Readings by Straight, White Feminists

A student's request for works by straight, white feminists gave rise
to the following discussion on WMST-L in May 2002.  The discussants
provide suggested titles but also consider the legitimacy of the
request itself.  For additional WMST-L files now available on the
Web, see the WMST-L File Collection.

I've had an interesting question posed to me.  A new Women's Studies
minor is looking for contemporary readings by white, straight,
feminists.  What she had read to date all seem to be apologizing for
race and sexuality issues that have risen in the past.  She is having
trouble identifying with what she had read to date because the emphasis
appears to be on women of color and lesbian identity.

Any suggestions for her to develop her identity as a straight, white
feminist?  She grew up in Milwaukee, WI, went to a private high school
but with a fair amount of interaction with people of color.

Cynthia H. Welch, Program Assistant
Women's Studies, Brewer 55, UW-Eau Claire
welchch  @  uwec.edu

"In time lacking in truth and certainty and filled with anguish and
despair, no women should be shamefaced in attempting to give back to the
world, through her work, a portion of its lost heart" -- Louise Bogan

Cynthia~ What an interesting question. I'm not sure if I should feel
perplexed or not. So, I'll kindly respond with some suggestions:

_Letters to a Young Feminist_
_ManifestA_
_Listen Up_
_Turbo Chicks_
_Body Outlaws_
_Yentl's Revenge_
_Feminism is for Everybody_ {bell hooks, but she might find this more
"palatable" than _Feminist Theory_}
_Breeder_

Suggest she look for some copies of the following zines/journal:
Bust
Bitch
Hypatia {issue dedicated to 3rd Wave feminism}

Frankly, I'm bothered by her question or need to seek white, straight
authors. Feminism is not just about "Me" but rather the community. IMHO.
Sheesh. No angst or bad energy sent your way or the List.....just my 2cents.

Best~
Janni (jan/eye)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Janni Aragon
Department of Political Science
University of California Riverside
www.janniaragon.com
jaragon  @  cox.net

"I often think that being a feminist minority scholar is what one is
reincarnated into for
being a male chauvinist in a previous life." Shirley Lim, _Among the White
Moon Faces_

Hi Cynthia,

I do find your student's quandary interesting. While I find her inability to
bridge differences politically problematic, I hope that if she can find the
point of entry she's seeking, her position may change.

I apologize if this sounds self-serving, but I do have an essay titled
"Betty Freidan's Granddaughters: Cosmo, Ginger Spice, and the Inheritance of
Whiteness" in the anthology _Turbo Chicks: Talking Young Feminisms_ edited
by Allyson Mitchell, Lisa Bryn Rundle and Lara Karaian (pub. 2001, $20). It
looks at those who might be conceived of as the symbolic granddaughters of
the white middle-class straight women who Friedan's _The Feminine Mystique_
resonated with so strongly (though not exclusively), and the ways in which
feminism has permeated this culture, with a particular emphasis on
contemporary analyses of whiteness.

This is not by any means the focus of the anthology: it contains essays by
writers of diverse subject positions on a number of topics.  It has been
well-reviewed by a number of feminist magazines and journals, and has
already been added to WS courses. While I'm abashed about promoting myself,
I'm all for promoting Turbo Chicks!

http://www.sumachpress.com/Turbo.htm

All the best,
Jennifer Harris
jharris  @  yorku.ca

You could try my memoir SLEEPING WITH CATS on her.  There is some lesbian
activity but mostly heterosexual.  You could also try various of the
novels. Joyce Carol Oates has a couple of novels about growing up white and
working class.  Pagan Kennedy is pretty good too.  What about Barbara
Kingsolver?

----- Original Message -----

> Cynthia~ What an interesting question. I'm not sure if I should feel
> perplexed or not. So, I'll kindly respond with some suggestions:
<snip>

> Frankly, I'm bothered by her question or need to seek white, straight
> authors. Feminism is not just about "Me" but rather the community. IMHO.
> Sheesh. No angst or bad energy sent your way or the List.....just my
2cents.
>
> Best~
> Janni (jan/eye)


Yes, but she's only saying the same thing that women of color and lesbians
had to say about the straight, white women's feminism of the early 2nd wave.
Regardless of how much this is about community, the "way in" is through
having your own experience represented.  If the lion's share of what this
student has read, so far, has been reflecting non-white and non-straight
identity, then she's smart to seek texts that speak more directly to her
lived experience. How else can she be expected to see what feminism has to
offer her?

