so many letters to so so many people. Instead of writing a message, finding a stamp, and posting it, I have the sense that I am communicating with either one or multiple subjects in a very immediate way, which does encourage a sense of informality and spontaneity. Of course, it does help to be able to type fast and have a certain linguistic confidence! (Although reading some of the stuff put out on the Web I do wonder....) Although I'm interested in technocriticism in general, I can't think of any books which deal with precisely this issue. Some that come close are Dale Spender's 'Nattering on the Net', Sherry Turkle's 'Life on the Screen', and Steven E. Jones' 'Cybersociety: Computer-Mediated Communication and Community'. Sarah. -- Sarah Gamble SJG@reader.demon.co.uk ----;-)--------------------------------------------------:-)------------- 'Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect against art.' (Susan Sontag) -----:-)--------------------------------------------------:-)--------------- ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 11:26:02 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Julia Watson Subject: Re: White Slave In-Reply-To: The "white slave" question seems to be a complex one,as Kelly Mayhew suggested ("working class white & european immigrant women weren't really included in these protective concerns either"). In an autobiography entitled Madeleine (published 1910, and available in an edition ed. Marcia Carlisle, Persea Books, 1986), "Madeleine Blair" an abused child in a large Irish-American alcoholic family in the Northeast, becomes a prostitute,travels throughout North America, and finally prospers as a madam in Calgary. Madeleine objects to the myth of white slavery which was popularly said to lure many middle-class women--her categories include betrayed girls, unfaithful wives, sheltered girls, runaways, would-be nuns, college women--into the "lost sisterhood" of prostitution. She states, "But the one girl I never met . . was the pure girl who had been trapped and violated . . .the so-called white slave" (238). But Madeleine's questioning of white slavery was threatening to the establishment. Literary "fathers" including The New York Times and The Nation called for censorship of the book. In 1919 a celebrated trial was held, with Judge Ben B. Lindsey defending the book's morality and merits. It escaped censorship but then fell into obscurity for decades. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 11:39:58 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Carole K. Chaney" Subject: Re: CFS: Women Online Speak Out In-Reply-To: <199605071728.NAA26545@grits.valdosta.peachnet.edu> from "Viki Soady" at May 7, 96 01:28:32 pm Dr. Soady writes: > > I would like to suggest a regular column called "valuwomen" which would be > an advice column and/or maybe a discussion site for mentoring and sharing > among university women in all capacities: faculty, graduate students, > students, and staff. The idea would be to encourage questions which typify > the unique pres Such a list does exist. It is called the Feminist Mentoring Discussion List. To subscribe send e-mail to: femment-l-request@wizard.ucr.edu no subject line, but in the body of the message type: subscribe femment-l myemailaddress. When you subscribe you get an introduction to the topics on the list and instructions for how to unsubscribe if it turns out not to be to your liking. Thanks, Carole Chaney Dept. of Political Science University of California Riverside, CA 92521 e-mail: cchaney@wizard.ucr.edu sures and challlenges faced by women in higher education. > > Part-time and non-traditional students would, of course, be encouraged to > contribute to the discuaaion as well. > > It would be a place for women who share a common cause: the advancement of > women through success in education and professional lives. > Dr. Viki Soady > Director of Women's Studies > Ashley Hall 107 > Valdosta State University > Valdosta, Georgia 31698 > > 912-249-4842 > > vsoady@grits.valdosta.peachnet.edu > ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 11:45:53 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Linda Garber Subject: MELUS query I am trying to locate information about MELUS, the Society for the Study of Mutli-Ethnic Literature of the United States. I am interested in applying to present a paper there, but I have no idea if the organization is a likely place for feminist and lesbian work. Any members on the wmst-l list? Also, does anyone have an email address or phone number for the organization? In addition to general lesbian and feminist impressions of the group, I'm looking for information re: cost of the 1996 conference, so that I can apply for funding to attend the 1997 conference. (Travel grant applications on my campus are due this week!) Please respond privately. Thank you! Linda Garber Asst. Prof., Women's Studies California State University, Fresno linda_garber@csufresno.edu * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops" -- Steven Jay Gould, The Panda's Thumb * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 14:39:42 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: shelley park Subject: student publications Hi, I have a student who has written a really terrific paper on Simone de Beauvoir, placing the ambiguity of her texts re: sexuality against the ambiguity of her sexual life and arguing she's probably best understood according to Rich's lesbian continuum. I'd like to help her get it published and have two questions: 1) Has anyone other than Diedre Barr used the lesbian continuum notion to analyze Beauvoir? 2) What sort of graduate student (or other) journals might be good places to submit such an article? Thanks, ShelleyPark ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 14:46:55 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Phyllis Povell Subject: Re: CFS: Women Online Speak Out I think this is a great idea. Two way mentoring can be very helpful. Phyllis Povell ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 14:46:44 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: shelley park Subject: feminist theory videos I have $1000.00 to purchase videos to use in conjunction with a 2 course Feminist Theory sequence (Intro to Fem Theories and Advanced Feminist Theories), but as the money has to be spent before the end of this month I do not have time to preview a significant number of them. What videos do you think might be useful for the purposes of teaching basic or advanced concepts, issues or frameworks? In advance, thanks for your suggestions, Shelley Park ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 15:22:24 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Linda Kuzmack Subject: Re: White Slave -Reply White slavery is a complex issue. In the 19th-early 20th century, hundreds of Immigrant east European Jewish girls were trapped or lured into prostitution by a variety of means. Some were deceived into thinking they were legally married in a religious (but not civil) ceremony, taken to America or England, then forced into brothels. Others were tricked into brothels upon arrival as immigrants, then forced to remain there. Still others, of course, went into prostitution willingly, as preferable to working in factories or sweatshops. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 16:20:42 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List Comments: Converted from OfficeVision to RFC822 by PUMP V2.2X From: Linda Lopez McAlister Subject: 2 Visiting Lecturer positions 1996/97 The Department of Women's Studies at the University of South Florida invites applications for two Visiting Lecturer positions for the academic year 1996-97. Qualifications: Ph.D. or ABD in Women's Studies or appropriate disciplinary field. Demonstrated successful experience teaching introductory Women's Studies courses and upper-level courses in such areas as women's history, feminist religious studies, popular culture, psychology of women. Starting date: August, 1996. Send cv, letter of application describing research and teaching interests, and the names and addresses of three references to: Linda Lopez McAlister, Chair, Department of Women's Studies, HMS 413, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-8350. Positions are contingent upon funding. Deadline for applications: June 15, 1996. USF is an equal opportunity employer/affirmative action/equal access institution. According to Florida law, applications andmeetings regarding the same are open to the public. For disability accommodations, please contat: Elithea Whittacker (813)974-0980 at least five business days in advance. Linda Lopez McAlister Dept. of Women's Studies, University of South Florida ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 17:18:00 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Phyllis Holman Weisbard Subject: "Information Tech. & Women's Studies" issue of FEM. COLLECTIONS Dear WMST-L list members, The special issue of FEMINIST COLLECTIONS: A QUARTERLY OF WOMEN'S STUDIES RESOURCES devoted to "information technology and women's studies: reports from the field" has just been mailed to subscribers. We are pretty excited about the issue because it brought together perspectives of professors, librarians, and cyber-activists from all over the world (or at least from Wisconsin to New Zealand at any rate), many of whom are present or past members of WMST-L. Here's a partial table of c: "Where Did the Feminist Teacher Go? Reconsidering Authority in the Multimedia Classroom," by Allison Fraiberg "Interactive Video and Female Learning: Implications for a Feminized Profession," by Debra Gold Hansen and Sheri D. Irvin [about a distance ed. library school course at San Jose State] "Using Computer Conferencing to Break Down Racial and Gender Barriers in the College Classroom," by Mary Kay Schleiter. "Internet Resources and Women's Studies: Expanding the Horizons of a Rural Campus," by Ann Donihue Travers "The USe of E-mail Discussion in Fostering a Learning Community in an Undergraduate Psychology of Women Course," by Tracy Luchetta "Electronic Witches: Women Using E-mail in the Former Yugoslavia," by Kathryn Turnipseed "Feminism and Linguistics: How Technology Can Prove Our Point," by Fabienne Bader [an analysis of sexism in a 16th cent. Latin-French dictionary applying text indexing and retrieval software to an electronic text] "Attitudes Toward Computers: The Changing Gender Gap," by J.M. Callan "Women, the World Wide Web, and Issues of Privacy,' by Leslie Regan Shade "The Women, Information Technology, and Scholarship (WITS) Colloquium at UIUC: A Feminist Model for Education and Activism on Campus," by Betsy Kruger and Jo Kibbee "Insights Into Automation Training at a Saudi Women's College Library," by Patricia Myers-Hayer "Helping Re-Entry Women Develop Library Technical Skills and Research Strategies," by Linda Marie Golian and Rita M. Pellen Look for it when bulk mail reaches libraries and individual subscribers, or order the special issue for $3.50 directly from us at the address below (include a check made out to University of Wisconsin-Madison), or better yet, begin a subscription to our three women's studies resource publications offered jointly: FEMINIST COLLECTIONS: A QUARTERLY OF WOMEN'S STUDIES RESOURCES, FEMINIST PERIODICALS: A CURRENT LISTING OF CONTENT, and NEW BOOKS ON WOMEN & FEMINISM. Annual individual subscription in U.S.: $30; $55 for institutions. Postal surcharge for non-U.S. addresses [inquire]. Please forward this message to other lists/individuals you think would be interested. Sincerely, ************************************************************************ Phyllis Holman Weisbard University of Wisconsin System Women's Studies Librarian Room 430 Memorial Library, 728 State Street, Madison, WI 53706 http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/ pweis@doit.wisc.edu ************************************************************************ ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 08:53:49 +1300 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Mike Bannister Subject: Re: family values Would love a copy of your post Jocelyn M Schweitzer wrote: > > I wrote an overly long posting yesterday to this list on the issue of > family values and what it has come to mean -- why it works as a symbol > of the conservative desire to re-invoke a rigid assignment of social > roles by gender. The moderators thought (probably wisely) it was too > long to post -- so if anyone wants a copy, just send me a private > e-mail and I can forward it to you. > Mary Schweitzer, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of History, villanova > university (on leave 1995-97) > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 06:59:44 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Marge Piercy Subject: Re: Tattooing &c At 09:52 AM 5/6/96 -0400, you wrote: >Rib removal? Is that really something people do to themselves? Who does >this and what for? I hope I don't offend anyone, but yikes! That sounds >very scary to me. > >Alana > Yes. IT is an older form of beautification than lipsuction, having been practiced in the19th century also. It is still being done, largely by peoplein the enertainment industry. It gives you a smaller waist. Marge Piercy, hagolem@capecod.net ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 08:13:46 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Claudia Lima Costa - Profa. DLLV" Subject: looking for e-mail address I need to contact Caren Kaplan to ask her permission to have one of her pieces translated for publication in a Brazilian journal, but do not have her e-mail address nor a fax number where she could be reached. I believe she teaches at UC-Berkeley (Women's Studies). Could anybody help me?=20 Please respond privately to Lima@cce.ufsc.br. Thanks!=FA ***************************************************************************= **** Claudia de Lima Costa DLLV/CCE (55)(48)231-9293 Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Campus Universitario - Trindade 88040-900 Florianopolis, SC Brasil Rua Paula Ramos, 1040 Tel/Fax: Coqueiros (55)(48)244-3620 88080-400 Florianopolis, SC Brasil ***************************************************************************= *** ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 08:52:28 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Carol A. Powers" Subject: Query: undergrad research funds Does anyone know of a source(s) of undergrad research funds. I have an undergrad who wants to do research in Scotland re: battered women's shelters, but needs funds. She tells me there are only 3 shelters in Scotland, because for one, abuse is generally denied. I am sending this request to the list, since time is of the essence for this student in order for her to take advantage of study in Scotland and conduct this research. Thank you and please respond privately to: Carol Powers Depts of Philosophy and Women's Studies Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH 43015 614-368-3871 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 09:39:12 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Phyllis-Joyce Kafka Subject: Re: tatoos & body piercing In-Reply-To: <199605061838.NAA208274@ux7.cso.uiuc.edu> I am interested in hearing from African Americans on this topic. pkafka@turbo.kean.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 10:09:41 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kelly Shareen Mayhew Subject: Re: feminist theory videos In-Reply-To: On issues of sexuality, Monika Treut's films are fabulous: _The Virgin Machine_, _My Father is Coming_, etc. kelly mayhew bowling green state university On Tue, 7 May 1996, shelley park wrote: > I have $1000.00 to purchase videos to use in conjunction with a 2 course > Feminist Theory sequence (Intro to Fem Theories and Advanced Feminist > Theories), but as the money has to be spent before the end of this > month I do not have time to preview a significant number of them. > > What videos do you think might be useful for the purposes of teaching > basic or advanced concepts, issues or frameworks? > > In advance, thanks for your suggestions, > Shelley Park > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 09:23:07 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Linda Bergmann Subject: Re: White Slave -Reply In-Reply-To: There was an article in yesterday's _Chicago Tribune_ entitled "Eastern European Women Exploited in Sex Business," which sounded very much like what I know about earlier "white slavery" discourse. The Tribune article describes how Eastern European women--underemployed or unemployed casualties of the economic changes going on since the demise of the Communist states--are lured into jobs abroad by "a newspaper ad offering $400 a month for 'hostesses and dancers' in Japan. . . . Like thousands of young women in Eastern and Central Europe, Stekolchshikava, 27, was about to be snared in what has become a hugely profitable criminal enterprise: the trafficking in women from the formercommunist bloc to the wealthy nations of Western Europe and Asia." . . . . For thousands of women who end up working in teh bars and brothels of Amsterdam, Brussels or Tokyo, there is no escape. . . . Whether they come knowing that they are expected to work as prostitutes, or naively believe the stories they've been told by recruiters, the women are quickly forced into a situation of extreme dependency. . . . Club owners or pimps confiscate their passports and deduct the cost of airfare and other 'fees' from their earnings. Threats and violence are used to break down women who refuse to provide sexual services." (_Chicago Tribune_, May 7, 1996, p. 1 & 20. As I was reading this yesterday morning, it reminded me very much of the turn of the century writing on "White Slavery." I find myself asking the extent to which women are actually being exploited--forced into becoming "Sex workers" both by the brutatity of the henchmen ofthe sex industry and by the lack of alternative opportunities for women in these economies. And on the other hand, the extent to which this may be a patriarchal take on a complex situation or situations. AS in the case of the nineteenth century "white slavery," to what extent do we focus on what is happening, and to what extent do we focus on the discourse through which we see it? The postings so far on this thread seem to alternate between these foci. On Tue, 7 May 1996, Linda Kuzmack wrote: > White slavery is a complex issue. In the 19th-early 20th century, > hundreds of Immigrant east European Jewish girls were trapped or lured > into prostitution by a variety of means. Some were deceived into thinking > they were legally married in a religious (but not civil) ceremony, taken to > America or England, then forced into brothels. Others were tricked into > brothels upon arrival as immigrants, then forced to remain there. > > Still others, of course, went into prostitution willingly, as preferable to > working in factories or sweatshops. > Linda S. Bergmann, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English Department of Humanities Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, Illinois 60616 (312) 567-3462 bergmann@charlie.acc.iit.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 11:39:47 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jacqueline Haessly Subject: Re: White Slave -Reply Comments: To: Linda Bergmann In-Reply-To: The whole issue of "sex/business" trade industry is rampant through SE Asia, Thailand, Japan and other Asian countries. ALong with women from the Eastern European countries, women (and many of these women are young girls -- ages 9-15) are "recruited" from places like India, Mexico and other Central and South AMerican countries. Asian Focus is a newsletter of the Pacific/Asian Rim that addresses these issues of both adult and child protitution rings and the way that business leaders from all countries support it by use. (Business includes US, and Western European businesses, and military leadership, also). I do not know whether, or to what extent, women and children from African countries are so involved in Asia. There might be other examples from those countries. Whatever reason adult women might choose to participate, there is NO free choice for the children, who are sometimes kidnapped, sometimes sold by their families, and some few who (as run-away's) find themselves in places and situations not of their choice. Often, when families DO sell their children into prostitution rings, it is for a promise of some economic reward in a situation that in itself is exploitive. There are national and international support groups working to address these issues, raise awareness among women and men about the extent of and seriousness of the problem, and find other ways to support families in their efforts to keep family members together through more dignified work. Aisan Focus can offer names of some of these groups. (Religious, secular, political, support). Hope this gives some additional background to the topic. Peace, Jacqueline Haessly jacpeace@acs.stritch.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 12:24:13 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rhea Cote Organization: University of Maine Subject: Re: ending tatoo thread WMST-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU,Internet writes: Hi, folks. The tatoo thread has provided much interesting information that hasn't appeared on WMST-L before, and for a while the discussion stayed reasonably close to the list's focus: Women's Studies teaching, research, and program administration. However, with an occasional exception, the thread is moving away from that focus. As many of you know, the list's heavy mail volume is a continual problem for many subscribers. Thus, I am writing to ask that no more personal testimonials or general discussions about why women do or do not get tatoos be sent to WMST-L. Many thanks once again for your understanding and cooperation. Joan Korenman ******************************************************************* I also have appreciated the testimony, a separate genre in Latina/Chicana literature, which adds greatly to the scholarship of establishing a literary tradition for the cultural women, to the tattoo culture. Are there other lists which can be recommended where the discussion is as interesting and lively as this list has been? I am new to this list and I was wondering if any of you are participating in other lists which had a philosophy of discussion for discussion's sake. This has been very gratifying thus far in participating in this list, but I would also like to explore another kind of list. Merci! Rhea Rhea@Maine.maine.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 14:06:52 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "David F. Austin" Subject: Source on Persecution of Witches and Homosexuals Because of its title the following work might be missed as a source of information on persecution of homosexuals and of (people alleged to be) witches: Steven T. Katz, _The Holocaust in Historical Context_ vol. 1: The Holocaust and Mass Death Before the Modern Age (Oxford UP, 1994). The relevant chapters, spanning pp. 401-527, are: Ch8 "Persecution of Witches" Ch9 "Witchcraft and Misogynism" Ch10 "Persecution of Homosexuals" I'm not competent to evaluate Katz's scholarship, but the bibliography he provides is so massive that it alone would make the book useful. David. David F. Austin Associate Professor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy and Religion NCSU, Raleigh, NC ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 14:22:21 EST5EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Lauraine Leblanc Organization: Emory University Subject: Query: hard/soft distinction Hi. Does anyone know the origin of the hard/soft dualism indicating levels of difficulty or abstraction (e.g. "hard science" etc.)? I inquire specifically because punks (the topic of my research) use a "hardcore"/"softcore" distinction to indicate (a) a musical preference (hardcore is faster and louder), and (b) a level of commitment to the subculture (hardcore punks are deemed to be more committed - and males are more likely to be "hardcore" than females). It's not too difficult to imagine the morphological origins of this distinction, but is anyone aware of any literature documenting the origins of the hard/soft distinction or writings that are critical of it? Please reply privately to: LLEBLA@SOC.EMORY.EDU Lauraine Leblanc Institute for Women's Studies Emory University ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 13:45:07 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Holly N Siegel Subject: research on eating disorders Hi! I'm a graduate student in psychology at Connecticut College, and I have begun doing research on eating disorders. I want to find out how recovered anorexics and bulimics feel about the weight gain associated with pregnancy. Right now, I'm looking for any recovered anorexics and bulimics who would be willing to participate in my research (current or past pregnancy is not a requirement). There are three short questionnaires, and they take ten minutes total to complete. All answers and names will be kept confidential. If anyone is interested in participating, please e-mail or call either me or my adviser. Thanks! Holly N. Siegel Researcher: Holly N. Siegel Box 5094 Connecticut College 270 Mohegan Avenue New London, CT 06320 (860) 447-3255 hnsie@conncoll.edu Adviser: Dr. Joan C. Chrisler Box 5578 Connecticut College 270 Mohegan Avenue New London, CT 06320 (860) 439-2336 jcchr@conncoll.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 14:21:43 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jenny Thigpen Subject: marital rape research I'm currently involved in research around the rhetoric of rape- specifically, marital rape- The way in which it is frame in law, in the press and in public debate. I'm using two cases-the Rideouts and the Bobbitts- and am attempting to compare the coverage, the public response and measure change (if any) based on the rhetorical nature of discourse that surrounded both cases. I'm interested in finding any sort of popular treatment of the Bobbitt case.The Rideout case was translated into a movie-of-the-week type thing and much was written aabout the couple at the time. I'm wondering if there is anything out there about the Bobbitts? (True Crime books, movies, etc) Even feminist critiques of the case would be of help at this point I am relying mostly on news accounts of the trial but would like to get another angle. If you have any suggestions, please e-mail me personally my address is JThig92577@aol.com Thanks! Jenny Thigpen ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 19:17:21 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Raka Shome Subject: Race/Gender bias on teaching evaluation Hi: I am trying to track some good citations on the subject of race and gender bias on teaching evaluation (i.e. evaluation by students of teachers...women, and people of color). Any cites would be appreciated. Thanks, Raka ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 19:52:45 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Karla Jay Subject: American Academy for Liberal Education I was a little dimayed that no one answered my query about the American Academy for Liberal Education, and the discussion veered off onto the term "family values." Perhaps it is because no one recognized the group, but listen up, sisters (and brothers), for they may be coming to a campus near you. Here's what I found. The AALE was given the power to accredit liberal arts colleges in 1995. It was founded by NAS members, and has a right- wing bias. The AALE was, in fact, listed on an index of right-wing groups listed on campus. A representative of AALE came to Pace Univ. earlier this week. His name is Deal (!) Hudson, I think. I think he was attempting to sound "neutral," but he began to leak a bit when he waxed nostalgic fur the curriculum of 1914! He also said that "women do better entering the marketplace," and he expressed concern that schools are not doing enough for white men. According to The New York Times, AALE would like to return to the core courses of thirty years ago -- you remember those "golden years" before Women's Studies They have 17 standards, the 6th of which reads in part that "mandatory courses" should include "the study of the political, philosophical, and cultural history of Western Civilization; and the study of the political and economic foundations of American society." They ask for "substantial compliance" with these standards, though we were assured these were only written words and not really meant (huh?). If, for example, your students were required to take Great Books (men) and the two courses above, would there be any room in YOUR core for Women's Studies or courses on diversity? AALE is currently pitching to schools like Pace where the liberal arts are treated like poor cousins to the business school or to a graduate school. They have currently accredited only four schools, including Rhodes in Tenn. But the lure will be stong for schools in which other schools (engineering, business, computer science, etc.) have their own accrediations apart from regional bodies. AALE will soon be making a pitch to a school in your area, perhaps to your college. Please be aware of their right-wing, anti-woman agenda. Sources include The New York Times (Aug. 21, 1995) and an article in *The New Mexico Scholar.* This group can accredit colleges only if we invite them to do so. If we do, it will make AALE richer, and our students poorer. Karla Jay ********************************************************************* * PROFESSOR KARLA JAY JAY@PACEVM.DAC.PACE.EDU * * DIRECTOR, WOMEN'S STUDIES OR * * PACE UNIVERSITY JAY@PACEVM.BITNET * * 1 PACE PLAZA * * NEW YORK, NY 10038 TEL: 212-346-1642 * * FAX: 212-346-1754 * ********************************************************************* ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 19:05:25 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Tamara Harvey Subject: Re: feminist theory videos (fwd) I've found _Juggling_Gender_ to be a very good, challenging film which raises many questions about negotiating the cultural construction of gender. It is about a bearded woman performance artist who reflects on questions of identity. Many of my intro. to women's studies students were unsettled by this film, but I think in a good way. Tamara Harvey University of California--Irvine At 10:55 PM 5/7/96 -0700, Tamara Maureen Harvey wrote: > > > > >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 14:46:44 EDT >From: shelley park >To: Multiple recipients of list WMST-L >Subject: feminist theory videos > >I have $1000.00 to purchase videos to use in conjunction with a 2 course >Feminist Theory sequence (Intro to Fem Theories and Advanced Feminist >Theories), but as the money has to be spent before the end of this >month I do not have time to preview a significant number of them. > >What videos do you think might be useful for the purposes of teaching >basic or advanced concepts, issues or frameworks? > >In advance, thanks for your suggestions, >Shelley Park > > > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 22:11:24 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Dina Pinsky Subject: Re: white slavery Do you know of any literature on this issue, especially the faked marriage to brothel pattern? I know about and have read about the history of Jewish immigrant women in sweatshops, but that they were often forced into brothels is new to me. If you could point me to some sources, that would be great. Thanks, Dina Pinsky dpinsky@ix.netcom.com At 03:22 PM 5/7/96 -0500, you wrote: >White slavery is a complex issue. In the 19th-early 20th century, >hundreds of Immigrant east European Jewish girls were trapped or lured >into prostitution by a variety of means. Some were deceived into thinking >they were legally married in a religious (but not civil) ceremony, taken to >America or England, then forced into brothels. Others were tricked into >brothels upon arrival as immigrants, then forced to remain there. > >Still others, of course, went into prostitution willingly, as preferable to >working in factories or sweatshops. > > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 8 May 1996 21:08:37 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Nancy San Martin Subject: UCSC WOC FILM FESTIVAL Hi, all. Those of you in the Bay Area should check out the following program information for the upcoming UC Santa Cruz Women of Color Film and Video Festival. Saturday morning's events include a pedagogy workshop on using film and film theory in the classroom. All are welcome. Please send questions and comments to me, not to the list. Thanks, N. San Martin, nancysm@cats.ucsc.edu RUPTURE: The Fifth Annual Women of Color Film and Video Festival to be held from May 16-18, 1996 at Kresge Town Hall, University of California, Santa Cruz. A $5 donation will be accepted at the door. ********PROGRAM: OPENING NIGHT -- THURSDAY MAY 16, 1996********** 7 pm -- Opening Remarks, Professor Angela Y. Davis 7:15 pm -- UnNaming featuring _Sex and the Sandinistas_ and _Black Nations/Queer Nations?