Decolonizing Feminist Thought

Of all the reading for this week, I enjoyed the section on Decolonizing Feminist Thought the most because the implications of this section extended beyond feminism (at least in my mind). I found myself considering the "West" and the "East" and allowed myself to react to my own assumptions about them. The result was that I stereotyped the "West" as a technologically advanced, economically superior, culturally and traditionally free space, whereas the "East" was a traditionally trapped, underdeveloped (in terms of overall human treatment), and economically weaker space.

Of course, a second thought had me thinking of the technology of Japan or the economy of China and realizing I don't entirely think in terms of my own stereotypes when applied to certain locations, but the initial thoughts are alarming. They demonstrate a capacity for assumption that may extend beyond "West" and "East", touching other subjects such as "Basic Writer" or students who are not native English speakers.

Two big names mentioned in this section are Mohanty and Narayan. The writings of Mohanty brought me back to our earlier readings where feminism in the US was considered too essentialist and supporting a single narrative (predominantly of the white middle-class woman). Just as African-American feminists in the US were asking for their unique struggles to be recognized as in need of assessment, Mohanty talks about how the "Third World Woman" is being generalized into a single narrative even though the history of particular hallmarks of oppression is more complex. This goes back to the idea of stereotypes; the "First World Feminist" is stereotyping the "Third World Woman" even though the application of those stereotypes does not necessarily pan out.

Narayan goes more into the colonialist stance that the stereotyping of "Third World Women" takes. She points out how the first world understanding of third world traditions is monolithic and poorly supported, demonstrating a lack of adequate insight or research into those traditions. These misconceptions are the building blocks of the first world call for action in the name of "objectified third world women". Narayan suggests that feminist thought ensure that generalizations are historically placed within the complex histories of the worlds they are attempting to generalize.

This train of thought made me consider how the composition teacher should take care not to generalize every student with a monolithic interpretation of "the student". Just as the "third world woman" may not necessarily be an object/victim of the traditions that surround them (perhaps seeing those traditions very differently from the first world feminist), so too should the basic writer not be necessarily objectified/victimized by the traditions of writing assessments or placement. It is important to understand the individual student and how they view their own situation as well. Do they know about their writing process? Do they feel that the system has treated them unjustly? Are they seeking agency within the school system, and do they feel like they do not have agency?

Answering these questions on a student level (and not a monolithic level) allows the school system to adapt to the students it is attempting to improve. Otherwise, it becomes a hit-or-miss system that is too rigid for some students to confront and excel within.