Nobody wants to join a community that ignores their needs/perspectives,
right?  When a sexually or racially Othered woman says she can't relate to
texts that marginalize her, we applaud and say "right on." But when a
straight white student says the exact same thing, suddenly we feel
"bothered"?!  How is that logical?

Doesn't everybody need to *feel included* before committing to any
community?

Ilana Nash
inash  @  bgnet.bgsu.edu

Well, Ilana. Here is the thing. I saw my students eat up _ManifestA_, which
they thoroughly enjoyed. What I don't like is when some of them suddenly
cast bell hooks or other authors as not "speaking to them." I disagree. I
think with a close reading we should be able to make connections. This isn't
specific to the first post, but rather what I saw with my own students.

The original post was about a WS minor, so she has readings and coursework
done. I just hope that the students who take WS as electives get more and
travel outside their zone or "home."

I get troubled with what I sometimes see as "me" feminism and not a more
global view outside of one's comfort zone. I understand that some texts
might speak more to certain communities.  When folks ONLY want to read texts
that do not challenge them or keep them from reflecting on their own place
in the world or complicity with various forms of oppression.

I stand by my original statement. When students approach me for more books
by Latinas/Chicanas, I always suggest some and other authors. While I
understand that I might be their first Latina Professor {most note that I
am}---I make sure that they widen their scope.
Best~
Janni

> Doesn't everybody need to *feel included* before committing to any
> community?

Women = a community, no?

On 05/13/02 03:00 pm, "Ilana Nash" <inash  @  BGNET.BGSU.EDU> wrote:
> Nobody wants to join a community that ignores their needs/perspectives,
> right?  When a sexually or racially Othered woman says she can't relate to
> texts that marginalize her, we applaud and say "right on." But when a
> straight white student says the exact same thing, suddenly we feel
> "bothered"?!  How is that logical?

What bothers me is not that straight white student need authors who
share her sexuality and race, but her supposed difficulty in finding
them. It reminds me of all those men who ask, "where's men's studies
department"?


Emi Koyama <emi  @  eminism.org>

--
http://eminism.org/ * Putting the Emi back in Feminism since 1975.

I've had the complaint from my students, too, that they're tired of reading
about lesbians or African Americans.  I can usually point to the readings
and show them that the majority of the readings have been by heterosexual,
white women.  The absence of anything other than heterosexual, white
authors in the curriculum as a whole makes two or three articles by
lesbians (or other minorities) seem overwhelming to them.  These objections
can also be opportunities to discuss what it must be like to be a minority.

Arnie

--
Arnie Kahn   Day 540-568-3963   Night 540-434-0225   Fax 540-568-3322
kahnas  @  jmu.edu
Dept. of Psych.-MSC 7401, James Madison U., Harrisonburg, VA 22807

 wow, it didnt say she was having trouble "finding" them... rather she
was looking for good suggestions.  ummmm that's a huge difference.
terry soy_leche  @  yahoo.com 

emi <emi  @  SURVIVORPROJECT.ORG> wrote: What
bothers me is not that straight white student need authors who share
her sexuality and race, but her supposed difficulty in finding
them. It reminds me of all those men who ask, "where's men's studies
department"?

I don't think this young woman's request was odd.  It did not say she
ONLY wants to read comfortable white straighty authors, but in fact
the email said almost ALL her readings have been been of the mind
broadening type.  It sounds to me that she is struggling to relate to
feminism.  Who knows, perhaps many of her contemporaries say they
aren't feminists.  Perhaps she is attempting to identify with feminism
and how it relates to her own life... and is seeking appropriate
readings to help her along.  Most college undergrads were born after
what 1982?  I imagine that an 18 or 19 year old trying to come to term
with what feminism means to them is not necesarily an easy task.  Good
for her.  heck, what exactly does feminisim mean for a teenager in
America, 2002?  even most of the classical white straight readings
will seem like distant historical accounts rather than something she
will relate to personally...  i did though like the part of the email
that said, "she went to a private high school but did have a good bit
of interaction with people of color."  that made me laugh... i'm not
sure exactly what that has to do with the price of tea in....

terry soy_leche  @  hotmail.com

  Janni Aragon <jaragon  @  COX.NET> wrote:
I get troubled with what I sometimes see as "me" feminism and not a more
global view outside of one's comfort zone. I understand that some texts
might speak more to certain communities. When folks ONLY want to read texts
that do not challenge them or keep them from reflecting on their own place
in the world or complicity with various forms of oppression

Yes, it is a huge difference. And Emi's post also made it sound as though an
undergrad is supposed to "know" what's out there.  Hell, I *still ask people
to recommend books to me.  For undergrads, especially, knowledge of "what's
out there" and "what is worthy of reading" is obtained solely by asking
teachers. Telling them is our job.