_ 9:20 pm -- Bodies and Ruptures featuring _Stigmata: The Transfigured Body_ and _Covered: The Hejab in Cairo, Egypt_ ***********DAY 2: FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1996************* 6 pm -- Our House featuring _Videobook_, _My Life as a Poster_, _NTV: Native Television_, and _Miss Ruby's House_ 7pm -- Displacement/Diaspora I featuring _Remembering Wei Yi-fang, Remembering Myself_, _Pearls_, and _Via New York_. 8:35 pm -- Displacement/Diaspora II featuring _Brincando el Charco: Portrait of a Puerto Rican_ and Q&A with Frances Negron Muntaner 10 pm -- Reception at the Howling Cow Cafe ************DAY 3: SATURDAY, MAY 18, 1996*************** 9:30 - 11 am -- Visualizing Theory and Pedagogical Practices for Women of Color Pedagogy Workshop facilitated by Rosa Linda Fregoso with Katherine Dalen, Rosanne Kanhai, and Marian Sciachitano at the Kresge Literature Annex 11:15 am -- Refiguring Family featuring _Stretchmark_, _Pictures_, _In Memoriam to an Identity_, and Q&A with Lily Ng 12:35 pm -- In/Between featuring _Nepantla_, _shades of grey_, _My Am_ and Q&A with Madeleine Lim and Jacalyn Lopez Garcia 2:15 pm -- (In)Visible Women featuring _Spirit Murder: Stopping the Violent Deaths of Black Women_ and _These Hands_ 3:40 pm -- In Labor featuring _My Grandmother Worked_, _Pepino Mango Nance_, and _The Women Outside_ 5:15 pm -- Memory/Healing/Rage featuring _Praise House_, _The Cinematic Jazz of Julie Dash_, _Charm School_, _Sister Inside_ and Q&A with Etang Inyang 7:15 pm -- Scopophilia featuring _1/16th of 100%?_, _Visions_, _kore_, _Real Romantic Imagery_ and Q&A with Janet Martinez 8:20 pm -- Nude and Dangerous featuring _Feminine, Female, Fantastical I Am_, _Just Once_, _What Is a Line?_, _Bodily Functions_, _Sightings_, and Q&A with H. Len Keller The festival is organized by the Women of Color in Collaboration and Conflict Research Cluster of the Center for Cultural Studies at UCSC. For more information, email Nancy San Martin at nancysm@cats.ucsc.edu or Maylei Blackwell at maylei@cats.ucsc.edu or call 408-459-3349. For program information, disability needs, maps or directions: call 408- 459-3349 or stop by the Kresge Activities Office on the UCSC campus for a complete program listing. **********SELECTED FILM SYNOPSES, in order of screening************ Black Nations/Queer Nations? (1995), 59:00 Shari Frilot _Black Nations/Queer Nations?_, an experimental documentary, chronicles the ground-breaking March 1995 conference on lesbian and gay sexualities in the African diaspora. The conference, which brought together an array of dynamic scholars, activists, and cultural workers including Essex Hemphill, Kobena Mercer, Barbara Smith, Urvashi Vaid, and Jacqui Alexander, interrogated the economic, political, and social situations of diasporic lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered peoples. The video not only brings together the highlights of the conference panels, workshops, and discussions, but draws connections among conference discussions, popular culture, and contemporary black gay media production. _Stigmata: The Transfigured Body_ (1991), 27:00 Leslie Asako Gladsjo _Stigmata_ is a riveting and explicit look at women who transform their bodies against conventional stereotypes of femininity by engaging in unusual forms of body modification such as tattooing, cutting, piercing, and branding. Although these activities are considered very radical, the videotape suggests that they are no more physically radical than cosmetic surgery. _Stigmata_ explores of beauty, self-determination, and the margins of female sexuality. _Covered_(1995), 25:00 Tania Kamal-Eldin Less than a decade ago, it was difficult to find a woman wearing the hejab, a head scarf, in Egypt, much less completely veiling. However, in the early 1980s, women started to don the hejab and, in more extreme cases, cover their entire faces. Currently, as many as seventy percent of Egyptian women are covering their heads or faces. Including interviews with Muslim women as well as with the grand mufti of Egypt and a well-known television personality who hosts a weekly religious program on the appropriate attire for Muslim women, _Covered_ posits that the current Muslim resurgence in Egypt is not the only reason behind the ever-increasing number of shrouded female heads. _Miss Ruby's House_ (1994), 18:00 Lisa Collins and Diane Lloyd During her forty years in a quiet Brooklyn neighborhood, Ruby Davis was babysitter to generations of children. The peace of her community is shattered, however, when this timeless provider is killed by a stray bullet. Filmed in mockumentary style, _Miss Ruby's House_ comically explores myths of Black womanhood through five archetypal characters who reminisce about their lost childhood matriarch. _Remembering Wei Yi-fang, Remembering Myself_ (1995), 29:50 Yvonne Welbon _Remembering Wei Yi-fang, Remembering Myself_ is an autobiographical documentary about Welbon's experiences as an African American woman living in Taiwan for six years (1984-90). Using a narrative created through dialogue in English and Chinese between Welbon and her Chinese persona, as well as through Welbon's grandmother's stories of 'home,' the documentary examines her discoveries in a country free of American racism. _Brincando el Charco_ (1994), 54:00 Frances Negron Muntaner Sophisticated and refreshing, _Brincando el Charco_ contemplates the notion of identity through the experiences of a Puerto Rican woman living in the US. A mixture of fiction, archival footage, processed interviews, and soap opera drama, this film tells the story of Claudia Marin, a light-skinned lesbian photographer/videographer, attempting to construct a sense of community in the US. _Stretchmark_ (1996), 9:00 Veena Cabreros-Sud An intimate, raw exploration of the interior life of a single mother, _Stretchmark_ uncovers the silenced aspects of raising a child-- loneliness, boredom, anger, and emptiness. Using Super 8 home footage in a deconstruction of motherhood and family, _Stretchmark_ weaves a young woman's narrative voice over images of her body, her son, their apartment, and the city where they live. _Spirit Murder: Stopping the Violent Deaths of Black Women_ (1992), 35:00 Kim M. Vaz, Mary Filippo, Toni Thomas, and Deborah G. Plant A documentary video of police, municipal, community, and press response to the slaying of four black women who lived in a working-class, predominantly black and Hispanic community in Tampa, Florida, _Spirit Murder_ is a commentary about how little black women's lives are valued by each of these institutions. _These Hands_ (1992), 45:00 Flora M'mbugu-Schelling Who would have suspected that a 45-minute documentary about women crushing rocks, without narration or plot, would offer one of the most unforgettable and rewarding experiences of recent African cinema? MUmbugu-SchellingUs quiet tribute to the women at the very bottom of the international economic order ultimately deepens into a meditation on human labor itself and stimulates viewers to question their own role as consumers in a global economy. _These Hands_ focuses on a day in the life of Mozambican women refugees working in a quarry outside Dar es Salaam, women who are constantly being ground into the common currency of industrial civilization. Lyrical and moving, this film explores the global mechanism of social, economic, and ideological reproduction. _The Women Outside_ (1995), 60:00 J. T. Tagaki and Hye Jung Park _The Women Outside_ is an intimate look at women who work in the South Korean military brothels and clubs where over 27,000 women "service" the 37,000 American soldiers stationed in this, the most militarized region of the world. The film critiques the US and South Korea's common dependency on the sexual labor of women, challenging the US military presence in Korea and the role women are forced to play in global politics. _Praise House_ (1991), 30:00 Julie Dash Completed in collaboration with the Urban Bush Women, a dance troupe that combines modern dance with African dances, _Praise House_ represents what Dash has called "just black women relating to each other." This film rejects linear narrativity and combines slow motion, voice over, and dance as it focuses on three generations of African American women who attempt to reconcile the pedestrian with the creative. _Charm School_ (1992), 5:00 Zola Mumford _Charm School_ is a film on growing up - and into - societal expectations for women. The story focuses on narrator Trini, an African American adolescent, who recalls the events leading to her Aunt Babe's decision to send Trini and her cousin Rocky (Raquel) to a neighborhood charm school. When Rocky becomes the victim of what Trini fears is an acquaintance rape, Trini's gut reaction is to come to her cousin's defense as best she can. Worried that her defense comes too late, she fears that growing will pose challenges which no charm school course can address. _1/16th of 100%?_ (1994), 23:00 Ina Diane Archer Appropriation, miscegenation, minstrelsy, and blood are the threads that run through the images in this video essay. _1/16th of 100%?_ questions Hollywood's complicity in the creation of black cultural stereotypes and the industry's fascination with blackness, minstrelsy, and the exoticized "Other," satirizing the dire consequences for characters with enigmatic (tainted) blood lineage. It features clips from _Whoopee_, _Showboat_, _Imitation of Life_, _Blonde Venus_, _The Jazz Singer_, and other Hollywood films. _Visions_ (1995), 9:00 Annie Frazier-Henry Based in the oral tradition of storytelling and surrounded with multitextured audio, music, and voice, _Visions_ translates the historical struggle of aboriginal people into a powerful visual song, one that transcends oppression to reach a celebration of new beginnings. _kore_ (1994), 17:00 Tran T. Kim-Trang _kore_ investigates the conjunction of sexuality with the eye as purveyor of desire, the sexual fear and fantasy of blindness (with a focus on the blindfold), and women and AIDS. _Real Romantic Imagery_ (1995), 10:15 Janet Martinez _Real Romantic Imagery_, Martconstruction of romance within consumer capitalism. The video/film examines the mass-produced images people select to represent their conceptions of romance, suggesting that consumers are never really free from the limited scope of romance. Hypnotic and jarring, Real Romantic Imagery examines the conflicts between "real" and "imagined" as well as the power of normalizing discourse. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 06:52:29 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Elaine Koerner <75447.514@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: . LISTSERV:AFD ADD WMST-L PACKAGE SET WMST-L NOMAIL ACK ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 13:40:56 +0100 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Fride Eeg-Henriksen Subject: NIKK information NIKK is the acronym of the Scandinavian name Nordisk institutt for kvinne og kjxnnsforskning of the new regional research institute, the Nordic Institute for Women's Studies and Gender Research. The Institute was founded last year. In January this year, our Secretary John Txmterud from Norway, was appointed, followed by the appointment of our Information Coordinator, Maria Grvnroos, from Finland in March, and we now look forward to welcoming our Head of Research Aino Saarinen, also from Finland, who will be joining us in July. NIKK is located next to the Centre for Women's Research at the University of Oslo in Norway and aims to serve the needs of the broad discipline of women's studies and gender research. The Institute is to provide a framework for joint Nordic research programmes and projects, post-graduate courses and researcher training, as well as Nordic and other international exchange programmes. It will organise Nordic meetings, seminars and conferences and co-ordinate Nordic information services. Different database possibilities are being explored. A Nordic electronic discussion list, the NWMST-L, is under preparation, and information is available in WWW: http://wwworg.uio.no/www-other/nikk/. Nordic co-operation within Women4s Studies The background for the founding of the Institute is the co-operation between the Nordic countries which has characterized Nordic Women's Studies from its origins in the late seventies. Over the years, a number of joint Nordic research projects have been completed, and many disciplinary and cross-disciplinary Nordic research networks have been built up. An institutional basis for strengthening the co-operation was etablished in 1991, when the Nordic Council of Ministers (an inter-governmental body) agreed to finance the position of Co-ordinator for Nordic Women's Studies. NIKK will build upon and consolidate initiatives undertaken by the former co-ordinator Solveig Bergman, who was based at the Ebo Akademi University in Finland from 1991. The founding of NIKK is one of the most important outcomes of her activities. Another was the establishment of NORA, the Nordic Journal of Women's Studies, which has been published in English since 1993. It has strong roots in the Nordic universities and research centres, but is international in scope, offering a forum for theoretical dialogue and debate on research of general interest to scholars and scientists in Women's Studies. The Nordic Association for Women's Studies and Gender Research was established as a publishing association for NORA in 1994. Together with NIKK, it is organizing an interdisciplinary conference on Nordic Women's Studies in Oslo from November 21-23, 1996. This will coincide with its first general meeting and a debate on the future plans of the Association. Nordic but International Since 1995, Denmark, Finland and Sweden, are members of the European Union, while Iceland and Norway have chosen not to join. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of three, autonomous Baltic states have created new possibilities for interaction with the East. This has made an impact on the vision of Nordic co-operation and also on NIKK. Our focus is thus to be intra-Nordic and European, with an emphasis on co-operation with "adjacent areas" including the Baltic Sea region, the Arctic and the Barents Sea region. Broader international networking is also to be important however, echoing the general trend within Women4s Studies worldwide. The European Union NIKK has from the start been engaged in preparing both research and educational activities within the European Union. Both on a Nordic and on a European basis we have striven to make Women4s Studies part of the coming Fifth Action Programme in Science, Research and Development within the European Union. We also have encouraged Nordic institutions within Women4s Studies to participate in activities within the new ERASMUS/SOCRATES programme of the European union. Important partners for us in this respect are WISE (Women4s Studies International Europe) and the European Evaluation of Women4s Studies. News from NIKK The first issue of "News from NIKK", our newsletter in English, was distributed in April this year, and will be published twice a year. Our newsletter aims to give important information about joint Nordic activities in Women4s Studies and gender research and about national and local activities in the Nordic region especially relevant to an international audience. We hope to provide information about how Women4s Studies is organized and financed, information about ongoing and planned research, about courses in Women's Studies and gender research where English is spoken. We will also publish a calendar of events in the Nordic countries where English is the main conference language, and of other international conferences where you probably will find participants from the Nordic countries. The newsletter will also list recent publications in English as well as job announcements. We welcome contributions from everybody, not only information, but also debates on issues of common interest. The next issue of "News from NIKK" will come out in November 1996. Its contribution deadline is October 1. NIKK Reception +47 22 85 89 21, fax +47 22 85 89 50, e-mail nikk@nikk.uio.no Fride Eeg-Henriksen Director of NIKK Director Fride Eeg-Henriksen, NIKK/Nordisk institutt for kvinne-og kjxnnsforskning/Nordic Institute for Women4s Studies and Gender Research University of Oslo, P.O.Box 1156 Blindern, N-0317 OSLO Phone + 47 22 85 89 43, Fax + 47 22 85 89 50 E-mail fride.eeg-henriksen@nikk.uio.no ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 13:41:13 +0100 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Fride Eeg-Henriksen Subject: NIKK visiting scholars NIKK, the Nordic Institute for Women4s Studies and Gender Research will from 1997 be able to host visiting scholars at our Institute in Oslo for shorter or longer periods of time (between two and twelve months). We welcome in particular scholars working on projects exploring common Nordic concerns, that focus on several of the Nordic countries and/or explore cross-Nordic comparisons. Wider international perspectives and comparisons or projects examining Nordic countries from "foreign" points of view are of special interest to us. We also prefer applicants who are experienced in networking and who are willing to be active in the Institute's activities. NIKK hopes to receive applications from the particular areas targeted by the terms of Nordic co-operation (the Nordic states and self-governing territories, the "adjacent areas" including the Baltic Sea region, the Arctic and the Barents Sea region, Europe) and also welcomes international applicants from any country in the world. NIKK offers no scholarships of its own, but provides office and computer facilities. NIKK is situated in the same building as the Centre for Women4s Research at the University of Oslo which houses a lively group of researchers, graduate students and international visitors. Together the two institutions offer an interesting and stimulating working environment for our visiting scholars. Application deadline for 1997 visits is September 1 1996. Contact NIKK for application form, nikk@nikk.uio.no. Director Fride Eeg-Henriksen, NIKK/Nordisk institutt for kvinne-og kjxnnsforskning/Nordic Institute for Women4s Studies and Gender Research University of Oslo, P.O.Box 1156 Blindern, N-0317 OSLO Phone + 47 22 85 89 43, Fax + 47 22 85 89 50 E-mail fride.eeg-henriksen@nikk.uio.no ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 09:11:28 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Phyllis-Joyce Kafka Subject: Re: White Slave -Reply In-Reply-To: About a year ago a powerful documentary appeared on TV where all this was exposed through interviews and a hand-held camera. Does anyone out there know whether it was shown on a PBS station, because then it would be available for viewing in the classroom? As I remember it, the film documented the situation from the grounds of origin and then focused primarily in Amsterdam, then to a young woman who did escape. As I write this, a second documentary, this one very recent, within the past few months, also comes to mind, where the film crew goes to Indonesia (?) documenting the tracking down and freeing of whatever girls they can by a small band of men . The scenes were all galvanizing, butI will confine myself to one in particular: the interview with the drug addict father who reveals that he sold his daughter for drugs. Anyone remember this one, as well? pkafka@turbo.kean.edu On Wed, 8 May 1996, Linda Bergmann wrote: > There was an article in yesterday's _Chicago Tribune_ entitled "Eastern > European Women Exploited in Sex Business," which sounded very much like > what I know about earlier "white slavery" discourse. The Tribune article > describes how Eastern European women--underemployed or unemployed > casualties of the economic changes going on since the demise of the > Communist states--are lured into jobs abroad by "a newspaper ad offering > $400 a month for 'hostesses and dancers' in Japan. . . . Like thousands > of young women in Eastern and Central Europe, Stekolchshikava, 27, was > about to be snared in what has become a hugely profitable criminal > enterprise: the trafficking in women from the formercommunist bloc to > the wealthy nations of Western Europe and Asia." . . . . For thousands of > women who end up working in teh bars and brothels of Amsterdam, > Brussels or Tokyo, there is no escape. . . . Whether they come knowing > that they are expected to work as prostitutes, or naively believe the > stories they've been told by recruiters, the women are quickly forced > into a situation of extreme dependency. . . . Club owners or pimps > confiscate their passports and deduct the cost of airfare and other > 'fees' from their earnings. Threats and violence are used to break down > women who refuse to provide sexual services." (_Chicago Tribune_, May 7, > 1996, p. 1 & 20. > > > As I was reading this yesterday morning, it reminded me very much of the > turn of the century writing on "White Slavery." I find myself asking the > extent to which women are actually being exploited--forced into becoming > "Sex workers" both by the brutatity of the henchmen ofthe sex industry > and by the lack of alternative opportunities for women in these > economies. And on the other hand, the extent to which this may be a > patriarchal take on a complex situation or situations. AS in the case of > the nineteenth century "white slavery," to what extent do we focus on > what is happening, and to what extent do we focus on the discourse > through which we see it? The postings so far on this thread seem to > alternate between these foci. > > On Tue, 7 May 1996, Linda Kuzmack wrote: > > > White slavery is a complex issue. In the 19th-early 20th century, > > hundreds of Immigrant east European Jewish girls were trapped or lured > > into prostitution by a variety of means. Some were deceived into thinking > > they were legally married in a religious (but not civil) ceremony, taken to > > America or England, then forced into brothels. Others were tricked into > > brothels upon arrival as immigrants, then forced to remain there. > > > > Still others, of course, went into prostitution willingly, as preferable to > > working in factories or sweatshops. > > > > Linda S. Bergmann, Ph.D. > Assistant Professor of English > Department of Humanities > Illinois Institute of Technology > Chicago, Illinois 60616 > > (312) 567-3462 > > bergmann@charlie.acc.iit.edu > ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 09:26:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: WMST-L at NWSA! Hi, folks. I'm happy to announce that there will be an informal WMST-L get-together at this year's National Women's Studies Association conference. The conference runs June 12-June 16 at Skidmore College. The WMST-L get-together will take place ***> Thursday, June 13, at 5:30 p.m. in Ladd 307. <*** We've had similar get-togethers at past NWSA meetings, and they've been great fun. There's no fixed agenda, just a chance to meet f2f (computer-speak for "face-to-face") in RL ("real life") some of the people whose messages you've read on WMST-L. I've tried to find a time that will conflict with as few other events as possible. I do hope that you'll be able to come. By the way, though there's no fixed agenda, that doesn't mean you can't raise issues about the list--it would be great to have a chance to talk about the list f2f and without adding to everyone's e-mail clutter. And if there are issues you'd like me to raise at the meeting, please feel free to e-mail me privately ahead of time: korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu . DO NOT SEND SUCH MESSAGES TO WMST-L. I'll be at the conference from Tuesday evening until Sunday; I'll be staying at the Sheraton hotel, if anyone wants to reach me there. Until then: korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu . I look forward to seeing many of you at NWSA. Joan Korenman ***************************************************************************** * Joan Korenman korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu * * U. of Md. Baltimore County * * Baltimore, MD 21228-5398 http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/ * * * * The only person to have everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe * ***************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 10:04:49 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ingrid Alisa Bowleg Subject: How to Obtain the Women, Men & Media Study Hello all, Several of you wrote me to request information about how to obtain the recent Women, Men & Media study and suggested that I post the information to the entire list. So here it is: you can get copies of the study by calling the Freedom Forum at (212) 678-6613. Cheers, Lisa Bowleg Women's Studies Program Georgetown University Internet: lisabow@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 09:16:07 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Amanda Putnam Subject: Re: White Slave -Reply >As I write >this, a second documentary, this one very recent, within the past few >months, also comes to mind, where the film crew goes to Indonesia (?) >documenting the tracking down and freeing of whatever girls they can by >a small band of men . The scenes were all galvanizing, butI will confine >myself to one in particular: the interview with the drug addict father >who reveals that he sold his daughter for drugs. Anyone remember this >one, as well? Yes, I remember it as well. This was shown on cable (maybe History or Discovery Channel?). I thought it was set in Taiwain. The girl you mentioned was taken from the hills where her family remained in abject poverty. The girls (many of them only 11-14) were kept in the city, usually locked away, and were expected to not use condoms for protection from AIDS due to "customer preference". I believe this (the increase of AIDS) was part of the focus of the documentary. There were also other brothels where the "owners" boasted about the women being tested after every 10 or so customers and dismissing any women who tested positive. The reason the girls from the hills were being sold into this slavery was attributed to the high deaths of prostitutes from AIDS and thus the need for more women. Amanda aputnam@unlinfo.unl.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 08:26:53 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: COOKIE STEPHAN Subject: Re: White Slave -Reply In-Reply-To: The documentary was a 20-20 show. It took place entirely in Indonesia. I have a copy of it, but I'm leaving town today for 8 weeks so I don't have time to loan it. It's really terrific. e-mail me privately if you want to borrow it after mid-July. Cookie White Stephan ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 08:29:02 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: COOKIE STEPHAN Subject: Re: White Slave -Reply In-Reply-To: Woofps, I think I said Indonesia. It took place in Thailand. CWS. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 11:07:17 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Pat Murphy A former student who works for Chemical Week Magazine called me for some information on women's participation in the chemical industry. Her magazine is doing a cover story on this topic and would like to focus on women who are "shattering the glass ceiling" and on their lack of progress in the field especiall in terms of positions of leadership. She would like information on the number of women chemists, names of high profile women, people doing research on this area etc. My field is women and law so other than look up some things in text books I can't help her much. Is there anyone out there who can help or direct me to someone doing research in this area? It might be a good opportunity to get some women's studies research into the media. Thanks Pat Pat Murphy Assistant Professor of Sociology SUNY Geneseo Geneseo, N.Y. 14454 716-245-5324 Murphy@uno.cc.geneseo.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 10:28:24 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Anne Margaret McLeer Subject: Slavery Literature In-Reply-To: Kathleen Barry (Penn State University and the founder of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women) has written about this in her book 'Female Sexual Slavery'. Anne McLeer Ph.D Program in the Human Sciences The George Washington University Washington, DC amcleer@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu http://www.gwu.edu/~humsci ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 11:39:59 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Mary Davidson Subject: Re: feminist theory videos (fwd) I am very interested in the video Juggling Gender...and as it happens I have some money to spent asap..could someone send me info on where to find it? Thanks in advance...Mary Davidson...Davidson@ vaxa.sunycgcc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 14:43:59 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ann Myers MFL&L Subject: Re: feminist theory videos (fwd) Juggling Gender was produced by the Communications Department at Hunter College--you may be able to get it by contacting them. AnnM@JOE.ALB.EDU ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 11:43:58 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jacqueline Berman Subject: post-docs I am a new subscriber to the list and am interested in finding information about post-doctoral fellowships in women's studies. I am ABD in international realtions and am writing my dissertation about the relationships among sexual difference and problems of sovereignty and statecraft, with a particular focus on Poland. I would like to find a post-doc in women's studies for the 1997-98 academic year. I am familiar with the program at Brown through the Pembroke Center and with the Bunting Fellowships. Any other opportunies that anyone might know about, either through women's studies or more traditional political science departments would be most helpful. Please reply to me directly via jberman@u.washington.edu. Thank you Jacqueline Berman Visiting Scholar Dept. of Political Science University of Washington ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 16:19:42 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: linda bernhard Subject: women's health novels Next year I will be teaching an advanced women's health course and would like to use some novels. Although I once took a course on Literature and Women's Health, I have not used fiction in teaching the women's health survey course. So, I would greatly appreciate suggestions of novels in which issues of women's physical and/or mental health are important. Of course, I would also like novels that represent the diversity of women. If I have a good response, I will post a summary to the list. Thanks! Linda Bernhard, PhD, RN Associate Professor Women's Studies and Nursing The Ohio State University Bernhard.3@osu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 15:25:55 +0000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Amy Sarch Organization: The College of Staten Island Subject: Re: women's health novels John Irving's Cider House Rules isn't directly focused on women characters, but one of the main characters is an abortionist. May be of useful. Amy Sarch Assistant Professor College of Staten Island/CUNY sarch@postbox.csi.cuny.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 13:39:16 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Schweitzer Subject: Rape statistics A student asked me a question to which I had no answer and wondered if anyone else did. We usually hear the statistics about what percentage of young women have been raped. But does anyone have a statistic that reveals what percentage of men have been rapISTS? That is, presumably, a rapist is going to assault more than one woman over a period of time -- so the percentage of rapists among all men should be less than the percentage of victims among all women. Does anyone either have, or know where to get, a good statistic on this? Mary Schweitzer, Dept. of History (and women's studies), Villanova University (on leave 1995-97) schweit2@ix.netcom.