Ilana Nash
inash  @  bgnet.bgsu.edu


----- Original Message -----

> wow, it didnt say she was having trouble "finding" them... rather she was
looking for good suggestions.  ummmm that's a huge difference.
> terry soy_leche  @  yahoo.com

>   emi <emi  @  SURVIVORPROJECT.ORG> wrote: What bothers me is not that
straight white student need authors who
> share her sexuality and race, but her supposed difficulty in finding
> them. It reminds me of all those men who ask, "where's men's studies
> department"?
>
>
> Emi Koyama

I think it's interesting that students recognize that they want to read more
about people like themselves being feminists.  I keep reading that young
women perceive as feminism as being hard, being man-hating, being no longer
necessary -- but still, fair numbers of them are finding that's what they
are, and they want to know how other young ( sometimes straight, sometimes
white, or both) women create a feminist role for themselves.

Those of us growing older are reading books about feminists growing older,
those of us who find mother-daughter relationships still problematic after
all these years are reading about what other women are discovering about
those relationships.  I can see that young women want to see how feminism
might work for people like them as well as people unlike them.

A number of years ago, I went to a Highland Games festival and watched Irish
step dancers and looked at Scots crafts.  I realized that I'd been to many
programs representing diversity of various sorts and had more knowledge
about some groups I'm not part of than those (like Scots-Irish) that I am.
I'm so accustomed to being called Anglo that it took many years to realize
that no one calls white people, even ones with Polish names, Slavic or Slav
(at least in Colorado).  I'm that too, and I want to know more about it.

Perhaps we wouldn't want to center a class on straight white feminism, but
it might be an area where we might want to consider sometimes being more
inclusive.  Past students have wanted to look at a role for Catholic
feminists, or married feminists, or even knitting and spinning feminists.
It's amazing how many categories consider themselves not quite welcome in
feminism.  In addition,   many students are considering what it's like to be
a woman rather than a girl.  All kinds of  roles are new to them.  I think
it's important for every person to be able to see a role for herself (or
himself) in feminism.  We need to be ready to help everyone them for their
mother's garden, their friend's mother's garden, and the heritage and
present of people we don't know much about as well.

Speaking of men, when I asked one class if women should consider changing
their speech patterns, as Marge Piercy mentions doing after first hearing
herself on the radio (Sleeping with Cats), the man in class said that he
thought men should consider changing their speech patterns to ones that are
less aggressive.  I was so busy thinking from my own point of view....

All the best,
Marilyn Grotzky
mgrotzky  @  carbon.cudenver.edu
Auraria Library
Denver, Colorado

In addition to my essay, "Fuck You and Your Untouchable Face: Third Wave
Feminism and the Problem of Romance," several essays in _Jane Sexes It Up_
address Gen X feminism as it intersects with various manifestations of
heterosexuality, plus it includes a pretty lengthy bibliography at the end.

Also, there's a good anthology called simply _Feminism & Heterosexuality_
(don't remember editor's name).

As I researched _Jane Sexes It Up_, I discovered few full-length works that
addressed white heterosexual feminism without either rejecting heterosexuality
or rejecting feminism. I can understand where the student's question is coming
from, even if she didn't know how to state it carefully enough to avoid
sounding biased or egocentric.

Lisa Johnson
(soon to be at) Lenoir-Rhyne College
Hickory, NC
lj30108  @  mindspring.com

>Lisa Johnson wrote;
>
> >Also, there's a good anthology called simply _Feminism & Heterosexuality_
>(don't remember editor's name).


You can find this work, plus many more feminist discussions of
heterosexuality, in this section of my online bibliography;
http://online.anu.edu.au/~a112465/mensbiblio/hetero.html#Heading1

Best wishes,

michael flood.

The book could be the Feminism and Psychology book, edited by Celia
Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson, called "Heterosexuality, a Reader."

>>Lisa Johnson wrote;
>>
>> >Also, there's a good anthology called simply _Feminism & Heterosexuality_
>>(don't remember editor's name).

Carole Moschetti
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<c.moschetti  @  politics.unimelb.edu.au>