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 16:58:00 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: lynda goldstein Subject: Re: feminist theory videos (fwd) In-Reply-To: ANNM AT JOE.ALB.EDU -- Thu, 9 May 1996 14:43:59 -0400 Juggling Gender is distributed by Women Make Movies, a fabulous resource for feminist film and video. Women Make Movies, Inc. Distribution Service 462 Broadway, Suite 500 D NY, NY 10013 212-925-0606 (phone) 212-925-2052 (fax) distdept@wmm.com (email) Lynda Goldstein lrg4@psuvm.psu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 18:41:22 +0000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Eithne Foley Subject: "Beauty Myth". Hi, I'm trying to get material together to teach a class on women/their appearence I'm familiar with popular material such as _The Beauty Myth_, _Beauty Secrets_, _Hunger Strike_, _Fed Up And Hungery_ ect, and also with work on the body, for examples by Turner, Schilling or Featherstone. But the latter lacks comprehensiveness and the former lacks depth!! Any ideas on other literature, particularily recent? Thanks. Eithne. e-mail = efoley@ucc.ie ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 17:12:00 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: lynda goldstein Subject: Re: Intro to Women's Studies collaboration In-Reply-To: RSHOME AT UGA.CC.UGA.EDU -- Wed, 8 May 1996 19:17:21 EDT I am revamping the Intro to Women's Studies course (wmst 001) from a reading/ discussion-based format to a more project-oriented format. I don't quite know what this will look like yet, but we'll be using _Feminist Frontiers III_, ed. Laurel Richardson and Verta Taylor for the readings that we will do (meanwhile they'll spend time working on group projects for campus presentation. I'm hoping for a performance piece or two, a web-page design, a few zines, what- ever, that will creatively engage with some of the basic issues). Essentially, I want to move them beyond the confines of our classroom--into the campus community and into a virtual community (as well as talking to one another, of course). Because I'd like them to be more tech-savvy (than they are and certainly than I am at the moment), some of the work we'll do will entail out of class discussions via email. I may have them write responses to readings or give them a gopher-based research project to share via email. In any case, I'm wondering if anyone who is also using the FFIII book for an intro class would be interested in having our classes occasionally "talk" to one another about and around a couple of chapters that we could decide on in advance. I have in mind a cybergirlfreeforall. Any interest? Lynda Goldstein lrg4@psuvm.psu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 09:22:43 +1000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Marj Kibby Subject: Re: Rape statistics >That is, presumably, a rapist is going to assault more than one woman >over a period of time -- so the percentage of rapists among all men >should be less than the percentage of victims among all women. > >Mary Schweitzer, Dept. of History (and women's studies), Villanova >University (on leave 1995-97) >schweit2@ix.netcom.com > This is a rather large presumption, based on a notion that there are men who can be labelled 'rapists', and counted as such. I have no research evidence, but personal experience suggests that many women who are raped, are raped by a date, a relative, an ex-husband ... on a one off basis, not by a 'rapist'. I'd be more interested in discussing with students the violence inherent in hegemonic masculinity which makes all men potential rapists. Marj Kibby Marj Kibby Dean of Students, The University of Newcastle Callaghan, NSW, 2308 Australia Ph: (049) 216604 Fx: (049) 217151 Email VFMDK@cc.newcastle.edu.au ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 20:20:28 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "N. Benokraitis" Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: <199605092039.NAA24791@dfw-ix2.ix.netcom.com> On Thu, 9 May 1996, Schweitzer wrote: > We usually hear the statistics about what percentage of young women > have been raped. > > But does anyone have a statistic that reveals what percentage of men > have been rapISTS? > Good question. In the U.S. felonies (including rapes) are presented as rates (x per 100,000 population or males between certain ages) so you won't get the percentage of recidivist rapists. Besides looking at the U.S. Bureau of the Census *Statistical Abtract of the US* (published annually) for some general numbers over time, try the following (sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and operated by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor): http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/NACJD/home.html http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/ nacjd@icpsr.umich.edu I haven't logged on recently, but the URLs usually have the phone number of a real person who can answer questions related to the data (or lack of it). And the real person even responds! n. Benokraitis, University of Baltimore, Sociology Dept ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 19:22:31 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: yu-ju gloria lo Subject: unsubscribe Hi, Unsubscribe from the list ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 16:21:36 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Linda Kuzmack Subject: post-docs -Reply You might be interested in applying for a post-doc through the American Association of University Women. For 1997-98 fellowship information, call 319-337-1716 after July 1, 1996. You must have an application by Nov. 1, and the deadline for applications is Nov. 15. For more information, go to our homepage: http://www.aauw.org ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 20:57:49 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "N. Benokraitis" Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: <01I4JANYM9NG8X3Y20@cc.newcastle.edu.au> On Fri, 10 May 1996, Marj Kibby wrote: > >That is, presumably, a rapist is going to assault more than one woman > >over a period of time -- so the percentage of rapists among all men > >should be less than the percentage of victims among all women. > > This is a rather large presumption, based on a notion that there are men who > can be labelled 'rapists', and counted as such. I have no research evidence, > but personal experience suggests that many women who are raped, are raped by > a date, a relative, an ex-husband ... on a one off basis, not by a 'rapist'. True. But all of the above are rapists and classified as such (when reported, of course) by the criminal justice system. > I'd be more interested in discussing with students the violence inherent in > hegemonic masculinity which makes all men potential rapists. Although our culture (in the U.S.) doesn't discourage rape, I'm not sure that it "makes all men potential rapists." The majority of rapes are committted by men women know, love, or think they love/should love. This doesn't diminish the hegemonic masculinity argument, but I think that many women's culpability in acquaintance rapes has been largely ignored. For example, there's lots of evidence that many mothers and fathers (in two-parent middle class households) and many mothers (in single-parent households) are still raising boys with macho values, that many women take enormously high risks (high alcohol and other drugs usage) during dates, and most women still don't report rapes (even though the criminal justice is much more professional and supportive in many urban areas). I might be flamed, but I think that many of the Women's Studies courses (or rape-related topics in such courses) should place more emphasis on changing women's behavior and not just men's. n. Benokraitis, University of Baltimore, Sociology Dept nbenokraitis@ubmail.ubalt.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 20:19:27 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kathy Miriam Subject: Re: "Beauty Myth". In-Reply-To: <01I4IFR7Q0G2001Y6R@BUREAU.UCC.IE> There are some excellent short, philosophical articles (very readable and in depth) in Allison Jagger's anthology on feminist social ethics, Living with Contradictions. These articles include an essay by Katharine Morgan on cosmetic surgery which was provocative. Kathy Miriam kmiriam@cats.ucsc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 00:03:51 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ellyn Kaschak Subject: Race/Gender bias on teaching evaluation Two relevant studies are: Kaschak, E. Another look at sex bias in students evaluations of professors: Do winners get the recognition that they have been given? Psychology of Women Quarterly, Summer, l98l. Kaschak, E. Sex bias in students' evaluations of professors' teaching methods. Psychology of Women Quarterly, l978, 3:3, l35-l43. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 21:27:08 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Qhyrrae Michaelieu Subject: Re: Rape statistics Comments: To: "N. Benokraitis" In-Reply-To: On Thu, 9 May 1996, N. Benokraitis wrote: > On Fri, 10 May 1996, Marj Kibby wrote: > > > >That is, presumably, a rapist is going to assault more than one woman > > >over a period of time -- so the percentage of rapists among all men > > >should be less than the percentage of victims among all women. > > > > This is a rather large presumption, based on a notion that there are men who > > can be labelled 'rapists', and counted as such. I have no research evidence, > > but personal experience suggests that many women who are raped, are raped by > > a date, a relative, an ex-husband ... on a one off basis, not by a 'rapist'. > > True. But all of the above are rapists and classified as such (when > reported, of course) by the criminal justice system. > > > I'd be more interested in discussing with students the violence inherent in > > hegemonic masculinity which makes all men potential rapists. > > Although our culture (in the U.S.) doesn't discourage rape, I'm not sure > that it "makes all men potential rapists." The majority of rapes are > committted by men women know, love, or think they love/should love. This > doesn't diminish the hegemonic masculinity argument, but I think that > many women's culpability in acquaintance rapes has been > largely ignored. For example, there's lots of evidence that many > mothers and fathers (in two-parent middle class households) and many > mothers (in single-parent households) are still raising boys with > macho values, that many women take enormously high risks (high alcohol > and other drugs usage) during dates, and most women still don't report > rapes (even though the criminal justice is much more professional and > supportive in many urban areas). > > I might be flamed, but I think that many of the Women's Studies courses > (or rape-related topics in such courses) should place more emphasis on > changing women's behavior and not just men's. > > n. Benokraitis, University of Baltimore, Sociology Dept > nbenokraitis@ubmail.ubalt.edu > Women's culpability in rape! This is blaming the victim. Men have the right to drink without it being an invitation to rape. Focussing on women's culpability diverts attention from the real problem. Qhyrrae Michaelieu UCSC qym@cats.ucsc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 01:42:05 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Raka Shome Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: Message of Thu, 9 May 1996 21:27:08 -0700 from On Thu, 9 May 1996 21:27:08 -0700 Qhyrrae Michaelieu said: >On Thu, 9 May 1996, N. Benokraitis wrote: > >> On Fri, 10 May 1996, Marj Kibby wrote: >> >> > >That is, presumably, a rapist is going to assault more than one woman >> > >over a period of time -- so the percentage of rapists among all men >> > >should be less than the percentage of victims among all women. >> > >> > This is a rather large presumption, based on a notion that there are men >who >> > can be labelled 'rapists', and counted as such. I have no research >evidence, >> > but personal experience suggests that many women who are raped, are raped >by >> > a date, a relative, an ex-husband ... on a one off basis, not by a >'rapist'. >> >> True. But all of the above are rapists and classified as such (when >> reported, of course) by the criminal justice system. >> >> > I'd be more interested in discussing with students the violence inherent in >> > hegemonic masculinity which makes all men potential rapists. >> >> Although our culture (in the U.S.) doesn't discourage rape, I'm not sure >> that it "makes all men potential rapists." The majority of rapes are >> committted by men women know, love, or think they love/should love. This >> doesn't diminish the hegemonic masculinity argument, but I think that >> many women's culpability in acquaintance rapes has been >> largely ignored. For example, there's lots of evidence that many >> mothers and fathers (in two-parent middle class households) and many >> mothers (in single-parent households) are still raising boys with >> macho values, that many women take enormously high risks (high alcohol >> and other drugs usage) during dates, and most women still don't report >> rapes (even though the criminal justice is much more professional and >> supportive in many urban areas). >> >> I might be flamed, but I think that many of the Women's Studies courses >> (or rape-related topics in such courses) should place more emphasis on >> changing women's behavior and not just men's. >> >> n. Benokraitis, University of Baltimore, Sociology Dept >> nbenokraitis@ubmail.ubalt.edu >> > >Women's culpability in rape! This is blaming the victim. Men have >the right to drink without it being an invitation to rape. Focussing on >women's culpability diverts attention from the real problem. > >Qhyrrae Michaelieu >UCSC >qym@cats.ucsc.edu I agree with Qhyrrae totally. whether women take high risks or don't report rape is NOT the issue. Benokraitis's argument seems to suggest that "hence they deserve it." Gee! ARe you for real? It's like saying that women need to limit THEIR actions so that they don't get raped, and as Qhyrrae points out, this IS diverting attention from the actual issue. What I also find interesting is how terms such as "high risk behavior" etc get so easily applied to women's actions but hardly ever to men's!!!! Raka shome. rshome@uga.cc.uga.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 04:16:21 -0400 Reply-To: J.Van-Every@bham.ac.uk Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jo VanEvery Organization: The University of Birmingham Subject: rape statistics I think _I Never Called It Rape_ has some statistics of this sort in it and a discussion of the issue of whether the percentage of men who rape is smaller than the percentage of women who are raped. Of course this relates primarily to the study of date rape on campus but might be useful. Dr. Jo VanEvery Dept. of Cultural Studies University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT United Kingdom 0121-414-3730 J.Van-Every@bham.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 07:08:36 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jane Elza Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: <01I4JANYM9NG8X3Y20@cc.newcastle.edu.au> The only statistics I'd guess exist would be of those convicted for the offense. The state police or the fbi would have those. Dr. Jane Elza jelza@grits.valdosta.peachnet.edu Political Science Dept., Valdosta State University Valdosta, Ga. 31698 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:30:22 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Joan D. Mandle" Subject: Re: Rape statistics Benokraitis's argument that women take risks - especially college women on dates re:drinking and drugs points us in a direction of LOWERING the incidence of rape. That is the point isn't it - to decrease the violence against women. The men who rape are guilty of it and should be punished, but to encourage women in "high risk behavior" (which includes heavy drinking and drugs - regardless of dating or not) is ridiculous. We should be telling college women AND men to avoid this behavior because it is self-destructive. And because it leads to other kinds of harm such as date rape. In fact, I would argue we ought to be discussing dating relationships which at many universities means getting drunk or high and "hooking up" for a one night stand. BOTH men and women widely engage in this behavior and never TALK to each other, find out about each other, or establish any other kind of re- lationship. I think this is not healthy for them as human beings but that's my morality and notion of human relationships. The point is however that both men and women (not male patriarchy) create this situation. We need to talking about that and the impersonal and uncaring human relationships it tends to promote between women and men. Joan D. Mandle Colgate University Director of Women's Studies ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:28:00 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Barbara Barnett Subject: Re: Rape statistics concerning postings on rape and how we must teach women to change their behavior: my niece was raped by an old high school friend. she was at a birthday party, was afraid to walk home by herself because it had gotten dark, and a boy she had known for years volunteered to "protect" her. when she invited him in for coffee, he tried to rape her. she fought him, was beaten up badly, then raped. she reported it to law enforcement officials, who told she put herself at risk when she invited the boy into her house. how should she have changed her behavior? a young woman in my neighborhood was raped one morning when she went outside to get the newspaper? how should she have changed her behavior? while i agree women can make themselves less vulnerable to rape by not using drugs or alcohol on a date, i would remind everyone that drinking too much at a party is not a crime. rape is. i think women's studies courses and feminists are on target when they remind us that rape is an act of violence and control. victims of crime should not be viewed as accomplices. Barbara Barnett Duke University bbarnett@fhi.org ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:07:04 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Karen R. Grant" Subject: Women's Health Novels In-Reply-To: <199605100434.XAA12002@electra.cc.umanitoba.ca> I can suggest the following works of fiction for your course on women's health: Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper Marge Piercy's Woman on the Edge of Time Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale You might also get some ideas by checking out the journal *Literature and Medicine*. Good luck, Karen ***************************************************************************** Karen R. Grant, Ph.D. Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts University of Manitoba It's not the ups and downs that make Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 5V5 life difficult, it's the jerks! KGRANT@CC.UMANITOBA.CA -Anonymous Phone: (204) 474-9912 Fax: (204) 275-5781 ***************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 09:15:28 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: DIANE Subject: Re: Rape statistics In the study done by Mary Koss which was used as the basis for the statistis used in I Never Called It Rape, she also questionned men about acts of sexual aggression. The study was national and done on college campuses so it clearly only looks at sexual aggression by college men. Koss, M.; Gidycz, C; and Wisniewski, N. (1987). The Scope of Rape: Incidence and Prevalence of Sexual Aggression and Victimization In a National Sample of Higher Education Students. From Journal Of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. It's 1987 but I'm not sure of the volume or number. Diane Goldsmith Director, Transition and Women's Programs Manchester Community Technical College MA_Goldsmith@commnet.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:43:14 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Miriam Harris Subject: Re: Women's Health Novels In-Reply-To: I suggest Elizabeth Berg's Talk before Sleep. It's about the support women give a friend dying of breast cancer-- is that what you mean? Miriam K. Harris mharris@utdallas.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:46:06 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Miriam Harris Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: <960510091528.6041ea7c@commnet.edu> See also Diana Scully's excellent! Understanding Sexual Violence. and Liz Kelly's Surviving Sexual Violence (for a look at the continuum of sexual violence) Miriam K. Harris mharris@utdallas.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 09:39:00 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Elana Newman Subject: refs: college students who report coercive sex behaviors Here are a list of scholarly works that may be useful in teaching about male sexual aggression. They are particularly applicable to the experiences of college students, and I have found that when I refer to these studies in lectures, students are less able to dismiss the implications: TI: The prediction of sexual aggression by alcohol use, athletic participation, and fraternity affiliation. AU: Koss,-Mary-P.; Gaines,-John-A. IN: U Arizona, Tucson, US JN: Journal-of-Interpersonal-Violence; 1993 Mar Vol 8(1) 94-108 TI: Courtship violence: Incidence in a national sample of higher education students. AU: White,-Jacquelyn-W.; Koss,-Mary-P. IN: U North Carolina, Greensboro, US JN: Violence-and-Victims; 1991 Win Vol 6(4) 247-256 TI: Characteristics of aggressors against women: Testing a model using a national sample of college students. Special Section: Theories of sexual aggression. AU: Malamuth,-Neil-M.; Sockloskie,-Robert-J.; Koss,-Mary-P.; Tanaka,-J.-S. IN: U Michigan, Ann Arbor, US JN: Journal-of-Consulting-and-Clinical-Psychology; 1991 Oct Vol 59(5) 670-681 TI: Predictors of sexual aggression among a national sample of male college students. Conference of the New York Academy of Sciences: Human sexual aggression: Current perspectives (1987, New York, New York). AU: Koss,-Mary-P.; Dinero,-Thomas-E. IN: U Arizona, Tucson, US JN: Annals-of-the-New-York-Academy-of-Sciences; 1988 Aug Vol 528 133-147 TI: Sexual aggression, masculinity, and fathers. AU: Lisak,-David IN: U Massachusetts, Boston, US JN: Signs; 1991 Win Vol 16(2) 238-262 TI: Motives and psychodynamics of self-reported, unincarcerated rapists. AU: Lisak,-David; Roth,-Susan IN: Duke U, Durham, NC, US JN: American-Journal-of-Orthopsychiatry; 1990 Apr Vol 60(2) 268-280 Elana Newman National Center for PTSD; Behavioral Sciences Division newman.elana@boston.va.gov ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 10:00:23 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: shelley park Subject: Re: "Beauty Myth". In-Reply-To: Message of Thu, 9 May 1996 18:41:22 +0000 from I'd highly recommend Susan Bordo's new book _Unbearable Weight_. Bordo is a cultural philosopher who often (but not always) uses a Foucauldian -type analysis. Her work has the too rare twin virtues of being sophisticated and accessible--students love it. Shelley fdspark@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 10:05:23 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: shelley park Subject: feminist theory videos Thanks to all who have (or are planning to) send video suggestions. I will forward a compilation to the list in the next couple of weeks. It might be more helpful if the list included ordering info. Some have been kind enough to include this. Anyone who might know this info on one or more of the videos mentioned in the past week can forward such to me privately for later distribution. Many thanks. Shelley Park ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 10:38:54 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Delese Wear Subject: Re: women's health novels In-Reply-To: from "linda bernhard" at May 9, 96 04:19:42 pm i teach a course on women's health at both a medical school (northeastern ohio universities college of medicine) and a small college nearby (hiram). here are a few of the novels i have used: BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA-dorothy allison GIRL, INTERRUPTED THE CANCER JOURNALS-lorde THE STONE DIARIES-shields POSSESSING THE SECRET OF JOY-walker TELL ME A RIDDLE-olsen AT SEVENTY-sarton A THOUSAND ACRES-smiley THE WOMEN OF BREWSTER PLACE-naylor HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS-alvarez THE HANDMAID'S TALE-atwood i have found WOMEN OF THE 14TH MOON,ed.taylor & summrall (crossing press) very helpful for poetry/short essays on menopause. POSITIVE WOMEN is a collection of the same only for HIV-infected women. AN INTIMATE WILDERNESS: LESBIAN WRITERS ON SEXUALITY ed. j. barrington (eighth mountain press) also includes some good stuff, esp. 2 essays on breast cancer; terry mcmillan's collection BREAKING ICE: an anthology of contemporary african american fiction includes safia hendereson-holmes's stunning short story "snapshots of grace"; l. lifshitz's edited collection HER SOUL BENEATH THE BONE is a collection of breast cancer poetry. and if you want an overview-kind of book, lois nixon and i wrote a LITERARY ANAATOMIES: WOMEN'S BODIES AND HEALTH IN LITERATURE (SUNY) a few years ago. good luck. i just finished teaching BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA (for the third time to fourth year medical students)--i plan to use it again and again and again....... good luck. delese wear dw@neoucom.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 12:15:27 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jenny Thigpen Subject: Re: "Beauty Myth". hi just a few suggestions : Susan Brownmillers _Femininity_ and two collections of essays: _Minding the Body: Women Write on Body and Soul_ Ed. Patricia Foster deals with everything from menopause to pregnancy and plastic surgery as well as with the other, more obvious body image topic. The othre, _Many Mirrors: Body Image and Social Relations_ Ed Nicole Sault is excellent. Takes body/beauty image and myth from numerous perspectives. Hope this helps. Jenny Thigpen JThig@aol.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 12:33:10 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Nan Bauer Maglin Subject: women's health novels MERIDIAN by Alice Walker sets up a metaphor relating the health of the characters to the health of the society (set in Mississippi during the civilrights movement) ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 13:32:51 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: Re: Women's Health Novels In-Reply-To: Your message of Fri, 10 May 1996 08:07:04 -0500 Other books on women's health issues: Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, as well as many Victorina novels are a great source. There is a new collection published by U of Chicago Press (I can't remember the author) entitled The Wounded Storyteller, thatshould be relevant. An interesting issues is that of the connection between immigrant life and illbess, for example in Tina De Rosa's Paper Fish (forthcoming with the Feminist Press). Mary Jo bona deals with this issue in an article that appeared in MELUS in 1987 (i think). Edi Giunta c/o faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 13:48:34 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: Re: Women's Health Novels > Other books on women's health issues: > > Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, as well as > many Victorina novels are a great source. Edi Giunta's comment above reminded me of a very interesting book that came out last year and is now available in paperback: SOMATIC FICTIONS: IMAGINING ILLNESS IN VICTORIAN CULTURE by Athena Vrettos (Stanford University Press, 1995). Vrettos discusses some major Victorian novels in the context of Victorian cultural ideas about health, women, medicine, etc. Joan Korenman ************************************************************************* * Joan Korenman, Director, Women's Studies korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu * * University of Maryland Baltimore County * * http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/ * * * * The only person to have everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe * ************************************************************************* ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 13:56:36 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Andrea Austin <3AJA1@QUCDN.QUEENSU.CA> Subject: Re: women's health novels In-Reply-To: Message of Fri, 10 May 1996 10:38:54 -0400 from Fanny Burney's 18thC account of her mastectomy might be included. Also, sorry not to have complete info. here, but Miriam Bailin's _The Sickroom in Victorian Fiction_ is excellent. Andrea Austin Dept. of English Queen's University 3aja1@qucdn.queensu.ca ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 14:02:06 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Sandra Pollack Subject: Re: Women's Health Novels -Reply Comments: To: faustyj@EDEN.RUTGERS.EDU for an autobiography dealing with health issues I'd recommend Post-Diagnosis by Sandra Steingraber. Steingraber is a survivor of cancer and a biologist with an environmental bent committed to cancer activism. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 13:55:12 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Carolyn Redl Subject: Re: Women's Health Novels In-Reply-To: Your message dated "Fri, 10 May 1996 08:43:14 -0500" Another excellent work might be Isabelle Allende's _Paula_. Carolyn Redl carolyn.redl@keyanoc.ab.ca ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 16:59:59 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Diane Lyden Murphy Subject: Re: feminist theory videos I would be interested in a copy of the compiled list. An excellent video I use for social work graduate students to integrate feminist psychology and family systems theory is a video that is older but very relevant. Video: A Feminist Perspective: Implications for Therapists , The Menninger Foundation, Educational Video Productions Box 829 Topeka, KS 66601 (913) 273-7500. ============================================================================= Diane Lyden Murphy,Director 109 Heroy Geology Building Women's Studies Program Syracuse, New York 13244 Syracuse University (315)443-3707 FAX (315)443-9221 =========================================================================== == ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 16:09:18 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Deborah Moreland moreland.utdallas.edu." Subject: Re: Women's Health Novels -Reply In-Reply-To: Someone already mentioned Yellow Wallpaper by Gilman, but her autobiography is a larger, broader incorporation of her mental health and her political activism, family background, etc. Another very interesting approach is Women in Pain: Gender and Morbidity in Mexico by Kaja Finkler. this contains many first hand accounts of women's sickness, and Finkler understands them as gender issues: the construction of female gender in Mexico includes ideologies and expectations that result in mexican women experiencing more sickness than mexican men. The life stories are very interesting, and I think students would like them. One final suggestion, if your course is interdisciplinary, would be to use paintings of Frieda Kahlo. Her life was one of many operations as a result of an accident when a teenager, and much of her art depicts the body in pain -- of course she connects much of this pain to her relationship with Diego Rivera, which makes another interesting line of discussion. The paperback The World of Frieda Kahlo put out by the Blue House includes her biography and wonderful copies of many of her finest paintings. The paintings raise many interesting questions about gender, identity, and representation as well as women and illness. Deborah Moreland ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 23:08:55 +0100 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Valerie Warren Subject: Unsubscribe request With apologies to the list... My system has crashed and I have lost the unsubscribe details, please could someone do this for me as my account will shortly be used by another person ? Thank you, Valerie Warren ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 18:25:11 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Cheryl Sattler Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: <01I4JANYM9NG8X3Y20@cc.newcastle.edu.au> Joan, please don't kill me. IF A MAN RAPES, HE IS A RAPIST. Any other definition is ancillary. On Fri, 10 May 1996, Marj Kibby wrote: > >That is, presumably, a rapist is going to assault more than one woman > >over a period of time -- so the percentage of rapists among all men > >should be less than the percentage of victims among all women. > > > >Mary Schweitzer, Dept. of History (and women's studies), Villanova > >University (on leave 1995-97) > >schweit2@ix.netcom.com > > > > This is a rather large presumption, based on a notion that there are men who > can be labelled 'rapists', and counted as such. I have no research evidence, > but personal experience suggests that many women who are raped, are raped by > a date, a relative, an ex-husband ... on a one off basis, not by a 'rapist'. > > I'd be more interested in discussing with students the violence inherent in > hegemonic masculinity which makes all men potential rapists. > > Marj Kibby > > > > Marj Kibby > Dean of Students, The University of Newcastle > Callaghan, NSW, 2308 Australia > Ph: (049) 216604 Fx: (049) 217151 > Email VFMDK@cc.newcastle.edu.au > Cheryl Sattler csattler@CapAccess.org ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 19:28:20 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "N. Benokraitis" Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: <01I4J936ZAVA002FF1@mr.fhi.org> On Fri, 10 May 1996, Barbara Barnett wrote: > a young woman in my neighborhood was raped one morning when she > went outside to get the newspaper? > how should she have changed her behavior? Getting one's newspaper, walking to one's car from a grocery store, sleeping in one's bed are all examples of non high-risk behavior where women get raped. That wasn't my point. Getting drunk or inviting a stranger to one's apartment IS high risk behavior. > i would remind everyone that > drinking too much at a party is not a crime. rape is. It's also not a crime to leave one's keys in the ignition, to accept a ride home with a drunk driver, or to jog in isolated areas late at night. But how many of us would do so? And, more importantly, also teach our kids not to do so? > i think women's studies courses and feminists are on target when > they remind us that rape is an act of violence and control. victims > of crime should not be viewed as accomplices. OF COURSE rape is an act of violence and control and regardless of the circumstances. And of course victims are not accomplices. All I'm arguing is that we should be more responsible in teaching students to avoid high-risk situations so they are less likely to be victimized. niki Benokraitis, University of Baltimore, Soc Dept ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 12:09:20 +1200 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Deborah Jones Subject: GENDER & ORGANISATIONAL RESTRUCTURING Hi - I am involved in designing a major research project on re-structuring in New Zealand organisations, and want to include a major component on gender and re-structuring. The focus is on managers - middle and senior - and especially on organisations where there has been significant downsizing of management/ de-layering. I am interested in any issues you think I might address, and in any thoughts you may have about the relationship between equal opportunties/'diversity', etc. and management restructuring. For instance, is opportunity opened up or cut off for women managers? do the 'best' managers i.e. women tend to leave and set up their own businesses or go somewhere else? might there be gender implications for new 'psychological contracts' with managers? what might be connections between gender and changing trends in white collar unionism? Also, is anyone else doing similar work? (It would be interesting to consider whether the issues for women managers might be same/different as for lower tier women workers). Or can you direct me to sources of similar research? Thanks. Deborah Jones deborah.jones@vuw.ac.nz ****************************************************************************** The universe is made of stories, not of atoms. - Muriel Rukeyser Deborah Jones Management Group Victoria University Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui P.O. Box 600 Pouaka Poutapeta 600 Wellington Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara NEW ZEALAND AOTEAROA ROOM 1102 Murphy Building Tel: 04-4721000 ext 8528 Fax: 04-471 2200 ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 18:06:51 -0700 Reply-To: Kathy Miriam Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kathy Miriam Subject: Re: Rape statistics In-Reply-To: The discussion of how to teach women to unlearn, as it were, 'high risk' behavior in relation to rape raises the following issues, in my opinion. First, teaching women SELF DEFENSE is crucial and a clearer way of framing the pedagogical and activist challenge at hand than thinking in terms of 'high risk behaviors", a terminology which dilutes the political reality, I think, which is the reality of power relations between men and women in which rape occurs. Yes, it is patriarchy that is the term for this social reality of power. Even women's self defense has been debated among feminists for its focus on women's 'behavior' in contrast to men's. However, I think that self defense (verbal as well as physical) when taught in a framework that keeps a minimal focus on the poltiical issues at stake, can keep 'victim blaming' at bay. But stopping the men is equally critical-- i personally think that self defense strategies are a good way to stop men from raping, not on a one by one basis, but as an organized, collective basis. In this light, i have long thought that re-framing statistics regarding how many men rape, in contrast to how many women are raped (agent deleted, passive voice) would be a key self-defense, political strategy. Kathy Miriam kmiriam@cats.ucsc.edu +++ ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 06:41:13 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Marge Piercy Subject: Re: Rape statistics At 07:28 PM 5/10/96 -0500, you wrote: >On Fri, 10 May 1996, Barbara Barnett wrote: > >> a young woman in my neighborhood was raped one morning when she >> went outside to get the newspaper? >> how should she have changed her behavior? > >Getting one's newspaper, walking to one's car from a grocery store, >sleeping in one's bed are all examples of non high-risk behavior >where women get raped. That wasn't my point. Getting drunk or >inviting a stranger to one's apartment IS high risk behavior. > >> i would remind everyone that >> drinking too much at a party is not a crime. rape is. > >It's also not a crime to leave one's keys in the ignition, to accept >a ride home with a drunk driver, or to jog in isolated areas late >at night. But how many of us would do so? And, more >importantly, also teach our kids not to do so? > >> i think women's studies courses and feminists are on target when >> they remind us that rape is an act of violence and control. victims >> of crime should not be viewed as accomplices. > >OF COURSE rape is an act of violence and control and regardless of the >circumstances. And of course victims are not accomplices. All I'm >arguing is that we should be more responsible in teaching students >to avoid high-risk situations so they are less likely to be victimized. > >niki Benokraitis, University of Baltimore, Soc Dept > This appals me. I don't want to bring up young ladies who are terrified to do aything that might be fun -- and I'm sorry, but getting drunk when you're seventeen is fun. It's altered states, and fascinating in adolescence as itis boring when you're older. I took all kinds of chances when I was youner and I don't regret the danger I got into. I learned much more about people and the society than I ever would have if I had been a young lady. Danger is not always sometime to be avoided, nor is being friendly or curious the problem. The problem is male violenc,e not female curiosity. I go along with Golda Meir's original suggestion: if men rape women, put a curfew on men, not on women. I certainly think women's have to be aware of risk,but not to be blamed for taking risks. If you don't take risks, you will never learn anything and you will never encounter other peple who are at all different from your family and yourself. MArge Piercy hagolem@capecod.net (See Joan: for once I rememered!) ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 00:05:14 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jacqueline Haessly Subject: Re: GENDER & ORGANISATIONAL RESTRUCTURING Comments: To: Deborah Jones In-Reply-To: <199605110009.MAA20018@rata.vuw.ac.nz> Deborah, THe book __When the Canary Stops Singing: Women's Perspectives for Transforming Business__ (Ed. Pat Ballantine), Pub. Barrett-Koehler, 1993, addresses many of the issues you raise. 15 women write about leadership, partnership, (or lack thereof), and job transformation. This book was named one of top ten business books of 1993. The title comes from the image of the canary in the coal mine, which stops singing when the oxygen gets too low. When work conditions/circumstances are "low" women's voices are missing -- left out or have left the company. Several other sources that address these issues include __Rediscovering the Soul of Business: A Renaissance of Values__ (Ed. John Renesch and Bill Defoore, Sterling and Stone, 1995 The New Entrepreneurs: BUsiness Visionaries for the 21st Century, (Ed. John Renesch and Michael Ray, Sterling and Stone, 1994. Also, J. Godfrey, Our Wildest Dreams, examines women and work and leadership. The Canary, SOUL, and Entrepreneurers books can be ordered from publisher or from authors. I have essays in all three, so they can be ordered from our company Peace Talks Publications 2437 N. Grant Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 5321O-2941 Phone: 414-445-9737 Fax: 414-444-7319 Email: jacpeace@acs.stritch.edu US Dollars (Canary-$25; SOUL-$35; Entrepreneur-$28) Peace, Jackie jacpeace@acs.stritch.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 13:03:42 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Ruth Ginzberg Subject: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior Asking women to "be careful" and putting the onus on them for avoiding being raped creates a substantive handicapping condition for women (and I mean 'handicapping' in the way it is used when more weight is added to the saddle of a race horse or when extra strokes are added to a golfer's game, not as a slur against persons with disabilities, though I know they have common etiologies, but I hope I can just SAY this somehow without having attention turned toward my language rather than toward the issue of who is responsible for preventing rape). For example, if my students ALL have to go to the library (which is in a moderately dark corner of the campus with no available parking nearby), but SOME of them can use the library 24 hrs/day (as their schedules allow and/or dictate) while OTHERS of them need to forgo using the library during hours when it would be "foolish" for them to be walking back and forth between the library and their cars or homes (a substantial number of these hours are "after dark" in the middle latitudes during the time when most universities are in full regular session) -- then this alone makes the university more hospitable and more accessible to one gender than it is to the other. EVEN if one says, well, take the "rapemobile" (what some students call the van one may call during certain hours if one wishes to own up to being afraid of being raped) or well, study with friends, walk in groups -- these suggestions STILL handicap women students who would prefer to be able to just stay at the library for as long as they need (without waiting or rushing in order to coordinate with others), or who don't have any friends, or who find it embarrassing and/or humiliating to seem so vulnerable as to have to call a rape-prevention van just to get to and from the library. What I wonder is: why is this still considered an INDIVIDUAL responsibility? If we are ALL responsible for preventing rape, then why aren't the sidewalks fully lit, why isn't parking nearby easily accessible, why aren't there (if necessary) security personnel stationed around campus on foot and in large enough numbers that no woman ever NEEDS to be walking "alone, in the dark, and in remote areas" to get to and from the library? Why should *individual women* still bear the brunt and the expense and the hassle of preventing their own rapes if rape is *everybody's* problem? Most campuses can come up with plenty of security and lighting and whatever it takes to provide parking for large (men's) althletic events and security for the event. Why can they not provide equal amounts of security and lighting (etc.) so that women can use the libraries (and computing centers, etc.) on campus as freely as can men? Who says that this should be *individual women's* responsibility to bear personally and alone? And why? ----- RUTH GINZBERG ----- ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 15:21:19 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Gail Dines Subject: Re: "Beauty Myth". a more complex analysis of body image and eating disorders is Becky Thompson's "A Hunger So Wide and Deep". Gail Dines ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 14:31:17 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Wendy RiellyThorson Subject: Date Rape and Rohypnol I teach about violence against women here at OSU, and I wanted to share some emergent information that I just received concerning rohypnol (pronounced ro-hip-nol), which is known as roofie on the streets. Rohypnol is a colorless and odorless drug that quickly dissolves in liquids and is being used to sedate women in order to rape them. Rohypnol is a powerful and hypnotic sedative used in some countries as a surgical sedative, but it is illegal here in the United States. The most frightening aspect of this drug is that it causes amnesia, therefore, the victims cannot remember anything that happened to them while on the drug (lasting on average 8 to 10 hours) and some women do not even realize they have been raped. The drug is not traceable after 24 hours in the human body. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seen a tremendous increase in the presence of the drug in the United States. The drug is reportedly easy to purchase and only costs $3.00 a pill. Roofie related rape charges have been pressed, but are very difficult to prosecute due to the victim's loss of memory. If you would like more information about rohypnol, I have included e-mail addresses to contact. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/rohypnol/rohypnol.htm and http://www.emergency.com/roofies.htm Please help spread the word about this drug - knowledge can be prevention. Wendy Rielly OSU Women's Studies ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 11:27:49 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Miriam Harris Subject: Re: Date Rape and Rohypnol Comments: To: Wendy RiellyThorson In-Reply-To: That is the most frightening news I think I've ever heard re. rape. Not to mention other things it could be used for! I am grateful that you put this on the list; but horrified by the implications. Knowledge is power -- now how can we use this info for power? Miriam K. Harris mharris@utdallas.edu On Sat, 11 May 1996, Wendy RiellyThorson wrote: > I teach about violence against women here at OSU, and I wanted to > share some emergent information that I just received concerning rohypnol > (pronounced ro-hip-nol), which is known as roofie on the streets. > Rohypnol is a colorless and odorless drug that quickly dissolves in > liquids and is being used to sedate women in order to rape them. Rohypnol > is a powerful and hypnotic sedative used in some countries as a surgical > sedative, but it is illegal here in the United States. The most > frightening aspect of this drug is that it causes amnesia, therefore, the > victims cannot remember anything that happened to them while on the drug > (lasting on average 8 to 10 hours) and some women do not even realize > they have been raped. The drug is not traceable after 24 hours in the > human body. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seen a > tremendous increase in the presence of the drug in the United States. The > drug is reportedly easy to purchase and only costs $3.00 a pill. Roofie > related rape charges have been pressed, but are very difficult to > prosecute due to the victim's loss of memory. > If you would like more information about rohypnol, I have included e-mail > addresses to contact. > http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/rohypnol/rohypnol.htm > and > http://www.emergency.com/roofies.htm > Please help spread the word about this drug - knowledge can be prevention. > Wendy Rielly > OSU Women's Studies > ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 16:39:45 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: susan sage heinzelman Subject: Unsubscribe In-Reply-To: Please ubsubscribe me Thanks ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 17:47:54 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: GILLIAN RODGER Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior I can't agree strongly enough with both Marge Piercy and Ruth Ginzberg. I don't encourage dangerous behavior for anybody, but why should a woman be more responsible for a bad outcome than a man if she drinks, or walks alone, or talks to strangers, or goes to the library at night? The thing that bothers me most about this discussion is the language that suggests that women need to be protected more than men. I don't want to have to ask for help to do basic things like commuting after dark, or going to the library, and it is patronizing to expect anyone to do so. Our male students would certainly not put up with this expectation and our female students shouldn't either. I have always, and will always, go wherever I want whenever I want. The minute I am too scared to leave the house for fear of being raped or attacked, I have lost. The problem lies not in women's behavior, but in men's attitudes, and until all men are able to deal with women as real equals (not just tolerate us in the workplace but still expect to control us in the home) the problem of rape will exist. Gillian Rodger gmrst8@vms.cis.pitt.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 18:08:44 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: poetry on technologies of reproduction I am posting this reuqest on behalf of a friend who is looking for poetry by women that examines the effects of technology on women's bodies. She is interested specifically on the ays in which women's explore the impact of new reproductive technologies on their bodies. Please reply privately. Thank you. Edvige Giunta c/o faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 18:14:03 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior In-Reply-To: Your message of Sun, 12 May 1996 17:47:54 -0500 This might be tangential to the discussion on rape, but it's an issue I want to bring up. I have a seven year old hirl and I have been disconcerted and troubled by the degree of what I see as sexula harassment that takes place in first grade (and even earlier). I have looked for books to help my child and myself deal with this problem since the dominant attitude in the school is that boys will be boys. I hate to tell my child, and have not so far, to stay away from the boys, but it seems that all else fails. It's evry frustrating. If anybody knows of any books on the subject, especially children's books, I would be grateful if you could send me the information. Please reply privately. Edi Giunta c/o faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 18:00:02 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Marc H. Dubin" Subject: Re: Date Rape and Rohypnol > I am an attorney working in the field of violence against women. I would appreciate knowing of any cases anywhere if the use or suspected use of rohypnol, especially on college campuses or in fraternities. Please email me privately at mdubin@ix.netcom.com. ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 23:10:15 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: [Constance J Ostrowski : Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior] Received: from mail1.its.rpi.edu (mail1.its.rpi.edu [128.113.100.7]) by eden-backend.rutgers.edu (8.6.12+bestmx+oldruq+newsunq/8.6.12) with ESMTP id SAA16303 for ; Sun, 12 May 1996 18:31:54 -0400 Received: from alum01.its.rpi.edu (alum01.its.rpi.edu [128.113.1.10]) by mail1.its.rpi.edu (8.6.9/8.6.4) with ESMTP id SAA14979; Sun, 12 May 1996 18:28:30 -0400 From: Constance J Ostrowski Received: (ostroc@localhost) by alum01.its.rpi.edu (8.6.9/8.6.4) id SAA80395; Sun, 12 May 1996 18:28:31 -0400 Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 18:28:31 -0400 Message-Id: <199605122228.SAA80395@alum01.its.rpi.edu> To: faustyj@EDEN.RUTGERS.EDU Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior Cc: ostroc@rpi.edu Edi, The sexual harassment your daughter is receiving is horrible, and the fact that it is tolerated (and implicitly condoned/endorsed) by the school is even worse. I have an almost 7-year old son, and I've been teaching him from the start to respect everyone (and I've been particularly sensitive to his attitude towards girls, though there's never been a problem, since his nearest cousins are girls and many of his daycare friends were girls). I've also been observing the way his teachers (at a non-sectarian private school) act towards girls and boys, and how they handle any negative behavior: I have been satisfied, and even impressed at times. Can you (and other parents of girls) complain to the teacher, to the school administration, to the school board? Can you get any groups like the Junior League and even the local rape crisis and battered women's shelters to work with you? (I'm active on local task forces on violence against women, and we agree that so much of the solution ties into changing attitudes, often in the schools.) If a large group points out the problem, perhaps the powers that be will be more inclined to acknowledge it and work towards a solution. (I'm assuming your daughter's in a public school-- can't remember if you'd said so.) I wish you luck in trying to resolve this situation, and hope your daughter recovers from this experience and no longer has to face it (at least so young--or I should say, especially so young, though no one should have to face it, ever!). Connie Ostrowski ostroc@rpi.edu ========================================================================= Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 23:23:23 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: [Constance J Ostrowski : Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior] Received: from mail1.its.rpi.edu (mail1.its.rpi.edu [128.113.100.7]) by eden-backend.rutgers.edu (8.6.12+bestmx+oldruq+newsunq/8.6.12) with ESMTP id TAA20945 for ; Sun, 12 May 1996 19:43:53 -0400 Received: from alum01.its.rpi.edu (alum01.its.rpi.edu [128.113.1.10]) by mail1.its.rpi.edu (8.6.9/8.6.4) with ESMTP id TAA19707 for ; Sun, 12 May 1996 19:43:51 -0400 From: Constance J Ostrowski Received: (ostroc@localhost) by alum01.its.rpi.edu (8.6.9/8.6.4) id TAA65543 for faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu; Sun, 12 May 1996 19:43:52 -0400 Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 19:43:52 -0400 Message-Id: <199605122343.TAA65543@alum01.its.rpi.edu> To: faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior Edi, I'm glad Emily's teacher is aware and responsive: at least that may be a first step. Maybe a program at a PTO (PTA) or Open House meeting would be helpful, because I know that so many parents need to be educated. Connie (Again, good luck). ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 07:00:38 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jane Elza Subject: Re: sci fi short story In-Reply-To: I am trying to explain to my women, minorities, and the law class the influence capitalism has on their lives by contrasting individualistic and communitarian societies. There was a science fiction short story which made this point very well, but I can't remember either author or title. The story was about an african tribe that was 'reconstructed' on a planet to maintain the old ways. a young girl learns to read and write and wants to stay in the tribe, but anyone whose curiosity leads themto use modern technology must leave. she refuses and dies. the symbolism is of a caged bird. Anybody know the cite? Dr. Jane Elza jelza@grits.valdosta.peachnet.edu Political Science Dept., Valdosta State University Valdosta, Ga. 31698 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 13:28:05 +0000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: patricia howard-borjas Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior When you lived outside of the United States for a long period of time, in societies where rape is much less common and much less tolerated, you come to realize that what women have given up is no less than freedom. I find it ironic that, in the country which supposedly stands for the greatest expression of individual freedom 'on earth', women's tangible freedom is so drastically curtailed. Being able to walk the streets of most European countries throughout the wee hours of the morning, go to the library, enter public bathrooms and elevators, etc. without giving much thought to possible danger is what I consider to be freedom, and I experience it on a daily basis. I have heard of little research that compares the incidence of rape in the U.S. and other advanced capitalist countries, or discourses that frame the problem in terms of human liberty. It seems this discussion is about, as Beneria and Sen once said, 'putting bandaids on a cancer'; teaching women to adapt to a situation that is intolerable in order to survive is necessary, but also tends to divert attention from more a fundamental analysis of why rape, crime (including against male children), racism, sexism, violence and social disintegration seem to go converge in the U.S. The impression that girls must perceive is that what they experience in the U.S. is simply 'life as usual'. The answer is to put more bars on your house (and on your mind), police on your streets, or guns in your purse? ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 06:52:20 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Theresa Sabrina Hill Organization: Southwest Texas State University Subject: Re: Date Rape and Rohypnol In-Reply-To: "Your message dated Sat, 11 May 1996 14:31:17 -0700" I have never heard of this drug, but would like more details on it. For example, is it any liquid drink or alcohol? Is it similar to chlora hydrate? Are there any signs before unconciousness that one has been hit? Are there any defenses such as andreline rush? How rapid is unconciousness to an aware person? Can unconciousness be fought? Since it is hypnotic, is it defenable for those with strong wills? And so forth. Telling us that it exists without providing details helps little, at least, before the fact. -Traci ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:11:07 EST5EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Lauraine Leblanc Organization: Emory University Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior On May 12, Joshua Fausty wrote: > I have a seven year old hirl and I have been disconcerted > and troubled by the degree of what I see as sexula harassment that takes > place in first grade (and even earlier). I have looked for books to help my > child and myself deal with this problem since the dominant attitude in the > school is that boys will be boys. I hate to tell my child, and have not so > far, to stay away from the boys, but it seems that all else fails. It's evry > frustrating. If anybody knows of any books on the subject, especially > children's books, I would be grateful if you could send me the information. > There is very little written about specific measures women can use to counter sexual harassment in general - most work on sexual harassment focuses on workplace/college campus harassment, and details formal (legal) provisions. A couple of books which might help, however, are: Larkin, June. 1994. _Sexual Harassment: High School Girls Speak Out._ Toronto, Ont.: Second Story Press. (ISBN 0-929005-65-1) Langelan, Martha J. 1993. _Back Off! How to Confront and Stop Sexual Harassment and Harassers._ New York: Fireside Books. (ISBN 0- 671-78856-6) [This book contains accounts of how very young girls cope with sexual harassment of the type experienced by your daughter] The American Association of University Women has also published _Hostile Hallways_, a report on sexual harassment in schools. This is available through the AAUW at 1-800-225-9998, extension 321. As a survivor of intense sexual harassment as a young girl, I commend you for seeking to empower your daughter - I was told to ignore it and it would stop. It didn't until years later, when I started fighting back. I am posting this to the list because I think it is important for all of us to be aware of these strategies of resistance. I would also like to hear about any books aimed specifically at children which deal with this behavior. Good luck. Lauraine LeblancLauraine Leblanc Institute for Women's Studies Emory University llebla@soc.emory.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:13:08 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: [Linda Bergmann : Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior] Received: from charlie.acc.iit.edu (charlie.acc.iit.edu [198.87.195.20]) by eden-backend.rutgers.edu (8.6.12+bestmx+oldruq+newsunq/8.6.12) with ESMTP id AAA13073 for ; Mon, 13 May 1996 00:43:16 -0400 Received: by charlie.acc.iit.edu (951211.SGI.8.6.12.PATCH1042/940406.SGI) id XAA08041; Sun, 12 May 1996 23:43:08 -0500 Date: Sun, 12 May 1996 23:43:07 -0500 (CDT) From: Linda Bergmann To: Joshua Fausty Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior In-Reply-To: Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII My son's school started a program a couple of years ago, that seemed to work--addressed to enhancing girls' self-images and their ability to confront and resist sexual harrassment. I was glad to see this, since I do not want my son to grow up in an atmosphere that permits or tolerates sexual harrassment of any sort. I do not remember the name of the person who directed the program, but the principal is Steve Tabak, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools Middle School, 5838 S. Kenwood, Chicago, IL 60637 (312) 702-9447, Linda Bergmann On Sun, 12 May 1996, Joshua Fausty wrote: > This might be tangential to the discussion on rape, but it's an issue I want > to bring up. I have a seven year old hirl and I have been disconcerted > and troubled by the degree of what I see as sexula harassment that takes > place in first grade (and even earlier). I have looked for books to help my > child and myself deal with this problem since the dominant attitude in the > school is that boys will be boys. I hate to tell my child, and have not so > far, to stay away from the boys, but it seems that all else fails. It's evry > frustrating. If anybody knows of any books on the subject, especially > children's books, I would be grateful if you could send me the information. > > Please reply privately. > > Edi Giunta > c/o faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu > Linda S. Bergmann, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English Department of Humanities Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, Illinois 60616 (312) 567-3462 bergmann@charlie.acc.iit.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:13:43 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joshua Fausty Subject: [Marjorie Heyman 3-2620 : Sexual Harassment] Received: from ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu (ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu [132.235.8.7]) by eden-backend.rutgers.edu (8.6.12+bestmx+oldruq+newsunq/8.6.12) with ESMTP id IAA05544 for ; Mon, 13 May 1996 08:24:30 -0400 Received: from conversion.ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu by ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu (PMDF V5.0-6 #15752) id <01I4NFHHNJO08WY4Y1@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu> for faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu; Mon, 13 May 1996 08:24:11 -0400 (EDT) Received: from a1.cats.ohiou.edu by ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu (PMDF V5.0-6 #15752) id <01I4NFHBBDVU8WXQWZ@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu> for faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu; Mon, 13 May 1996 08:24:02 -0400 (EDT) Alternate-recipient: prohibited Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:19:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Marjorie Heyman 3-2620 Subject: Sexual Harassment To: faustyj@eden.rutgers.edu Message-id: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Posting-date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:23:00 -0400 (EDT) Importance: normal Priority: normal Sensitivity: Company-Confidential UA-content-id: E1028ZWHLBZA2E A1-type: MAIL Dear Edi Giunta, A wonderful book that a friend lent me is titled "Back Off! How to Confront and Stop Sexual Harassment and Harassers". Although much of the book is directed towards adults, there is a great chapter devoted entirely to children, and she discusses sexual harassment and its development in children. It's a must for any parent, with daughter or son (I have two boys, and I teach them not to bully, that all people have rights, that women/girls can do anything -- and let them know it's OK to challenge their friends who say things like, "no girls allowed" or "that's girl stuff".) Hope you enjoy the book. You might want to compile a list for others on the women studies net. Best of luck -- Marjie Heyman (heyman@ouvaxa.cats.ohiou.edu) ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:32:54 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Kim Vaz (WOS)" Subject: Re: Women's Bookstores In-Reply-To: <7BB0DD12D4@ssmain.ss.emory.edu> I have been searching for a listing of Women's Bookstores around the country. Does anyone know where I might find such a list? Also, would you help me construct an up-to-date list by e-mailing me privately with the address of a bookstore in your city that you know is operative? I will share the list I collect with all of you. Thank you. Kim Vaz Vaz@luna.cas.usf.edu (813) 974-0985. Dept. of Women's Studies HMS 413 University of South Florida Tampa, FL 33620 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 09:56:06 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: the Cheshire Cat Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior In-Reply-To: On Mon, 13 May 1996, patricia howard-borjas wrote: > When you lived outside of the United States for a long period of time, in > societies where rape is much > less common and much less tolerated, you come to realize that what women have > given up is no less than > freedom. I find it ironic that, in the country which supposedly stands for the I have read that actually, media articles about rape often stress stranger rape in order to make it seem as though women changing their "unsafe" behavior will give them some control . (I imagine we all know this already) The interesting question is whether or not this is deliberate manipulation to control women's behavior and access to (various things, events, etc) -rather than fgocusing on male behavior. If acquaintance rape and incest rape is the norm for sexual violence, than women's behavior is probably pretty irrelevant to rape (and thus rape statistics). Thus, also, all it may mean that women can walk the streets safely in various countries that aren't the US is that acquaintance rape and incest are still not being discussed publicly. Nothing to back this up, it's just an idea to ponder. Alana Suskin alanacat@wam.umd.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 08:55:12 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Dorothy Miller Subject: Teaching about Rape I'll probably regret getting into the fray about this, but here it goes! I thin k that it is possible to include many points mentioned about this debate by enc ouraging students' critical thinking about the issue. I generally introduce the topic by asking women students if they take special precautions to protect the mselves against stranger rape (usually all do), asking them WHAT they do, and c ontrasting these precautions with what the men do or don't do. We discuss the f act that most rape isn't stranger rape and analyze why this fact is so little k nown, the racial implications of the media's emphasizing inter-racial rape when that constitutes a samll fraction of rapes, etc. We discuss the evidence that men who rape tend to choose women who appear vulnerable - alone, or drunk, or looking down while walking down the street, or non-assertive, etc. The students "get" the fact that many characteristics that we associate with being "ladylik e" also make women vulnerable to rape. Then we look at the overall social struc ture with regard to the degree to which we have a "rape culture," condoning and excusing rape and blaming the victims, and what could be done to change things , from raising all of our little girls to be able to use their bodies in self-d efense from an early age, raising our boys to be non-violent, deconstructing so cial structures, etc. During this discussion we examine what seems fair and wha t seems unfair among the actions we are encouraged to take to protect ourselves . Individuals are can then choose how they will behave in particular circumstan ces. Sorry I went on so long. That's my two cents. dorothy miller dcmiller@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 12:10:10 AST-3ADT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joanne Gallivan Organization: UCCB.NS.CA Subject: Southern California events I expect to be in Southern California during the last two weeks in October and was wondering if there might be any conferences, seminars or workshops I might take in while there. I have wide interests in psychology of women, but particular interests in feminist methodology, language, and humor. If you are aware of any events happening about that time, I'd appreciate receiving information at JGALLIVAN@CAPER2.UCCB.NS.CA Thank you, Joanne Gallivan Psychology University College of Cape Breton Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada B1P 6L2 jgallivan@caper2.uccb.ns.ca Phone/Voice mail: 902-563-1217 Fax: 902-562-0119 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 11:10:42 EST5EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Lauraine Leblanc Organization: Emory University Subject: harassment and rape This is an important discussion. I'd be very interested to hear about how others teach about rape/harassment in Women's Studies or other classes. I have encountered a number of ways in which the topic of violence against women is addressed, including: 1. Assigning readings, but not having class discussion. 2. Having a speaker from the local Rape Crisis center speak to the class. 3. Having an in-class open discussion. 4. And once, disasterously, a guest speaker who, without our prior knowledge, accused all men of being potential rapists and harassers, and set up a really bad "us vs. them" gender dynamic in the classroom. I have found that such discussions must be undertaken very carefully, because chances are good that one or more women (and perhaps some men too) have been abused, and are at various places in dealing with their recovery. I would also suggest to anybody who teaches a Women's Studies course (or, ideally, anyone who teaches at all) to undergo training as a rape-crisis counselor. I have found that my training has helped me enormously not only when talking to classes, but when talking to students one-on one, about sexual abuse and other matters as well. I would also recommend this to anyone who does interview or ethnographic research with youths. Another thing I wanted to add to this discussion is the link between rape and sexual harassment, especially "public" sexual harassment - some researchers (cites escape me right now- sorry) have found that some criminals use sexual harassment to assess the "easiness" of their target, with failure to respond to "Hey baby nice tits" or some other inane comment being seen as indicative of someone who can be easily victimized. I wholly agree that women should NOT be blamed for being raped - after all, does anyone ever "ask" to be mugged? However, things being as they are, we should learn to respond to such harassment, and teach children to do so as well, in order to fight back against those who would victimize us. Lauraine Leblanc Institute for Women's Studies Emory University llebla@soc.emory.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 11:25:28 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Gulfer DIKBAYIR Organization: Devlet Istatistik Enstitusu Subject: Looking for an address Sorry to post this to the entire list. I need to contact with C. Hakim who works on occupational segregation and measurement of the sexual division of labour. I am a graduate student in Women's Studies Department of Middle East Technical University. My thesis is on the Segregation by Gender in Turkish Manufacturing Industry and I found from the 'References' of the books I studied that she (or he) has worked on that issue. But I could not find most of the journals and working papers which contains her studies. So if anybody have her address, could she or he help me. Gulfer Dikbayir Assistant Specialist State Institute of Statistics Necatibey Cad. No:114 Ankara / Turkey E-Mail: GULFER.DIKBAYIR@DIE.GOV.TR ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 12:00:27 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jenny Thigpen Subject: Re: Women's Bookstores the Women's Information Exchange National Directory compiled by Deborah Brecher and Jill Lippitt has an extensive list of Women's Bookstores. ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 11:53:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Aurore Bleck Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior On Mon, 13 May 1996, patricia howard-borjas wrote: > When you lived outside of the United States for a long period of time, in > societies where rape is much > less common and much less tolerated, you come to realize that what women have > given up is no less than > freedom. and Alana Suskin responded: >Thus, also, all it may mean that women can walk the streets safely in various countries that aren't the >US is that acquaintance rape >and incest are still not being discussed publicly. Nothing to back this >up, it's just an idea to ponder. I lived in the Central African Republic for two years (Peace Corps), and all the nice young white women (including myself) were told by the embassy staff that we could walk anywhere any time and be safe. None of the men I dated or met ever attempted to coerce me and indicated it as a possibility. In addition, several years later I interpreted in a court proceeding involving a Central African family in the Washington, D.C., area. At one point, the questions I was interpreting from the court staff surprised and confused the parents, who were concerned about their daughter's health. They became alarmed because I was asking if the child had fallen or played with something that could have broken her hymen. They assumed that the child had a serious injury or had come to some harm because of the questions I kept interpreting for the court staff. I had to inform them that we ask these questions in the United States because the child might have been abused by a family member or acquaintance, not because the ruptured hymen is a serious injury. The idea of sexually abusing a child was outside their understanding. (There was absolutely no indication of any abusive behavior in this case, which was clearly the result of ethnocentrism on a few people's part.) This experience with another culture opened my eyes on U.S. assumptions about "the way the world is" with regard to rape and sexual abuse. These violent behaviors are not something that should be tolerated or accepted as a given in a society, but something we learn and learn to accept. That also means, of course, that the behaviors can be unlearned and not accepted, and that boys especially and girls, as several people have mentioned, can learn to act differently and be intolerant of these kinds of violent behavior. It would be great to have a mandatory course or component of a college (high school) course that could re-educate men and women about this issue while we worked to instill new values and beliefs in the young. You can't achieve something until you at least believe it is possible. I must add that I came home from the court proceeding and sobbed because I had to explain to those parents that in my culture we are so cruel to our young. Aurore Bleck ableck@nas.edu ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 12:05:51 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jenny Korn Subject: Re: Women's Bookstores In-Reply-To: There's a *GREAT* book called _The Women's Information Exchange National Directory_, compiled by Deborah Brecher and Jill Lippitt...includes info on women's bookstores, publishers, theatre groups, lesbian org's, women's centers, and MORE!...i think every woman should have a copy of this book...the only downside is that it's a bit outdated (published in 1994) so some of the addresses/phone numbers are now defunct...enjoy!..@=D take care, Jen Jenny Korn jkorn@princeton.edu On Mon, 13 May 1996, Kim Vaz (WOS) wrote: > I have been searching for a listing of Women's Bookstores around the > country. Does anyone know where I might find such a list? Also, would > you help me construct an up-to-date list by e-mailing me privately with > the address of a bookstore in your city that you know is operative? I will > share the list I collect with all of you. Thank you. Kim Vaz > Vaz@luna.cas.usf.edu > (813) 974-0985. > Dept. of Women's Studies > HMS 413 > University of South Florida > Tampa, FL 33620 > ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 14:04:07 CST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Dr. Carol Koehler" Subject: my mailbox is really crowded I have enjoyed all the discussions on this list but am overwhelmed with mail so temporarily please unsubscribe me. Thanks, Carol Koehler -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- carol koehler Asst Prof Coms Studies CKOEHLER@CCTR.UMKC.EDU University of Missouri, Kansas City -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 12:02:07 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Lorraine Pozzi Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior In-Reply-To: <9604138320.AA832014151@nas.edu> > This experience with another culture opened my eyes on U.S. assumptions > about "the way the world is" with regard to rape and sexual abuse. These > violent behaviors are not something that should be tolerated or accepted as > a given in a society, but something we learn and learn to accept. That > also means, of course, that the behaviors can be unlearned and not > accepted, and that boys especially and girls, as several people have > mentioned, can learn to act differently and be intolerant of these kinds of > violent behavior. It would be great to have a mandatory course or > component of a college (high school) course that could re-educate men and > women about this issue while we worked to instill new values and beliefs in > the young. The City of Seattle has an excellent "Love Shouldn't Hurt" program. They have developed curricula for students (I think both high school and middle school) that is delivered by a specially trained (and very young) woman. I'm not sure whether all schools participate, or whether this is some- thing that individual schools/staff request. If anyone is interested in this program, please respond privately -- I can get an e-mail address and the URL of the City's Domestic Viollence Web site. > > > Aurore Bleck > ableck@nas.edu > Lorraine Pozzi femme2@scn.org ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 17:20:18 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: kaliedescope eyes Subject: Re: Rape and Women's/Men's Behavior In-Reply-To: from "Joshua Fausty" at May 12, 96 06:14:03 pm i strongly urge any of the women on this list who are interested in rape and sexual violence form a cross-cultural/anthroplogical perspective to read the works of Peggy Reeves Sanday. she spent time in West Summatra iving in a rape-free society and documenting their culture. she has very engaging theories about what differentiates a rape-free society from a rape-prone society. she has 4 or 5 books in print, all of which deal with gender issues. i _highly_ recommend her work. it may even be a good idea to include chapters (or even whole books) in any course which touches on the subject of rape. if anyone wants her complete (i'll even annotate it if you want) list of works, just email me at the address in my signature. peace and sisterhood leah /^\ \_/ lklerr@mail.sas.upenn.edu _|_ http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~lklerr | ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 22:58:06 +0100 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Judy Evans Subject: Re: Looking for an address In-Reply-To: <19E6D3917@PASCAL.BSB.DIE.GOV.TR> On Mon, 13 May 1996, Gulfer DIKBAYIR wrote: > I need to contact with C. Hakim who works on occupational segregation > and measurement of the sexual division of labour. I am a graduate Catherine Hakim is now a Senior Research Fellow (Sociology?) at the London School of Economics, though I think the work you have in mind was carried out while she was in the Civil Service. (She may still be working in the field.) She is probably on email at the LSE -- whose address is Houghton St, London WC2. --------------------------------------------------------------- Judy Evans + Politics + jae2@york.ac.uk using voice-recognition software: please ignore editing errors --------------------------------------------------------------- ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 17:21:21 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kathryn Swanson Subject: Women's Bookstores There is a great little catalog called Feminist Bookstores' Catalog published by Carol Seajay and the Feminist Bookstore News, PO Box 882554 CA 94188. The back pages list Feminist Bookstores in Canada and all around the U.S. Kathryn Kathryn Swanson kswanson@robles.callutheran.edu WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER & MEN'S INFO DESK located in SECOND WIND in Regents 17 PHONE: 805-493-3345 + FAX: 805-493-3332 California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks CA 91360-2787 ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 22:55:46 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Rafael Arias-Ramirez Subject: unsubscribe Hi, Please, unsubscribe me from the list. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 16:39:50 +1200 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Women's Studies @ Massey" Subject: Talk about feminisms and queer theories Friends, I am visiting Penn State (for the Summer Seminar in Theory and Culture) and will be around there for3-4 days afterwards then in New York briefly. I'd like to meet up with anyone who teaches about the intersections of feminisms and queer theories, particularly at graduate level and within a Women's Studies programme. Please email me personally (ie don't hit 'reply'). Lynne Alice Women's Studies Programme, Massey University, PO Box 11-222, Palmerston North, Aotearoa (New Zealand) http ://cc-server9.massey.ac.nz/~wwwms ========================================================================= Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 16:02:22 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: McKay Subject: Women's Bookstores Another great place to check is the web site "Feminist Bookstores Worldwide" at http://www.igc.apc.org/women/bookstores/#USA. Aynsley McKay Longwood Public Library 800 Middle Country Rd. Middle Island, NY 11953 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 08:50:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: how (NOT) to unsubscribe (SAVE THIS MESSAGE!) Now that the semester is drawing to a close, some people may wish to unsubscribe from WMST-L. To unsubscribe, send the two-word message UNSUB WMST-L to LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU (or, if you subscribed under a Bitnet address, LISTSERV@UMDD - if one address doesn't work, try the other). If you receive the EDITED DAILY DIGEST, you must send the following TWO-LINE message: AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE UNSUB WMST-L BE SURE TO SEND THIS MESSAGE TO LISTSERV, NOT WMST-L. DO NOT HIT REPLY! If you simply want to stop your WMST-L mail for a while but not unsubscribe, send LISTSERV the message SET WMST-L NOMAIL if you get WMST-L as individual messages; if you get the edited digest, send the message AFD DEL WMST-L PACKAGE . When you want to resume mail, send the message SET WMST-L MAIL (to get individual messages) or AFD ADD WMST-L PACKAGE (to get the edited digest). Again, be sure to send the messages to LISTSERV@UMDD.UMD.EDU (or, on bitnet, LISTSERV@UMDD), not to WMST-L . If you encounter problems, write to me PRIVATELY, not via WMST-L. My email address appears at the end of this message. NEVER--repeat, NEVER--send a message about your subscription to WMST-L. You will needlessly add to everyone's e-mail clutter. Please be considerate. Many thanks. Joan Korenman korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 09:44:58 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Phyllis-Joyce Kafka Subject: Re: sci fi short story In-Reply-To: Buchi Emecheta's (The Rape of Shavi) is very similar to what you are describing, although it is not the tale you are looking for. In (Rape), Emecheta has a planeload of diverse Westerners, including a female gynecologist, downed in a remote African village. At the end, after much cross-fertilizing between the two groups in both positive and negative ways--with the Western gynecologist converted to African ways of mothering, among the positive results--the African culture is destroyed. Also, it is rarely emphasized, but the last third of (The Color Purple) by Alice Walker describes the devastating impact of Christian missionaries and European engineers on the culture and ecology of an African village and its residents, as well as some critique of the latter's customs, in this case, scarification. Walker lately travels around the world, devoting herself, among other causes, to the elimination of clitoridectomy and infibrillation, female gender mutilation. pkafka@turbo.kean.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 10:07:00 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Virginia Sapiro Subject: Revision of WOMEN IN AMERICAN SOCIETY: HELP! Now that the semester is over for many/most of us, I would like to issue a second request for assistance from those of you who have either used my textbook, WOMEN IN AMERICAN SOCIETY: AN INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S STUDIES (Mayfield Publishing Co., 1986, 1990, 1994) or considered it for an appropriate course and decided not to use it. I am now beginning revisions for the fourth edition and would be most grateful for any helpful comments or criticisms from those of you who have used or are using the book, or who have seriously considered using it. Thanks very much to those of you who already responded. My questions are: What should I keep? What should I change? What is now out of date? What new areas of inquiry in women's studies need to be incorporated? What old ones can be abandoned? Are there any troublesome spots that need rewriting, clarification, elaboration, illustration, or whatever? What are the best and most useful aspects of the book? What are its weaknesses and drawbacks? For what kinds of students and instructors and courses is it most useful? Least useful? What do I need to know to make the book as useful as possible? Please consider this within the context of the particular niche this book is intended to fill. As I have described its intended place in the most recent edition, it is a woman-centered introduction to the study of gender in the United States. Although it focuses primarily on the U.S., it views this one nation in a comparative perspective, placing the U.S. in the contexts of both national and international diversity. It is also based primarily on knowledge gained through research in the various social sciences. It is not intended to cover the humanities and sciences in any comprehensive manner, but is based on the primary research literature in economics, education, history, law, mass communication, political science, psychology, social work, and sociology, among others. Thus it emphasizes the grounding of gender in social institutions and insitutionalized relationships, as well as cultural values and psychological character and processes within the context of social structure and specific social institutions. The book is intended to be rigorous and clear, and incorporates extensive bibliography linking it to the primary research literatures in the various fields that feed it, but it assumes no college-level background in either women's studies or the social sciences. I have tried to write clearly, accessibly, non-polemically, and even include a few jokes here and there. I set this context just to be clear about the boundaries within which I am working. I would love to hear from faculty and teaching assistants who have worked with the book as well as students who have used it. If in your course evaluations this semester you received comments on the book from your students that might teach me something, please let me know. In the interests of not clogging up the mailboxes of everyone on wmst-l with the answers to this request, please correspond with me personally at the email address below. Thanks for your help. Virginia Sapiro Sophonisba P. Breckinridge Professor of Political Science and Women's Studies University of Wisconsin - Madison (1050 Bascom Mall, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison WI 53711) sapiro@polisci.wisc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 12:09:22 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: jeannie ludlow Subject: teaching about rape & roofies In-Reply-To: <01I4NCAMAG2E8ZEGIQ@swt.edu> Hi all, When I teach about rape in WS classes, I find necessary to move beyond the "facts" of stats, self-defense, etc. I also, this term, have given them info on "roofies." Here are some things I have found helpful: 1. rape crisis counseling training (as another poster suggested) is very helpful. I got mine when I worked at a women's shelter (domestic violence). I don't think a term has gone by when I have not used it. WS classes are often "safe spaces" for students to bring up frightening or traumatic events in their lives; I don't think I have ever taught an intro course in which at least 3 or 4 students are rape survivors & tell me about it (I usually get one "I've never told anyone this before" story). 2. addressing the issue of self defense. I do talk about self defense & safety, but I do not focus on it. When we talk about it, I always remind them that it isn't "fair" that women have to be careful & that our ultimate goal is a society in which we are as safe as men (& in which all people are safer than we currently are!). But self defense & safety measures are necessary until we get things changed. 3. I also invite a lot of discussion about the cultural idea that a woman could "deserve' to be raped or was "asking for it." In order to facilitate this discussion (if it doesn't get itself going--usually it does), I sometimes use the rape scene from _The Accused_ with Jodi Foster, which begins w/ her drinking & "flirting" with one of her rapists. We watch the scene (about 15 or 20 minutes) through the rape itself (students are not required to watch & I am pretty graphic in my pre-viewing description, so several usually leave the room during that 20 minutes & come back for discussion), & then talk about the "moment" when the behavior of the men becomes rape. (Of course, there isn't one moment, but they begin to see the process of overpowerment.) Although this particular discussion day is tough on the students & on me (as a rape survivor, I have to work very hard to maintain), I have never had a negative response to it (in response papers, journal, evaluations, etc.); in fact, survivors are always positive. I get responses that say things like, "it was so hard to be in class on Monday, but I'm glad I was." As a survivor, a teacher, & a counselor, I must say that a focus on safety & self-defense can (doesn't always) encourage a blaming-the-self response in victims/survivors. This is a response that most rape victims & survivors have anyway (its being a part of our culture & all) so I try not to encourage it. 3. I also teach about men's responses to rape (the book _Transforming a Rape Culture_ has an interesting chapter written by two men who have est'd a men's education center dealing with sexual assault) & about male victims (and children). This seems to help address the "all men are jerks" responses some women students acquire as well as the "guilt" responses the especially nice guys in the class are trying to work through. \ 4. It seems to me that what we really need to be talking about (in our classes & in this thread of discussion) is acquaintance rape. This is the one that no amount of traditional self defense work can help the students with. Acquaintance rape self care has to begin with an understanding of what it means to be "on a date"--wanting to like & be liked, working with still-ingrained notions of "dating"--and how to sy "no" & how to HEAR "no." We read the Antioch Sexual Offenses policy (the actual policy--not the media hype, which blows it all out of proportion) & we talk about what "consent" really means & about how "consent" might be asked for in an endearing way (rather than "sounding like an idiot" as one male student said). Many women in the class talk about how "nice" it feels to have a date ask whether s/he can touch your face, kiss you, etc. I think we need to teach our students to practice saying & HEARING "no." My personal policy (with my 9-year-old son & with students who ask me about it) is that when a person says "no," the initiator (of any kind of touching) takes two steps back & puts his/her hands behind his/her back. I also think we should refrain from "blame the victim" statements, even ones that say things like "here is how you can be more empowered so that you won't get raped." The truth is that victims cannot stop rape. So we need to teach our students how to be safe & how not to be rapists. Roofies are scary. The info i have says that the time to take effect is 3 - 10 minutes, and there is no indication that the effects can be 'fought." Roofies are made from a legal sleeping drug widely used in Europe (but not legal in the U.S.). The amnesia afterwards is so total that accusations (thus far) have come from witnesses, not victims. I teach in Lima, Ohio. my students tell me that, in the little towns they are from, roofies are making appearance. Be on the lookout, don't accept drinks from anyone, drink from sealed containers, etc. (reminds me of the PCP stuff from my own high school days in the 70s). If anyone would like more info on any of this stuff, please cantact me personally! Thanks. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< Jeannie Ludlow jludlow@bgnet.bgsu.edu The telecommunications bill, signed into law by President Clinton on February 9, 1996, makes it illegal to discuss abortion anywhere on the internet. You are now reading an illegal document. VISIT THE WEBSITE OF THE NATIONAL ABORTION RIGHTS ACTION LEAGUE!! http://www.naral.org ><><><><><><><><><><><>standing up for our rights<><><><><><><><><><><><>< ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 09:59:58 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Barbara Watson Subject: rape statistics May 14, 1996 Cross-cultural data on rape are interesting in this respect since they challenge the concept of man-the-rapist and force us to differentiate between cultures which discourage or encourage vilent behavior of men against women. Several sources on the Iroquois state that Iroquois men did not rape women, including female captives. Peggy R. Sanday actually got some statistics and found very low incidents of rape in contemporary Minangkabau culture. She speaks of "rape-free societies", those that have -low incidents of rape. I found the same situation among the Guajiro in South America. All three groups are matrilineal and thus entertain a women-centered gender ideology. The latter has obviously something to do with this low rate of rape. barbara watson Maria-Barbara Watson-Franke Department of Women's Studies San Diego State University San Diego, CA 92182 mbwatson@mail.sdsu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 11:21:17 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Schweitzer Subject: disscussions about race in class # I was very surprised by the dynamics that were unleashed the first time I started a discussion on date rape with my students. It was an honors class, and frankly I had expected some level of prior experience talking about this. None. (Maybe that was because I teach in a Catholic school; I don't really know.) The young men immediately and passionately jumped on the first woman to speak, falling all over each other to insist that most of this is just "unfair" accusations. Morning after sour grapes. It took a lot of doing to get them to settle down and discuss this rationally. I had expected the possibility that one or more young women in the room might have experienced rape, and had my eye out for someone showing increasing discomfort. But what I was NOT prepared for was the young woman who spoke up -- again, passionately -- about how it is mostly the girl's fault, and then told us a story where her freshman roommate told them to go ahead and leave her at a fraternity party, because she was with an older guy she liked a lot. Well, she was raped by more than one guy at the party. My student was FURIOUS that anyone blamed anybody but the girl! Clearly we had more than a smidgeon of survivor's guilt going on, but the degree of her vehemence, combined with the forceful insistence of the men that it was all about taking revenge on someone you don't like, I found personally very upsetting. Since then I have been careful to use texts and back into the discussion. We often get into it through a discussion of the stereotypes about "good" and "bad" girls coming out of the 1950s. I have been made aware, through these discussions, that one serious dynamic going on (at least at my university) is that the BOYS have all been taught this good/bad dichotomy by their fathers, but that the girls are absolutely unaware that it exists. At least, when I was their age, I did know about it. They don't even have THAT line of defense. So actions that they take simply to have a good time, innocently, freely -- just like the guys -- are still interpreted culturally as the signal that we have a "bad" girl here and it's open season. Starting the discussion with 1950s-era "good" and "bad" girl images helps the students distance themselves and use their reasoning powers; when we move into the present period, they are much better prepared for listening to themselves critically; thinking about what they habitually say on these issues. They have already laughed at the images as "stupid"; what are they to say when it becomes clear that many of those images are still in force? These discussions inevitably lead into the related issue of binge drinking, because (at least on my campus) excessive drinking is the catalyst for many incidents of date rape. It is a problem for both genders. Of course, the steadily increasing rate of binge drinking in women is leaving them more and more vulnerable to assault, and toward "blame-the-victim" lines of reasoning. But I also think that the shared experience of blackouts -- of becoming so drunk that you cannot remember the next morning what you did the night before -- serves to bolster the myth that "anyone can scream date rape". Don't tell me I drink too much. I CHOOSE to binge drink. Binge drinking is a NORMAL part of college life. Consequently, anything that happens while anyone is drinking is ALSO a normal part of college life. The students' inability to face up to the role drinking is playing in their lives is one reason for the stonewalling on date rape -- denial of the one is linked to denial of the other. One more dynamic I have observed: all of the female faculty I know have at some time or another introduced this issue into the classroom for a discussion. To the degree that WE are the university, we are the older members of the community, we must take some responsibility for culture, whatever the subject we formally teach. But the MALE faculty NEVER bring it up. I wonder what would happen if male faculty took the time to go to men's dorms and groups and TALK about this; gave them a different male cultural reference from the locker room -- a stereotype that is still true. When I have mentioned it, my male colleagues generally turn green. Interesting who is squeamish, isn't it? Mary Schweitzer, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of History, Villanova University (on leave 1995-97) ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 12:23:04 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Diane Delp Subject: date rape text book I'd like to recommend a new book concerning date rape. It contains personal narratives as well as feminist analysis. It would be an excellent source in intro classes when the topic of rape is covered. It is called _The Other Side of Silence: Women Tell About Their Experiences With Date Rape_ ; edited by Christine Carter and published by Avocus Publishing 1995. I wrote a chapter in this book (personal narrative) and am pleased with how Christine put the book together. Diane Delp ddelp@bird.library.arizona.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 17:00:02 +0000 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List Comments: Authenticated sender is From: percival@UPEI.CA Subject: Academic Vacancy--WS--Canada I'm posting this for the Coordinator who is not on WMST-L. University of Prince Edward Island Academic Vacancy Women's Studies Title of Position: Assistant Professor of Women's Studies (two-year term, convertible to tenure-track). Qualifications: Ph.D. (field open); teaching experience and a commitment to student-centred teaching; demonstrated research ability; demonstrated ability to work with women's groups on and off campus an asset. Duties: teaching from among the following courses: Introduction to Women's Studies, Feminist Theories, and course(s) in area(s) of specialization; serving on Women's Studies Coordinating Committee which administrates the Women's Studies minor; maintaining an active research program; participating in the university community; and liasing with women's groups both on and off campus. Salary: commensurate with experience. Current floor of Assistant Professor scale is $37,376. Appointment is subject to budgetary approval. The effective date of appointment is 1 August 1996. Located in a capital city, UPEI has a new campus Women's Centre, provides opportunity for interdisciplinary work, and is the home of the L.M. Montgomery Institute. Prince Edward Island offers a rich cultural life in a beautiful environment, and has a very active women's community. Send c.v., evidence of teaching effectiveness, sample syllabi, copies of recent publications, and three letters of reference to Dr. Irene Gammel, Coordinator of Women's Studies University of Prince Edward Island Charlottetown, PE, C1A 4P3 Fax: (902) 566-0420 Closing date for receipt of applications: June 25, 1996 In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, this advertisement is directed to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. UPEI has an employment equity policy. [Posted by Beth Percival, former Coordinator of Women's Studies, percival@upei.ca] ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 17:28:14 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Rachel M. Kacprzyk" Subject: Request: Advice/Resources/Boston In-Reply-To: I have posted simillar requests to other lists but have not gotten very helpful responses, so please excuse the awkardness of my posting. I am a recent graduate of Syracuse University, where I was somewhat involved with the Women's Studies Department, though it was not my major. I am interested in pursuing Women's Studies in Graduate School, hopefully in the next few years. Before I can tackle the Grad school idea, though, I am interested in working or interning in some feminist activism or women's issues position, preferably in Boston, which is where I intend to move this August. I am looking for ANY leads for postions or internships in Boston, as well as general advice and comments on programs for Grad school. I'm embarrassed by the broad nature of this request and realize it may not be entirely appropriate here, but I have had no luck with other avenues. Even if you just want to "chat" about anything I've mentioned, please reply (privately). Thanks bunches. Sincerely, Rachel Michelle Kacprzyk rmkacprz@mailbox.syr.edu ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 17:05:13 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Gina Cordell Subject: Southern Women scholars To everyone subscribed to the list, Barbara Ellen Smith is Associate Professor in the department of Sociology at the University of Memphis and is affiliated with the university's Center for Research on Women. Please contact her if you are a social scientist who is a scholar on contemporary Southern women. Her e-mail address is barbaraes@cc.memphis.edu. Thank you. ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 22:11:09 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Carol Oukrop Subject: Re: teaching about rape & roofies There's an article of the "it happened to me" sort in the June 1996 issue of Sassy magazine that deals with roofies. As someone who knew nothing about roofies until this discussion cropped up on this listserv, I found it interesting. If any of you have teenage daughters, you might want to leave a copy of this issue of Sassy lying around your house. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 09:37:55 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Mollie Whalen Organization: East Stroudsburg University, problems to dgontz@po-box.esu.edu Subject: Dom. Viol Foundation Does someone have the name AND address of the domestic violence = foundation/organization started by Denise Brown in California?? Please = reply PRIVATELY to mwhalen@po-box.esu.edu. Thanks ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 08:46:51 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Harold Washington Subject: Golda Meir on rape Marge Piercy wrote in a recent post: >>I go along with Golda Meir's original suggestion: if men rape women, put a >>curfew on men, not on women. (Thank you Marge Piercy). Would anyone have a suggestion where I might find this quotation from Golda Meir? Thanks. _____________________________________________________________ Harold C. Washington email: haroldw@tyrell.net Saint Paul School of Theology 5123 Truman Road phone: (816) 483-9604 ext. 316 Kansas City MO 64127 USA fax: (816) 483-9605 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 11:19:10 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Kim Vaz (WOS)" Subject: Re: Women's Bookstores In-Reply-To: <199605151346.AB08698@mail.tyrell.net> Thank you very much for all the replies to my query about Women's Bookstores. As you know there is a Website at http://www/igc.apc.org/women/bookstores. It is quite extensive and was last updated on 2/1/96 which means it is probably one of the most up-to-date sources available. The states that are not covered by the list are listed below. Anyone know of stores in these states? Thanks, Kim Delaware Hawaii Idaho Kentucky Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Rhode Island Vermont West Virginia Wyoming ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 11:04:10 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Sandra K. Herzan" Subject: Women's Bookstores website > Thank you very much for all the replies to my query about Women's > Bookstores. As you know there is a Website at > http://www/igc.apc.org/women/bookstores. To all interested: I just tried this address, and it isn't quite correct. I got to the Website by trying http://www.igc.apc.org/women/bookstores Note that there is a period, not a slash, after www. Best, Sandy Herzan ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 11:47:44 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Miriam E. Joseph" Organization: SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY St. Louis, MO Subject: "Reference Book Notices"--Ceased Dear WMST-L subscribers, Following a November 1995--April 1996 trial period, the monthly WMST-L feature, "Reference Book Notices," has ceased. Two factors were key to my decision to end the notices. First, retrieval of the notices decreased steadily from one month to the next--and they weren't very high to start. Second, the usefulness of this feature likely would have been enhanced by multiple contributors, reflecting diverse backgrounds and experience. Unfortunately (from my perspective, anyway), only one other person volunteered to prepare notices on a regular basis. The information provided in the notices could be found elsewhere; I had hoped we were packaging and disseminating it in a somewhat more distinctive way, one that the WMST-L audience might find useful. Perhaps the format and/or vehicle wasn't sufficiently different, or maybe people simply had no need for the information itself. I hope some of you might share your thoughts about this with me. In closing, I want to thank all of the people who have prepared and contributed notices for the feature these past months--especially Martha Henn, who has been involved from the start. And major thanks to Joan Korenman. Joan supported my idea and provided the vehicle, WMST-L, through which I could try it out. I am grateful to have had that opportunity. Miriam Miriam E. Joseph Reference Librarian Pius XII Memorial Library Saint Louis University josephme@sluvca.slu.edu (314) 977-3584 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 14:43:35 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: DAPHNE PATAI Subject: heterophobia Comments: cc: DAPHNE PATAI I am working on a book about the feminist turn against men. It seems to me that somewhere along the line the criticism of patriarchal institutions derailed into a real, visceral, and in my view counterproductive antagonism toward men and a consequent intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them. I call this phenomenon "Heterophobia"--the fear of difference, of the "other"--and I have regretfully concluded that this is no media invention inspired by "backlash," but a persistent strain within North American feminism (and women's studies programs). Homophobia may be the problem in the world at large; but within feminism the problem is heterophobia. I am interested in exploring why hetero feminists seem to have acquiesced in this stigmatizing of their sexual desires and intimate relationships -- -- and I would like to contact heterosexual women to discuss the tensions they may have experienced between being heterosexual and being feminists. I'd also like to contact lesbian feminists who see men as significant figures in their lives (whether as friends, relatives, or sometime lovers), to talk about their views of the heterophobia that has developed within feminism over the past few decades. If you're interested in discussing this subject (by correspondence or eventually by phone), please contact me by e-mail, below, or snail mail (Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Massachusetts, Herter Hall 416, Amherst, MA. 01003). Any time over the summer is fine. Thanks. Daphne Patai -- ====================== Daphne.Patai@spanport.umass.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 15:54:12 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Fran Weaver Subject: Re: women's participation in the chemical industry At 11:07 AM 5/9/96 -0500, you wrote: >A former student who works for Chemical Week Magazine called me for some >information on women's participation in the chemical industry. Her magazine >is doing a cover story on this topic and would like to focus on women who >are "shattering the glass ceiling" and on their lack of progress in the >field especiall in terms of positions of leadership. She would like >information on the number of women chemists, names of high profile women, >people doing research >on this area etc. > >My field is women and law so other than look up some things in text >books I can't help her much. Is there anyone out there who can help >or direct me to someone doing research in this area? It might be a good >opportunity to >get some women's studies research into the media. > >Thanks > >Pat >Pat Murphy >Assistant Professor of Sociology >SUNY Geneseo >Geneseo, N.Y. 14454 716-245-5324 >Murphy@uno.cc.geneseo.edu > Pat, I forwarded your request to my father who is professor of chemistry at Mount Holyoke College. Here is what I got back from him (unexpurgated) >As for your request - >The usual suspect for a prominent woman in industry is Dr. Mary Good - >President of UOP Inc. at one point and president of the American Chemical >Society - as was Anna Harrison, whom you already know. Other prominent >women were Shirley Malcolm at AAAS and Sheila Tobias - I'm not sure where >either of them are at the moment. A good person to sic your correspondent >on is Sheila Browne of this department who seems to be making a career >out of knowing everything about women and minorities in science. It surorised me that your former student, who works for a Chemical industry publication doesn't have these resources. Best of luck, Fran ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 16:09:11 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: myers Subject: women's health novels I teach a women's health course-do not use novels, but sometimes recommend them. Here's one I particularly like. Some years ago Doris Lessing wrote two novels under the name Jane Somers (as a hoax/test directed at publishers). The first one is a detailed look at women and aging (in poverty), at a relationship between a middle -aged woman and an elderly woman, about health and social services for elderly women (British, of course, but of relevance to Canada and US). Very good about roles of underpaid and volunteer women in care of elderly, and,in a short section,about power dynamics in hospitals. The two novels together are called The Diaries of Jane Somers and I believe the first one is called The Good Neighbour. I have had a similar relationship to that described in the book and found it to be an uncannily accurate and intimate portrayal about of experiences and emotions that I thought particular to myself and my elderly friend. Highly recommended. Leslie Myers cxlm@musica.mcgill.ca ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 15:46:54 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Susan Tucker Subject: Position Announcement Position Announcement Education Coordinator Newcomb College Center for Research on Women Newcomb College, Tulane University The Newcomb College Center for Research on Women of Tulane University invites applications for an Education Coordinator. The coordinator will be responsible for designing programs and materials to educate and inform both academic and lay communities about the Center's activities. The Center's work to promote knowledge about women includes oversight of a growing library and archival collection, administration of the women's studies program, and sponsorship of research programs. The coordinator will work with Center staff and women's studies faculty to plan academic programs and conferences; carry out all aspects of programming such as correspondence, speaker and program arrangements, and publicity; and secure external funding as needed. The coordinator will hold responsibility for designing, editing, and distributing the bi-annual newsletter, program announcements and other Center informational or promotional materials. The coordinator will also be responsible for linking the Center with others through electronic networks and university and community organizations to develop alliances, co-sponsor programs, identify donors. The successful candidate must have a Masters degree with substantial work in women's studies; evidence of strong writing and editing skills; ability to work collaboratively with people of all ages; superior organizational skills with a project orientation; proficiency with computer software, desktop publishing, and familiarity with design of World Wide Web sites; and one year of related work in program planning and/or publishing. This is a full-time position beginning August 1, 1996. Applicants are asked to submit a letter of application outlining your interest in the position, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of reference on or before July 1, to: Tulane University Personnel Services Diboll Complex New Orleans, La. 70118-5683 Tulane University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 15:53:41 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Chris Jazwinski Subject: Re: heterophobia On 5/15/96 Daphne Patai writes: >I am working on a book about the feminist turn against men. It >seems to me that somewhere along the line the criticism of >patriarchal institutions derailed into a real, visceral, and in >my view counterproductive antagonism toward men and a consequent >intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them. I >call this phenomenon "Heterophobia"--the fear of difference, of >the "other"--and I have regretfully concluded that this is no >media invention inspired by "backlash," but a persistent strain >within North American feminism (and women's studies programs). It is really unfortunate in my opinion when labels are used to create false realities and pseudo phenomena. In particular, the use of a word like "phobia" creates the illusion of some sort of medical diagnostic category. Because it has that medical ring to it, many people, particularly the reader of popular or pop psychology literature assumes that it is true. Of course, one can sell a lot of books this way, but is it valid or scholarly, hell no. There are women who are angry at men and sometimes they have a good reason to feel that way. (Look at the rape statistics, for goodness sake). Anger can be productive, because it is i signal to the individual that something is wrong and that some action ought to be taken for purposes of self-preservation. It is important for women to feel that anger is healthy. What is not healthy is aggressing due to anger, or not going beyond anger to more productive solutions. But anger is necessary. What is happening here is that there is an attempt to take anger away from women. As it is, women have been socialized to not get angry (unladylike and bitchy). Anger is certainly a most threatening emotion in any oppressed group, whether the "uppity" Black person or the "bitchy" woman. As my 5 year old son recently said when comparing red ants to black ants: "Red ants bite, but black ants don't. Black ants are so friendly that they let you kill them." It's a good thing that there are some feminists around who can get wise to the continued efforts to take anger away from women! Chris Jazwinski, Ph.D Department of Psychology St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498 http://www.stcloud.msus.edu/~jaz ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 16:56:04 -0400 Reply-To: "Vashti Braha (SAR)" Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Vashti Braha (SAR)" Subject: Request: Categorizing Feminist Theories First, I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed their syllabi to the list's archives. I have benefitted from the syllabi of many topics, especially Feminist Theory, because I'm designing a two-semester course in Feminist Theory. I'm interested in how the different theories and subject matter are categorized and I'd like to hear if you use the standard liberal/radical/socialist/Black/etc. type of approach, and why or why not. I'm against this approach because I find the categories to be nearly meaningless. Maybe they weren't meaningless at an earlier time. Not only that, but I can't stand presenting "Black feminist theory" or women of color as an add-on or revision, as if it is distinct from the first 3! I have also found that a discussion-oriented course has great potential but the students often don't seem to see the *theory* part of the feminism. I was hoping that a journal requirement would lessen the chatty and testimonial content of the discussions. Perhaps it's more of a problem on this campus because we have no "Intro to Women's Studies". Feminist Theory *IS* the intro to Women's Studies and feminism here. I could go on with other issues, now that I've started writing! I hope this is of interest to the list. Any comments at all will be appreciated. (Respond privately if you like.) Vashti Braha braha@virtu.sar.usf.edu New College of USF (Florida) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 17:32:20 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Gail Dines Subject: Re: heterophobia I travel around the country doing lectures at different universities. I also go to many conferences and hang out with long-term feminists who continue, against all odds, to do great activist work. To paint feminists as a bunch of man-hating women is to give plenty of fuel to the mainstream press who love nothing more than a caricatured vision (especially when providied by other women) of what we as feminists are about. Have you ever wondered why women like Sommers and Paglia end up with media time while the rest of us are denied access to "the free market place of ideas". The press are going to love this book. Gail Dines ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 13:43:45 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: kathleen preston Subject: Rape Some excellent comments have been made here. Especially innovative are the cross-cultural studies and the idea of re-framing statistics to focus on rapists rather than victims/survivors. My two cents: In the Psychology of Women class, after reading the textbook material and viewing "Rape Culture" (very old but still provocative), I would ask the class to break up into small groups (separating the women and men seemed to work better than mixing them), and come up with answers to the following questions: (1) What can individual women do about rape? (2) What can women in groups (or as a group) do about rape? (3) What can individual men do about rape? and (4) What can men in groups (or as a group) do about rape? Invariably some women would argue that that it's a men's problem, and that even suggesting that women should do anything is victim-blaming. Some women would propose answers that did indeed appear to be victim-blaming, while most others fell in between. The men's answers were usually equally diverse. This allowed us to consider various levels of the problem and various actions that can be taken, ranging from self-defense training to attacks on cultural attitudes, and to separate personal safety issues from societal issues. I would try to direct their attention to what I consider the most important points: that every rape is a crime that should be reported and punished; and that women's main job is to convince themselves of that simple fact. Our own ambivalence, self-doubt, and willingness to accept blame (or assign it to other women) are a major and pernicious part of the problem, in my opinion. Let's not be too quick to point accusatory fingers at each other for emphasizing different aspects of the problem or different approaches to solutions. While some work toward understanding and correcting the underlying cultural attitudes that have created this horrendous situation, others are trying to help individuals survive and live well right now. Both are essential. In sisterhood, Kathleen Preston kp1@axe.humboldt.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 16:45:11 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Carolyn Feser Subject: Re: heterophobia In-Reply-To: The problem of the us-them dicotomy or heterophobia began with the patriarchy. This fear of others is a backlash. The poor unfortunate alpha male! He's being picked on! We do need to overcome the dualisms. but, it is hard to feel sorry for the creator of the monster. Peace, CArolyn Feser On Wed, 15 May 1996, Chris Jazwinski wrote: > On 5/15/96 Daphne Patai writes: > > >I am working on a book about the feminist turn against men. It > >seems to me that somewhere along the line the criticism of > >patriarchal institutions derailed into a real, visceral, and in > >my view counterproductive antagonism toward men and a consequent > >intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them. I > >call this phenomenon "Heterophobia"--the fear of difference, of > >the "other"--and I have regretfully concluded that this is no > >media invention inspired by "backlash," but a persistent strain > >within North American feminism (and women's studies programs). > > > It is really unfortunate in my opinion when labels are used to create false > realities and pseudo phenomena. In particular, the use of a word like > "phobia" creates the illusion of some sort of medical diagnostic category. > Because it has that medical ring to it, many people, particularly the > reader of popular or pop psychology literature assumes that it is true. Of > course, one can sell a lot of books this way, but is it valid or scholarly, > hell no. > > There are women who are angry at men and sometimes they have a good reason > to feel that way. (Look at the rape statistics, for goodness sake). Anger > can be productive, because it is i signal to the individual that something > is wrong and that some action ought to be taken for purposes of > self-preservation. It is important for women to feel that anger is > healthy. What is not healthy is aggressing due to anger, or not going > beyond anger to more productive solutions. But anger is necessary. What > is happening here is that there is an attempt to take anger away from > women. As it is, women have been socialized to not get angry (unladylike > and bitchy). Anger is certainly a most threatening emotion in any > oppressed group, whether the "uppity" Black person or the "bitchy" woman. > > As my 5 year old son recently said when comparing red ants to black ants: > "Red ants bite, but black ants don't. Black ants are so friendly that they > let you kill them." > > It's a good thing that there are some feminists around who can get wise to > the continued efforts to take anger away from women! > > Chris Jazwinski, Ph.D > Department of Psychology > St. Cloud State University > St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498 > http://www.stcloud.msus.edu/~jaz > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 18:38:50 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Marge Piercy Subject: Re: Golda Meir on rape At 08:46 AM 5/15/96 -0500, you wrote: >Marge Piercy wrote in a recent post: > >>>I go along with Golda Meir's original suggestion: if men rape women, put a >>>curfew on men, not on women. > >(Thank you Marge Piercy). Would anyone have a suggestion where I might find >this quotation from Golda Meir? Thanks. >_____________________________________________________________ >Harold C. Washington email: haroldw@tyrell.net >Saint Paul School of Theology >5123 Truman Road phone: (816) 483-9604 ext. 316 >Kansas City MO 64127 USA fax: (816) 483-9605 > I believe almost any biography of Golda Meir would include this quote. I believe it occurred during a cabinet meeting.Marge Piercy, hagolem@cpecod.net> ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 16:39:08 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Schweitzer Subject: OOOPS!--rape statistics and discussions # I have recently made two errors on this list, one more egregious than the other. I had been compiling the suggested readings into a file. Someone on the list asked me to post it to everyone, and when I went to find it, I realized I had somehow deleted it. I do not know how, or when. This is how my life goes these days. If someone else did keep a record of the reading lists, please post it for the rest of us. It was also kindly pointed out to me that my posting on discussions of rape in class was headed "disscussions about race in class". Before anyone starts accusing me of freudian faux pas, I think I have to confess to all on this list that I am very ill with a condition called chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS; or chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS), or, in Europe, myalgic encephalomyelitis, or M.E.). It sounds bogus. It is not. It is a very serious neurological condition that has kept me from teaching since the fall of 1994. I have not improved. I cannot drive. I cannot do serious research. I have trouble reading and remembering what I read. I should get better, but it may take a while. I usually laugh at a stupid error like this one -- so feel free to laugh WITH me. For some reason, more women than men have this illness -- most likely because there is an autoimmune component, and women are more prone to such conditions (like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis). The female component to the demography of the illness -- plus the "femaleness" of the illness itself and the current means of diagnosis (no Hard Science Blood Test or X-Ray can confirm this disease) -- led to outright derision and the most unprofessional laxity on the part of the Center for Disease Control when confronted with clear outbreaks of the disease in the mid-1980s. Because one of these was at a Lake Tahoe village, it was given by the CDC the charming name "yuppie flu". That the other outbreak was in a rural upstate New York town, and that old and young, male and female, middle class and poor, were all afflicted, did not daunt the CDC researchers who chose that name. Men with CFS struggle with the clear female-ness of this disease, and also with being treated for the first time in their lives, perhaps, as marginal -- invisible to the larger culture. The same researchers shifted to the term "chronic fatigue syndrome" at the beginning of this decade. It is insulting. The term "chronic" implies whining, the term "fatigue" implies laziness (in Australia it is sometimes called "layabout's disease"). The name says nothing of the pain, the weakness to the point where you drop things and your knees can buckle, numerous other symptoms all related to malfunctioning of the autonomic nervous system, and what is for me the worst: cognitive dysfunction, so severe at times that it takes a half hour to read the comics page of the newspaper because I cannot follow the stories, and don't remember what I've already read. Took me quite a while to write this; it's too long because it is hard for me to read back and edit what I've already written. We sufferers of CFS call it "brain fog". It is devestating. But I am usually in a protected situation. I am house bound, except for occasional ventures out in a controlled situation, with someone else driving of course. The Internet is my sole link to the outside world. The last week-two weeks have been particularly bad for me. And thus the two errors: the silly header, which I read back myself and did not see anything wrong; and accidentally deleting the file where I was saving the suggested readings on rape statistics. I was not going to confess to the latter, until I saw I had to explain the former. May 12 was International CFS/ME Awareness Day. I bet you didn't hear much about it, though. If you wish to learn more about CFS/CFIDS/ME, feel free to post me privately. Mary Schweitzer, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of History (also women's studies), Villanova University (on medical leave 1995-?) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 21:55:02 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Arnie Kahn Subject: Re: heterophobia From: DAPHNE PATAI wrote: >I am working on a book about the feminist turn against men. It >seems to me that somewhere along the line the criticism of >patriarchal institutions derailed into a real, visceral, and in >my view counterproductive antagonism toward men and a consequent >intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them. I >call this phenomenon "Heterophobia"--the fear of difference, of >the "other"--and I have regretfully concluded that this is no >media invention inspired by "backlash," but a persistent strain >within North American feminism (and women's studies programs). I'm writing this to the list rather than to Daphne personally because I think this is an issue that needs to be discussed. As a white, heterosexual, male who has been involved in women's studies since the mid-1970s I just have not found this true. I have served as an officer in feminist organizations and taught and continue to teach in women's studies and have not found "real, visceral...antagonism toward men and a consequent intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them." I have attended NWSA meetings and have not found hostility toward my participation. Perhaps I have lived a charmed life. I have found antagonism and hatred toward men who rape, harass, and belittle women. I have found antagonism toward men who don't listen to women but rather tell them what they should do. I have found antagonism by women toward men who insist that "we are all equal now, and feminist are a bunch of men-hating lesbians." But I have not found such hatred toward men as a group. I'm sorry, but in my experience the attempt to label feminists and women's studies programs as anti men is to feed into the backlash. Arnie Kahn kahnas@jmu.edu ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 21:16:54 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Bob Bender Subject: Re: heterophobia In-Reply-To: <01I4QZX7OPNS8YBZQW@VAX1.JMU.EDU> On Wed, 15 May 1996 21:55:02 -0500 Arnie Kahn said: >I'm sorry, but in my experience the attempt to label feminists and >women's studies programs as anti men is to feed into the backlash. I want to support Arnie Kahn in his comments. My experience very much corresponds to his and that of a great many of my female colleagues. I have always found myself welcome in "feminist circles," have not felt in any way discriminated against at NWSA. Terms like "heterophobia" seem to me to be manufactured to play into the backlash. Why is it that we have to engage in the same argument over and over again? To stand up for the rights of women (or of Blacks, or of Jews, or of... you name the group) is not necessarily to deny the rights of others. A young woman from the former Yugoslavia came to see me the other day and wondered why she found so many people so eager to support the Serbian position and deny what Bosnians report. Must we forever Balkanize our experience? Bob ********************************************************************* * Robert M. Bender email: engbob@mizzou1.missouri.edu * * Director of Special Degree Programs Phone: 314-882-6060 * * Professor of English and Women Studies FAX: 314-882=5785 * * 19 Parker Hall * University of Missouri-Columbia * * Columbia, Missouri 65211 url: www.missouri.edu/~engbob/ * ********************************************************************* ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 00:46:36 -0400 Reply-To: Nancy Goldstein Sender: Women's Studies List From: Nancy Goldstein Subject: "Heterophobia" [sic] In addition to the (very valid) objections already raised in posts by Chris Jazwinski and Gail Dines, I'd like to add mine: the very word "heterophobia" suggests, as its opposite, "homophobia," when in fact "heterophobia" is to "homophobia" as "white-male bashing" is to "gay/lesbian-bashing"--a manupulative and reactionary appropriation of terms and experiences that only belong, properly speaking, to the minorities whose experiences of prejudice and brutality they were originally coined to describe. The day that straight white men are routinely physically terrorized, openly discriminated against in areas from housing and employment to equal protection under the Constitution, and become wary of walking down the street with their arm around their "cross-sex" partner due to the repeated (and often unacknowledged and unpunished) assaults against their persons, I'll cede both "white male bashing" and "heterophobia" to those who currently use them to create false binaries, false panic, and false sympathy. Until then, I consider both terms to be as spurious as they are hateful. Nancy Goldstein ngoldst@fas.harvard.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 08:47:11 EST5EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Lauraine Leblanc Organization: Emory University Subject: Re: Rape On May 16, Kathleen Preston presented an excellent idea for promoting discussion about rape in the classroom. She also added that > > I would try to direct their attention to what I consider the most important > points: that every rape is a crime that should be reported and punished; > and that women's main job is to convince themselves of that simple fact. > Our own ambivalence, self-doubt, and willingness to accept blame (or assign > it to other women) are a major and pernicious part of the problem, in my > opinion. I agree that every criminal (not just rapists) should be held accountable for their crime. However, it is simply not appropriate for every rape survivor to report and prosecute. Given ongoing incidents where the legal and judicial systems fail to take survirvors seriously (and in Atlanta, we have just had two incidents where police officers were accused of rape!), forcing or pushing women to report the crime may not be the best thing for individual survivors. Police, whose aims and interests differ from those of rape crisis counselors (they want to prosecute, we want to facilitate recovery) may try to "guilt" women into pursuing prosecution against their wishes, by saying things like, "If you don't punish him, he'll do it again." Talk about blaming the vicitim - now she is not only responsible for her own victimization, but for that of others as well! We should not be adding to this in the classroom - we should focus instead on educating agents of social control about ways in which to make prosecution a viable option for survivors. > Let's not be too quick to point accusatory fingers at each other for > emphasizing different aspects of the problem or different approaches to > solutions. While some work toward understanding and correcting the > underlying cultural attitudes that have created this horrendous situation, > others are trying to help individuals survive and live well right now. Both > are essential. I agree, and it is crucial that we do each part of this while being mindful of the other. Let's keep working together in forums like this to address and collectively solve these problems. Lauraine Leblanc [llebla@soc.emory.edu] Institute for Women's Studies, Emory University Be strong and resist always! ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 09:07:34 -0400 Reply-To: J.Van-Every@bham.ac.uk Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jo VanEvery Organization: The University of Birmingham Subject: categorizing feminist theories In response to Vashti Braha's request: I too find the usual categorizations of feminist theories almost useless, particularly the famous trilogy of socialist/radical/liberal. Even if categorization is useful at some level, 3 categories are too few to do justice to the breadth of feminist thought. 10 years ago as an undergraduate, I was given a categorization of I think 9 types of feminist theories which was flagged as inadequate but a useful place to start. My own way of dealing with this problem, which also works well with the discussion format you want to use, is by categorizing feminist theories in relation to academe as an institution. I'm pretty sure the syllabus I used is in the files (if not, somebody please tell me and I'll file it) but the 2 prinicple features of the organization were (1) that some feminists were academics who were engaging with existing academic theories and trying to adapt them for feminism (though they may also have been activists as well, the important point is the bit about engaging with existing academic theories), while others were 'excluded' for whatever reason (even if they are still academics, they might not feel able to theorize about certain aspects of their experiences due to homophobia, racism, etc.) (2) that feminist theories are formed in debates. The latter is a particularly important point. Most theoretical writing is trying to make sense of the world (or a part of it) and most is also addressing someone elses attempts to make sense of the world. This may be in opposition to other theories (e.g. main/malestream theory doesn't explain the world because it leaves out women) or an attempt to extend theories (this is okay as far as it goes but what happens if we consider...). My classroom practice was to pick several readings for each week and divide them up amongst the students so that small groups had read the same article but in the class as a whole several articles had been read. If the material was a bit difficult conceptually, I initially got them to discuss in groups with people who had read the same article and sort out what was going on in the article. Then I got them to present their bit of the debate to the whole class, one group at a time. This gave everyone a flavour for the debate as a whole. I often gave them a bit of historical context the week before so they knew when, where and why certain things were being written. After having taught this feminist theory course (before I got my current job, so I'm not teaching it now), I was asked to review Katie Kings _Theory in its Feminist Travels_ (1994, Indiana University Press) for a journal. Although I would not recommend it for undergraduates (particularly those just being introduced to feminist theory) it does have some provocative ideas for those teaching undergraduates. In particular, she argues that taxonomies of feminism produce particular theories as 'the best' feminist theory. Her argument focuses on Alice Echol's _Daring to be Bad_ (1989, University of Minnesota Press) and Allison Jaggar's _Feminist Politics and Human Nature_ (1983, Rowman & Allanheld) (and to some extend her earlier _Feminist Frameworks_). Although I have numerous problems with the book, I did find this discussion very interesting and felt at the time that I would love to have a good discussion about it with other teachers of feminist theory. Anyway, I hope that contributes something useful to the discussion of teaching/categorizing feminist theories. If anyone is interested in my (not very sympathetic) review of King it is in _Sociological Review_ vol 44, no 1 (Feb. 1996). Dr. Jo VanEvery Dept. of Cultural Studies University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham B15 2TT United Kingdom 0121-414-3730 J.Van-Every@bham.ac.uk ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 09:01:00 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Barbara Barnett Subject: Re: heterophobia A while back, I saw a commercial for Revlon cosmetics on TV in which a woman said something to the effect that "I think we should declare the war with men over." I had no idea there was any need for armistice since I didn't know there was a war going on in the first place! Who are the heterophobic women? Maybe I, too, live a charmed life because I certainly don't know them. While I greatly respect Daphne Patai's work, particularly her work on women's voice and oral history, I am disturbed that a book will be written to examine feminism from the perspective of "heterophobia." Adrienne Rich once wrote: "It is ironic, to say the least, that the first verbal attack slung at the woman who demonstrates a primary loyalty to herself and other women is [that of] a man-hater. The fear of appearing or being named as a man- hater still causes many women to deny the reality of gynephobia, the concrete evidences of woman-hating embedded in our culture, in language, image and act." I'm dismayed to see another book that supports the man-hating stereotype. Barbara Barnett Duke University bbarnett@fhi.org ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 09:25:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Aurore Bleck Subject: Re: heterophobia While I agree that the term may be too strong to describe what is happening, I HAVE been snubbed by some feminist women because I am sexually and socially interested in men. I have no idea how those same women might interact with men, although I am quite sure they seek to avoid interactions with men as much as possible. I believe there is certainly an issue worthy of discussion, but it seems that the situation needs careful definition and delineation because of problems brought up in several of the posts, i.e., the eagerness of defenders of patriarchy to use the actions and beliefs of a few to paint other feminists with the same brush, the very large difference between the effect that the prejudiced actions of the "heterophobic" has on heterosexual women and all men as contrasted with homophobics' potentially deadly actions toward gay and lesbian people. Perhaps we should start by finding another term, perhaps something that emphasizes the isolationist aspect of these women who prefer only the society of women-centered women. Aurore Bleck ableck@nas.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 10:55:05 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: liora moriel Subject: Retrophobia In-Reply-To: <9604168322.AA832264263@nas.edu> On Thu, 16 May 1996, Aurore Bleck wrote: > While I agree that the term may be too strong to describe what is > happening, I HAVE been snubbed by some feminist women because I am sexually > and socially interested in men. I have no idea how those same women might > interact with men, although I am quite sure they seek to avoid interactions > with men as much as possible. > At last! We are beginning to see where it's all coming from, that viperous postfeminist backlash in which some women lash out at what they claim are most women. And, let's not forget, very profitably so! I have been snubbed by some antifeminist women. I have been reviled by some heterosexist women. I always assumed that was the nature of the bigotry beast, not something personal (qua woman) or collective (qua women). So I'm extremely disturbed by a purportedly academic discussion of this newly-minted heterophobia sound-bite phenomenon (soon on Ricki Lake!) I admit that if my first-year composition students handed me such a "What's-at_Issue" paper I'd send them back to the research board/library. Where's the evidence? Where's the exigence? It seems to me that these are retrowomen doing the work of woman-panicked men. Is "equity feminism" over? Are we in the Newer Wave of women-bashing by "real" women? I think there's absolutely no evidence that men-hating women are the trendy ones to document in the 1990s. In fact, I would be eager to see a study detailing why, after 30 years of feminisms, women-bashing is the trendy new instant-celebrity track for men-loving women! Give us a break, Daphne and Aurore, Christine and Lynne, Camille and sorry-I've-forgotten-your-name. There may well be documented cases of "men-hating women" -- in fact, Valerie Solanes, who brilliantly led the way, has been resurrected in the current film _I Shot Andy Warhol_. But excuse me for being obtuse: wasn't the 1970s call for isolationism in the women's liberation movement brought on by a growing realization that women AS A GROUP were isolated from power and indeed a voice in their own life by men AS A GROUP? As one strategy for an exit from institutionalized women-hating, separatism made a lot of sense. It was motivated, however, not by a hatred of men but by a love of women, by a genuine desire to give women the chance to fully realize their potential in a setting that would nurture rather than squash their skills. Personally, by the way, as a woman, a feminist, a lesbian and a social researcher/journalist, I have yet to meet that category of women that Patai et al. wish to market at Crown Books for Father's Day. Luckily, I also don't know personally any man who would seriously buy such a book. Sadly, it seems that the audience for this pseudo-academic tome is other women who feel that men might love them less if they proved capable of screwing in their own lightbulb. Liora Moriel University of Maryland ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 08:02:00 -0800 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Nikki Senecal Subject: Separatism was Re: heterophobia >Perhaps we should start by finding another term, perhaps something that >emphasizes the isolationist aspect of these women who prefer only the >society of women-centered women. There is one: separatist. Nikki Senecal University of Southern California Department of English, MC 0354 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354 Phone: (213) 740-2954 Fax: (213) 740-4839 Internet: senecal@chaph.usc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 11:34:08 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Gary Daily Subject: Re: heterophobia As a man who has taught a course in women's history every year since 1972 (primarily, but not exclusively, to women students); as a man who helped to create, nurture, and grow our Women's Studies Program at my institution (We just celebrated with pride our twenty years of struggle, teaching, and scholarship!); as a man who was just honored with the responsibility of serving as acting director of this very successful, very active Women's Studies Program, all I can say (to join the chorus) is: Where was/is the heterophobia? In my opinion, Daphne Patai is too good a scholar, too responsible a scholar, too much a feminist to write another "select and skewer" impressionistic account on this subject. I'm sure she will include in her work evidence from the Arnie Kahns and Bob Benders of the continuing revolution. These are men who are able to recognize righteous and constructive anger based on verifiable evidence. As many have mentioned, another book based wholly on the fears of those losing their grip on power and a sliver fringe trying on garments of separatism for a season or a lifetime is really redundant. Open any history of women to almost any page and you will find these misleading themes being used against the women's movement. gary daily History and Women's Studies Indiana State University ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 12:30:41 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: DAPHNE PATAI Subject: Retrophobia Comments: cc: DAPHNE PATAI Liora Moriel's nasty personal attack on all those who disagree with her view is a perfect instance of the phenomenon she insists does not exist within feminism. How sad. -- ====================== Daphne.Patai@spanport.umass.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 12:00:00 CDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Virginia Sapiro Subject: Re: Retrophobia I was just wondering. When someone presents an idea and asks a question, is it really feminist for lots of people to proceed to attack her, her motives and character, and especially to claim knowledge of what is going on in her mind and what intentions she has? Seems a pretty effective way of making sure the voices of those touching controversial or unpopular topics are silenced. I know there's plenty of anti-feminist backlash out there, and I know the terms in which it speaks. But feminists should also be able to ask difficult questions among feminists without getting bashed themselves. There's been quite a cheery lot of that going on in the last couple of days. Virginia Sapiro University of Wisconsin - Madison ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 12:02:02 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "L. Higgins" Subject: Re: heterophobia In-Reply-To: <9604168322.AA832264263@nas.edu> On Thu, 16 May 1996, Aurore Bleck wrote: > > Perhaps we should start by finding another term, perhaps something that > emphasizes the isolationist aspect of these women who prefer only the > society of women-centered women. How about "separatists"? There's something about this thread that seems very retro to me. **************************************************************************** Lisa L. Higgins c547634@showme.missouri.edu University of Missouri-Columbia "I believe that unnamed truths and unconditional love will have the final word." Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. ***************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 11:50:21 -0500 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jennifer McCrickerd Subject: role-playing & teaching Next semester I am teaching a first year seminar (interdisciplinary) on oppression. It's still in it's fledgling stages, but I have some ideas for it. The main text we are using is _Prejudice: A Global Perspective_ and I think we're going to focus on familiarizing ourselves with different types of oppression, what exactly is oppression, theoretical frameworks for understanding oppression, causes, etc.. Like I said, it's still in the planning stages and hopefully by fall things will be more focused. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My purpose for this post, however, is more focused. I'm looking for a way to get the students talking about oppression, appreciating other's experiences of oppression, etc.. The one thing I've thought of is finding some sort of role playing game that will put them in situations which they may not have experienced in their lives (the school is Des Moines, IA and most students are white, christian, midwesterners). What I would love is a more real "Life" game (the one (where each player got a car and added children, etc. as the game went on) where the players take on particular economic classes, gender, sexual orientation, race, etc and then have to deal with events that arise bec of these characteristics (when applying for jobs, going to school, etc). Have any of you used any sort of role playing games in class? Do you know where I can find them? Have they been successful? Please respond privately Thank you, Jennifer McCrickerd Drake University jm4361r@acad.drake.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 12:39:48 -0600 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Chris Jazwinski Subject: Re: Retrophobia >I was just wondering. > >When someone presents an idea and asks a question, is it really feminist for >lots of people to proceed to attack her, her motives and character, and >especially to claim knowledge of what is going on in her mind and what >intentions she has? Seems a pretty effective way of making sure the voices of >those touching controversial or unpopular topics are silenced. > >I know there's plenty of anti-feminist backlash out there, and I know the terms >in which it speaks. But feminists should also be able to ask difficult >questions >among feminists without getting bashed themselves. There's been quite a cheery >lot of that going on in the last couple of days. > >Virginia Sapiro >University of Wisconsin - Madison I have to disagree. Daphne Patai's original post was not just "feminists asking difficult questions". If it were than Patai would not be using value-laden labels and over-generalizations. In her original post Patai says: "I am working on a book about the feminist turn against men. It seems to me that somewhere along the line the criticism of patriarchal institutions derailed into a real, visceral, and in my view counterproductive antagonism toward men and a consequent intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them. I call this phenomenon "Heterophobia"--the fear of difference, of the "other"--and I have regretfully concluded that this is no media invention inspired by "backlash," but a persistent strain within North American feminism (and women's studies programs)." Patai is not asking the question of why SOME women or SOME feminists might be hostile towards men. Rather she is using emotional or value-laden terms such as: "visceral, counterproductive antagonism" "intolerance towards women" "fear of difference" "heterophobia" (use of pseudo medical terminology) "persistent strain" (again the "disease" metaphor). I'm sorry but I just can't agree that an innocent question was posed and that there was critical reaction for no good reason. The kind of language used by Patai is an example of flame bait. Actually, I would guess that Daphne wants to gather some material for her book, and that she is saving all of this to her hard drive as we speak. Cheerio, Chris Chris Jazwinski, Ph.D Department of Psychology St. Cloud State University St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498 http://www.stcloud.msus.edu/~jaz ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 12:40:09 CST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Martha Henn Organization: Mervyn H. Sterne Library Subject: Patai's "Heterophobia" Book I am on the digest version so may not have the complete discussion that has taken place so far; please excuse any redundancies, etc. I must admit I hardly know where to begin in response to Daphne Patai's book project. Several questions leap out at me. #1.) This is new? I don't think so. Strikes me as re-hash of one of the easiest and oldest media stereotypes of feminism. Some women may be antagonistic toward men. "The movement" itself is about women and not about men (which some people wrongly interpret to mean that it is anti-male). Feminism as a movement is not anti-male or anti-sexuality or anti-desire (incl. het desire). #2.) A movement intolerant of women who associate with men? Again, yawn, here we go with the separatist claim again. How many people do any of us know who don't ever associate with "others" (and what sort of vacuum would you have to live in to achieve such separatism)? #3.) Heterophobia/fear of difference: since when is fear of difference specifically feminist as opposed to generally human? To say "within feminism the problem is heterophobia" is ludicrous. Firstly, I wager that lesbian and bisexual women might feel they have encountered plenty of homophobia within "feminism." Feminists exist within the larger social context; it is news to me that we have been able to shrug off socialization to such a degree that, collectively, we champion the marginalized (lesbianism, bisexuality, celibacy, etc.) and denigate the mainstream (heterosexuality). #4.) Heterosexual women who acquiesce in being stigmatized: hey, those of us who are heterosexual have the numerical advantage in the larger world and within feminism, as well. From what I know of the history of the women's movement, heterosexuals are not the ones who have had to clamor for understanding and acceptance. I am not stigmatized, I acquiesce in no stigmatism, I know few feminists who would say that they have no significant male figures in their lives. Anyone who has ever taught Composition knows that anecdote is not the same thing as evidence. I know I am responding to a brief and simplified description of a larger project, but I am offended on just about every level I can think of by the off-the-cuff allegations against feminism made by Patai. --Martha ******************************************************************** * Martha Henn Reference Librarian for Arts and Humanities * * (205) 934-6364 Sterne Library, Univ. of Alabama-Birmingham * * FAX (205) 975-6230 917 13th St. S. Birmingham, AL 35294-0014 * * e-mail: mhenn@beowulf.mhsl.uab.edu or slb2056@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu * ******************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 11:16:26 MST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Beverly Miller Subject: Re: heterophobia In-Reply-To: Message of Wed, 15 May 1996 14:43:35 -0400 from My objection to this is not to the topic but to the methodology. It seems to me any research on "heterophobia" in women's studies ought to first be directed toward determining whether or not the phenomenon exists, and if so, to what degree, how it manifests itself, etc. There are a number of ways this might be pursued and it could make an interesting research project. But Patai's post suggests that she has already decided her thesis is true, and is looking for anecdotal evidence in support of it. Any evidence to the contrary appears to not be welcomed. Unfortunately, you can "prove" any thesis this way. I for one am tired of reading books replete with anecdotes from anonymous sources about what's wrong with women's studies programs. Their descriptons may be accurate for some ws programs somewhere sometime (specificities are usually conveniently lacking) but I'd sure like to see the experience of some of the rest of us (perhaps the majority) reflected occasionally. Beverly Miller, Boise State University ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 11:04:56 -0800 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Nikki Senecal Subject: Re: Retrophobia >I know there's plenty of anti-feminist backlash out there, and I know the terms >in which it speaks. But feminists should also be able to ask difficult >questions >among feminists without getting bashed themselves. There's been quite a cheery >lot of that going on in the last couple of days. Having recently undergone qualifying exams and having a friend who underwent the same grueling torture I have this to say: Depends on your definition of feminist. She feels that the 4 women/2 men on her committee were unnecessarily harsh and *as feminists* these women should have been more receptive to her (feminist) project. I, on the other hand, felt the 4 women/1 man on my committee were equally harsh, equally feminist to my equally feminist project. But I wouldn't want it any other way. If you cannotconvince a supposedly friendly audience, how will your work fly when it is reviewed by not-so-friendly critics? Let Daphne know what her audience--and aren't women's studies scholars partly her audience (she asked us)--thinks so that her scholarship will be stronger. Do we all have to be nice and cuddly all of the time? Nikki ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 11:04:51 -0800 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Nikki Senecal Subject: Re: Retrophobia >Liora Moriel's nasty personal attack on all those who disagree with >her view is a perfect instance of the phenomenon she insists does >not exist within feminism. How sad. >-- Feminism is in part a theory. Most of us discussing these theories are academics and as academics we are involved in debating and creating scholarship. In order for feminism to grow, as a theory and as a practice, we feminists have to be allowed to disagree. I did not think Liora's response was a "nasty personal attack." In fact, I thought she made some very good points. Feminism should not be monolithic--that's how separatists and "heterosexual feminists" can exist within the same movement/theory. It seems to me, Daphne, that you are finding what you seem to be looking for based on a shifting definition of what that "thing" is. I hope you understand this as a need to strengthen your definition rather than as a personal attack. Nikki Senecal University of Southern California Department of English, MC 0354 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354 Phone: (213) 740-2954 Fax: (213) 740-4839 Internet: senecal@chaph.usc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 14:19:00 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Joan Korenman Subject: please do not reply I'm a little reluctant to add yet another message to the already heavy mail volume, but I couldn't let a special birthday pass unremarked: five years ago today (May 16, 1991), WMST-L began. The following probably will not be placed right for most e-mail screens, but.... H H A PPPPP PPPPP Y Y 555555 H H A A P P P P Y Y 5 HHHHHH AAAAAA PPPPP PPPPP Y 55555 th H H A A P P Y 5 H H A A P P Y 55555 BBBBB I RRRRR TTTTTTT H H DD A Y Y B B I R R T H H D D A A Y Y BBBBB I RRRRR T HHHHH D D AAAAA Y B B I R R T H H D D A A Y BBBBB I R R T H H DD A A Y Many thanks to all 4127 WMST-L subscribers in 42 countries for helping to make this a terrific list! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do NOT reply to this message. Happily and gratefully, Joan (who must now get back to grading papers) ***************************************************************************** * Joan Korenman korenman@umbc2.umbc.edu * * U. of Md. Baltimore County * * Baltimore, MD 21228-5398 http://www-unix.umbc.edu/~korenman/wmst/ * * * * The only person to have everything done by Friday was Robinson Crusoe * ***************************************************************************** ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 14:29:09 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Suzanne F. Franks" Subject: Re: heterophobia Regarding the thread on heterophobia: My own experience with "heterophobia" within feminism is a bit different from how Daphne Patai seems to be defining it. What I find of interest are the experiences and feelings of women (and men?) during the process of coming to a feminist understanding of society. I speak from my own experience (as a heterosexual woman) and from observations of women in my family and at work (I work in a research lab) who would not self-identify as feminists. Early in my transformation to feminist womanhood, I felt very threatened by lesbian feminists (despite my very best lifelong friend being a lesbian) and by the mere theoretical concept of a separatist community. I felt sure, in the beginning, that such women were criticizing my choice to be in a relationship with a man, were saying that I couldn't be a "real" feminist, and that they were, as Patai characterizes it, "intolerant" of me. Later I began to realize that these fears arose in me because the mere existence of women who proudly and openly chose to be lesbian forced me to reconsider everything about my self and my relationships that I had taken for granted as "natural" and "just the way things are." I did not like the feeling of undergoing such self-questioning, it was disturbing and made me angry, and I turned these feelings back on the people whose life experiences invoked those feelings in me. I projected my fear and anxiety onto them as _their_ intolerance and taking a stand against me and my life choices. When I became more comfortable with myself and my choices, and more aware of the constraints that had forced me into some choices and made them seem "natural", then I became more comfortable with being around lesbian feminists and more able to listen to what they had to say. I have learned a great deal about being a heterosexual woman from listening to lesbians. It is when I feel uncomfortable with myself that I perceive the voices of lesbian feminists as threatening and intolerant. I suspect much the same might be true for men struggling towards feminism listening to the voices of feminist women of any type. (When I have been able to really listen, I have heard lesbian feminists saying "here are some ways that being connected to men in a relationship can interfere with your ability to perceive the critiques we have to offer of heterosexual relationships and the patriarchy in general." This is very different from saying "because you are a heterosexual woman you can't really be a true feminist and see the real light as we do." The first is what I hear when I am comfortable, the second is what I hear when I am not comfortable with myself in a group that differs in some significant way from me.) I have observed the same kind of reaction in women in my family and at work when I say or do something that challenges their carefully constructed world view. For example, my sister once accused me of wanting and expecting her to leave her husband and become a lesbian, because I had left my husband and spoken openly about the dissatisfactions of my marriage and relationships with men in general. I see this as her projecting onto me her anxieties about thinking critically about her life, much as I did with lesbian feminists early in my feminist education. This seems to me to be the really interesting and productive approaching to studying "heterophobia" : heterophobia as something constructed by those who are experiencing a dislocation between what they are learning and what they have always believed to be true and given, constructed and projected onto whoever or whatever it is that has prodded them towards insight. I think this occurs when people are making realizations or seeing things in a new way faster than they are really ready to deal with. I'm sorry for the length of this post, but I think this subject might be worth exploring, if not on the list, then perhaps Daphne Patai might be interested in looking into this perspective as she works on her book. I would be interested to hear the reactions of other list members to this idea, if it seems appropriate for the list. Suzanne Franks sfranks@galois.fccc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 14:33:23 EST Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Gina Oboler, Anthropology & Sociology, Ursinus College" Subject: Re: heterophobia Daphne -- I'm a heterosexual woman (married to the same man for 28 years). Some of my best friends are lesbians, and I've been around feminism and lesbian circles most of the past several decades, and oddly I feel that I have yet to experience this heterophobia. Perhaps it's not so much prejudice against some particular sexual preference that's the problem, but the way some heterosexual women virtually kow-tow to the men in their lives -- even many who think of themselves as feminists! *That* phenomenon I have witnessed repeatedly -- often in subtle, but still identifiable, forms. I'm not maintaining that lesbians are less capable of being prejudiced than anyone else, but really, I have not felt it. I hope that you'll include the experiences of people like me in your book, and I'd be glad to be interviewed. Do we really need all this divisiveness? -- Gina (roboler@acad.ursinus.edu) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 11:57:00 PDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: "Roth, Benita (G) SOCIO" Subject: heterophobia I wish to address the methodological issues at stake in a book that would wish to look at the second wave women's movement. I have researching a dissertation on the emergence of African American, Chicana and White feminism in the 1960s and 1970s, and have spent a considerable amount of time with archival material, movement ephemera -- position papers, flyers, pamphlets etc. I think it is crucial to state that there was a strand of "heterophobia" -- altho i'm uncomfortable with the term, since it seems to be taken to mean "fear of men" -- in the WHITE women's movement; it is noticeably absent from the feminism of women of color. That strand was a small, limited one, both in scope and in time and in place. I would suggest that heterophobia was, to the extent it existed, limited to certain small circles of feminists; it may have made a limited appearance in later "cultural" feminism -- See Echols work _Daring to Be Bad_. I do not know whether or not this strand is worthy of a book. I do know that from a methodological standpoint, I would remain thoroughly unconvinced by any such book that was not researched in a comprehensive fashion (i.e use of both archival and interview material, taking into account ethnic and regional variation) and careful to contextualize the strand within the broader canvas of feminist practice/theory/ideology. benita roth broth@soc.sscnet.ucla.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 11:59:52 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: brenda beagan Subject: Re: "heterophobia" In-Reply-To: <26051612000248@ps.polisci.wisc.edu> like a few others, i too detect a strand of defensiveness in this discussion. also like others, i too think the term "heterophobia" is not appropriate. It draws a parallel to homophobia that is invalid, since the latter is structural and institutionalized on a much wider scale. yet, i also think there is some validity to this question. and i don't think it hurts for feminists to be self reflexive, to interrogate our own movement and the power dynamics that can occur within the movement. To think we can never slide off into ways of thinking/being/acting that are derived from the hierarchical world around us is foolish. and i do believe there is some of the intolerance toward heterosexual feminists that Daphne Patai refers to. In fact i know there is. I have been one of the intolerant, as have many of my lesbian feminist friends. And amber Ault has done an intersting examination of lesbian feminist intolerance for bisexual women in Critical Sociology 1994.(Some intolerance [that's not quite the right word] i happen to think is understandable, since sometimes it can be a way of holding each other accountable for our actions toward other women/feminists.) I don't know how widespread a phenomenon this "heterophobia" is, but i do think it is worth interrogating. at the same time, i also fear the use of this information against feminism/the women's movement. In the same way that i fear the investigation of violence within lesbian and gay relationships even though i also know it is necessary. Because it can be used as a weapon against us. I have had friends study lesbian battering, and have known them and trusted in their commitment to feminism, which lessened my fears. I don't know Daphne Patai's work, so i don't know where she is coming from. I hope it is a place of commitment to the women's movement, that includes a willingness to interrogate her own movement. i guess i am willing to wait and see. brenda beagan@unixg.ubc.ca ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 12:30:01 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Schweitzer Subject: Re: book on "heterophobia" in feminism # I found this posting a bit troubling. If it were phrased as "tension between lesbian and heterosexual women within feminism", or "tension between men in academe and lesbian scholars", perhaps I might not be so worried. But the clever term "heterophobia" looks destined to live on as a media favorite, just one more stereotype to add to the public image of bitter manhaters. I think I would like to see it as a scholarly article, printed in a journal such as "Signs" where it could be open to scholarly criticism, before I would want to see it a full-size book available for talk show hosts and book signings at Borders. If you do NOT want your work to be used against feminists and women studies departments, Daphne, you need to seriously consider the way you go about researching and presenting this topic. My sense (from experience, not study) is that it is not so much a problem of systemic "manhating" within women's studies departments, but a larger problem of careless expressions of intolerance for other people's experiences -- which is a problem not confined to women's studies departments! It springs from the (American?) habit of wanting to make MY experience the only IMPORTANT experience, and as such, I think, the more serious effect is the distance between many women's studies departments and female scholars of color, and the naivete among some women's studies people about issues of class. Also in my experience, callow young men (or women) often do not wish to THINK about the issues raised in courses about feminist philosophy or sexuality and society, and the culture of the radio talkshow host has taught them to quickly scream "manhater!" Worse in schools with diversity requirements I fear. I have had to deal with more than one young man (and woman) who walked into my classroom convinced that I must "hate" men and housewives. Except for the ones who left after the introductory lecture, believe me, they did not LEAVE my classroom at the end of the semester with the same impression. But that experience does lead me to believe that a lot of the "manhater" stuff stems from deliberately taking things out of context, or adding a context that comes from outside the classroom. Focusing on "heterophobia" would play right into these prejudices. I will grant that I have seen what I consider errors of judgment (such as the infamous posting of random names of young men on campus as "potential rapists") -- but the media already blows these things up out of proportion, neglecting to write about the many successful strategies that have been used by women's organizations on campuses to deal with this issue. I see a book on "heterophibia" in women's studies as a perfect setup for the game of "equal time" to "different opinions". I can just see the op-ed page. On one side, a Lesbian scholar writing about a serious issue such as same-sex marriage or adoption or child custody, where discrimination against Lesbians and homosexuals is long-standing and cruel. Next to it, of equal length, would be "heterophobia" argument to "balance" the "pro-Lesbian" argument. Same thing with the morning talk show appearance. If indeed there WAS a pattern of prejudice against heterosexuality within the literature/education on gender and sexuality, it in no way implies that heterosexuals have been "discriminated against" by society as Lesbians and gay men have. The term "heterophobia" is a set-up for just such an argument to be made -- trivializing the very real effects of prejudices against sexuality, at the same time providing a ready-made argument for "what THEY do when you give THEM the chance." An educated person should not walk into such a trap. So I guess I would ONLY be comfortable with the issue you are raising if it were discussed in the context of an overall problem within academe (and U.S.culture) of coming to terms with experiences different from one's own. It would be merely one subset of a much larger problem. And I would be very alarmed by any theme that sounded like it was "balancing" the one prejudice against the other. The way you are presenting it now, whatever tension exists (and in my experience, the tension that perhaps existed a decade ago has declined considerably) is too easily turned into a straw man argument with which to beat up on ALL women's studies scholarship and courses, and ALL material connected with issues of sexuality and feminism, or sexuality alone. And that would be a grievously inaccurate portrait of women's studies -- or gender/sexuality studies -- today. Mary Schweitzer, Assoc. Prof., Dept. of History (and women's studies), Villanova University (on leave) From: DAPHNE PATAI Subject: heterophobia I am working on a book about the feminist turn against men. It seems to me that somewhere along the line the criticism of patriarchal institutions derailed into a real, visceral, and in my view counterproductive antagonism toward men and a consequent intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them. I call this phenomenon "Heterophobia"--the fear of difference, of the "other"--and I have regretfully concluded that this is no media invention inspired by "backlash," but a persistent strain within North American feminism (and women's studies programs). Homophobia may be the problem in the world at large; but within feminism the problem is heterophobia. I am interested in exploring why hetero feminists seem to have acquiesced in this stigmatizing of their sexual desires and intimate relationships -- -- and I would like to contact heterosexual women to discuss the tensions they may have experienced between being heterosexual and being feminists. I'd also like to contact lesbian feminists who see men as significant figures in their lives (whether as friends, relatives, or sometime lovers), to talk about their views of the heterophobia that has developed within feminism over the past few decades. If you're interested in discussing this subject (by correspondence or eventually by phone), please contact me by e-mail, below, or snail mail (Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Massachusetts, Herter Hall 416, Amherst, MA. 01003). Any time over the summer is fine. Thanks. Daphne Patai -- ====================== Daphne.Patai@spanport.umass.edu From: DAPHNE PATAI Subject: heterophobia I am working on a book about the feminist turn against men. It seems to me that somewhere along the line the criticism of patriarchal institutions derailed into a real, visceral, and in my view counterproductive antagonism toward men and a consequent intolerance toward women who insist on associating with them. I call this phenomenon "Heterophobia"--the fear of difference, of the "other"--and I have regretfully concluded that this is no media invention inspired by "backlash," but a persistent strain within North American feminism (and women's studies programs). Homophobia may be the problem in the world at large; but within feminism the problem is heterophobia. I am interested in exploring why hetero feminists seem to have acquiesced in this stigmatizing of their sexual desires and intimate relationships -- -- and I would like to contact heterosexual women to discuss the tensions they may have experienced between being heterosexual and being feminists. I'd also like to contact lesbian feminists who see men as significant figures in their lives (whether as friends, relatives, or sometime lovers), to talk about their views of the heterophobia that has developed within feminism over the past few decades. If you're interested in discussing this subject (by correspondence or eventually by phone), please contact me by e-mail, below, or snail mail (Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Massachusetts, Herter Hall 416, Amherst, MA. 01003). Any time over the summer is fine. Thanks. Daphne Patai -- ====================== Daphne.Patai@spanport.umass.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 14:56:54 EDT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Jo Ellen Green Kaiser Subject: Re: heterophobia In-Reply-To: <9605161829.AA29837@galois.fccc.edu> WARNING: LONG POST (sorry!) I wanted to agree in large part with Suzanne Franks, who suggested that heterophobia might come from a sense of dislocation in young women who are trying to understand feminism for the first time. I have already replied at length to Daphne Patai; briefly, when I was a student in the early eighties I did, personally, feel that the women who were involved in women's studies at the university I attended were separatist and looked down upon women who had much to do with men. This experience continued to some extent for me in graduate school. Notably, both these institutions were elite insititutions, where significant gender equality had been achieved. I thus was under no personal pressure to seek out redress for gender inequality I myself had experienced, and could not understand the motives of what seemed my equally fortunate peers. As I left the position of student and became empowered within the institution to choose my own intellectual positions, I realized that I had only been seeing one aspect of feminism and feminist theory. In my current institution, which is not particularly elite, and has far to go in terms of institutional gender equity, I have not found my colleagues to be "heterophobic" in the least; we are too concerned with the basics-- with attaining gender equity across the disciplines, with installing a good sexual harrassment policy for our students, etc-- to fight among ourselves. In fact, I agree with other posters that "heterophobia" is a misleading term. As a student suspicious of feminism, I did not think the women's studies folk were afraid of difference or the "other." On the contrary, I felt that women's studies was too quick to embrace the position of "other," to essentialize difference as good in and of itself. I worried that as each group (women, gay, black, etc) claimed its own territory, we would continue to marginalize ourselves. In short, I was a good habermasian liberal, without even knowing it. Today, I understand 1) that feminism can take that liberal position [vis, Benhabib] and 2) that there are radical or at least post- structuralist positions which are not separatist [vis Butler's]. I now see how and when we might want to claim a place at the table precisely by demonstrating how often we--as women, as lesbians, as others-- are already constitued as outsiders, how we can acknowledge what we have acheived and where we are and yet the gap between this and what we still need to gain. This nuanced sense of difference was unavailable to me, however, as a student, or, to be more accurate, I did not know enough to look for it. I think the phenomenon Patai terms "heterophobia," and that I think more accurately could be termed separatism, as earlier posters have suggested, is important for us to study insofar as it is the perception others have of women's studies and of feminism. I would like to know why my students' first definition of "feminism" is "man-hating," and I would like to read accounts that ring true to my own experiences as a student. However, my experience suggests that this phenomenon does not accurately portray what is going on in the ws programs to which most of us probably belong today, nor in the feminist theory to which many of us may subscribe. Jo Ellen Green Kaiser jgkais00@ukcc.uky.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 16:25:44 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: the Cheshire Cat Subject: Re: heterophobia (Another long post) In-Reply-To: <960516.153438.EDT.JGKAIS00@ukcc.uky.edu> I, too, have already posted a lengthy reply back to Ms. Patai on this subject, but I agree that this "phenomena" is actually not one which is special to feminism. I think it is prevalent in academic women's studies departments, but only in sofar (as others have pointed out) as it is part of a larger phenomenon in academia, and not specifically women's studies. However, I think that it is actually part of what I find to be a troubling trend in the humanities and social sciences which stems from a postmodernist/relativist emphasis. What I see happening is a strong turn against 1. Traditional liberal values (liberal feminism in WMST depts -i.e somewhat of a sense of oh, universal equality, been there done that, let's do difference now, but many things go in fads) in white middle class departments. I notice that I hear much less about the value of postmodernism in classes where at least half the students aren't white, and there is much more emphasis in those groups on legal reform and equal access, and much less on "difference." (Although I grant that this could be coincidence, since I certainly have a rather small sampling to generalize from). 2.truth: I find it ironic that in classes I have taken, any mention of the word truth is treated with revulsion, and the immediate response is one about how I have to be open to multiple realities and alternative methodologies (meaning ones that do not use strigent evidence-gathering techniques). The interesting thing about this seems to be that all these multiple realities, rather than strengthening feminism, undermine it. If everyone is right, and any evidence will do, then what do we have against the patriarchy saying that they, too are right, that they're just indulging themselves in their own reality? This move seems to come from white middle class students (and faculty! ) not wanting to have to give up cherished beliefs when faced with women of color or ethnicity or working class, etc, saying that the theories (e.g. in feminism) that these white women are coming up with don't describe their lives. Instaed of feeling that it is perhaps necessary to examine why there is such a disparity between their experiences, and perhaps admitting a role in the oppression of these women, they can take refuge in "Well, that's YOUR reality. Mine is different." But this is certainly not a problem specific to women's studies: indeed this really rather deeply inflexible relativism is one that I have encountered all over the place: it simply takes a specific form in women's studies (and not one that is "man-hating" either, that is one thing I've *never* encountered in any department or organization I've ever belonged to: yes, sure I've heard the occasional "men are responsible for x evil in the world" but hey, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that everyone ISN'T out to get you, if you take my meaning). Moreover it isn't by any means something encountered in feminism in general (outside academia). I also take issue with the idea that Liora Moriel's post was somehow "an example" of the "phenomena" which Ms. Patai is describing. Even if there were such a problem, and it was somehow specific to feminism, that ceertainly wouldn't be an example of it. I didn't find her post particularly ad hominem (or, as it were, ad feminem) and even if it were, it certainly showed no evidence of "man-hating." I can any in case vouch for her personally : SHe's never said boo to my partner: He likes her. Perhaps it would be useful to listen to what she has to say: It certainly is a dangerous move to discount criticism simply because you don't like the presentation. In fact, presentation can often be wrapped up with cultural cues. I know that when I argue (and as a philosopher, I do a lot of that) I can come on very strong: I'm Jewish and the child of an immigrant family (not my parents, but theirs) and loud and yelling and fierce is the way everything gets presented at home. I would think it would be odd to hear one feminist criticise another for being a strong woman with firm views, confidence in her point of view, and determination to put it across. Alana Suskin ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 21:04:50 GMT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: helen raisz Subject: Re: heterophobia Will the queer theorists among us please "chime in"? I think that this thread is missing an important distinction between "heterosexual" women who prefer only the society of women-identified women,probably for cultural or political reasons, and Lesbian women who prefer the company of other women because of their sexual orientation. Also, are we missing the distinction between patriarchy as an institution and the category of "men"? >While I agree that the term may be too strong to describe what is >happening, I HAVE been snubbed by some feminist women because I am sexually >and socially interested in men. I have no idea how those same women might >interact with men, although I am quite sure they seek to avoid interactions >with men as much as possible. > >I believe there is certainly an issue worthy of discussion, but it seems >that the situation needs careful definition and delineation because of >problems brought up in several of the posts, i.e., the eagerness of >defenders of patriarchy to use the actions and beliefs of a few to paint >other feminists with the same brush, the very large difference between the >effect that the prejudiced actions of the "heterophobic" has on >heterosexual women and all men as contrasted with homophobics' potentially >deadly actions toward gay and lesbian people. > >Perhaps we should start by finding another term, perhaps something that >emphasizes the isolationist aspect of these women who prefer only the >society of women-centered women. > >Aurore Bleck >ableck@nas.edu > ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 21:30:39 GMT Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: helen raisz Subject: Re: heterophobia Gina, Must differences of opinion necessarily be divisive? I hope that Daphne will take advantage of the fact that there are 4127 women from 42 countries on this list and that our diversity should be celebrated rather than denigrated. Where would she place the experience of nuns? They prefer the company of women, or are forced by the patriarchy to be separatist, but in many ways they glorify heterosexual relations intended to procreate. > >I'm a heterosexual woman (married to the same man for 28 years). Some of >my best friends are lesbians, and I've been around feminism and lesbian >circles most of the past several decades, and oddly I feel that I have yet >to experience this heterophobia. Perhaps it's not so much prejudice against >some particular sexual preference that's the problem, but the way some >heterosexual women virtually kow-tow to the men in their lives -- even many >who think of themselves as feminists! *That* phenomenon I have witnessed >repeatedly -- often in subtle, but still identifiable, forms. I'm not >maintaining that lesbians are less capable of being prejudiced than anyone >else, but really, I have not felt it. > >I hope that you'll include the experiences of people like me in your book, >and I'd be glad to be interviewed. > >Do we really need all this divisiveness? > > -- Gina (roboler@acad.ursinus.edu) > ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 14:54:59 -0700 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kathy Miriam Subject: Re: heterophobia In-Reply-To: <199605162130.VAA09087@sjc.edu> I don't know where to begin in my response to this discussion. ALthough I agree heartily with some of the main responses to Daphne's request--viz. the new-speakish, trendy and clinical term "heterophobia," the obfuscation of social reality (endemic misogyny as substantiated in endless feminist research on violence and so forth) and the reversal of the case that it is often straight women (men) who fear lesbian feminists (feminists of all stripes) out of the fear of questioning their own experience, there is one major piece of discussion left out, namely the issue of opposition to men as a class (not "hating" but political opposition, which entails naming men as agents of patriarchal institutions, as central to feminist analysis. I am concerned with the lack of hesitancy with which feminists on the list have protested that they have male friends and that they know of few feminists who have no male friends. Whether this is the case or not, i think we need to look at our motives for making this claim, for making this a focus of our response to Daphne (Sommmers, Roiphe, Paglia etc). ONe of the first posters was on target when she addressed teh issue of feminist anger, how expression of this anger remains crucial, and how, I would add, feminist anger remains a quasi-taboo even in feminist contexts, especially in academic feminist contexts perhaps. And it is taboo, or almost taboo, because this anger clarifies that a dimension (not totality) of feminism defined as a historical struggle for women's freedom viz a viz male domination, is about a conflict of interests (sometimes virulent) between women and men. Now, the question of how heterosexuality, considered as an institution comes into this...but enough for now: Kathy Miriam kmiriam@cats.ucsc.edu ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 21:49:08 -0400 Reply-To: Women's Studies List Sender: Women's Studies List From: Kenia M Fernandez Subject: Feminism and queer/bisexual politics Comments: cc: DAPHNE PATAI