Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id LAA13339; Thu, 22 Jun 2000 11:25:11 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 11:25:11 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <39523117.2FF20D91@webster.edu> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Jeri Levesque <levesqjr@webster.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:817] RE: Feminism X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.61 (Macintosh; I; PPC) Status: O Content-Length: 9144 Lines: 178 Greetings: This is a most interesting discussion and generated my first post to the list. I am Associate Professor at Webster University, where I try to teach teachers to teach ...reading. I also serve as Program Evaluator and PI for many projects at Missouri's state literacy resource center, LIFT-Missouri. In that capacity I serve as PI for our statewide family literacy initiative (Even Start, US Dept. of Ed). I recently attended the Canadian Public Health Association's excellent conference on Literacy and Health. One evening, while settled into a viewing of Patch Adams, the presenters in the next room came over to ask for help with their VCR. I volunteered (Mom's of teens can plunder through minor VCR jams) - and found myself viewing a video on domestic violence. My first response was to be very uncomfortable with the entire notion as I tried to fit content into the literacy paradigms. Simply put, the session lead to a real epiphany about the role of domestic violence and feminism in family and adult literacy programs. They have profound effects on women's motivation to join and complete adult learning programs. The session clarified the issues of trust, respect, understanding, and vision about domestic violence and women's literacy. I visited two family literacy sites after the conference. Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek) writes eloquently about learning to see what is right in front of you. We have to let loose of our expectations of what we expect to see in order to actually see what was there all along. At the same time, we must know what we are looking for. Paradox? For literacy researchers like myself - such is often true about "new" literacies such as those addressed by this listserv. Jeri Levesque, Ed.D. Associate Professor, Webster University Program Evaluator, LIFT-Missouri Deborah Schwartz wrote: > Hi everyone (this is another long-one_ > > So then does it make sense to identify from which position we are exploring > and "reading" our feminism from? i.e., I am a middle-class Ashkanazi (of > European) Jewish Lesbian U.S. Feminist (and the identity list goes on as > well changes), but still I make sense of my world and the constructs within > my worlds from that location in it. To me, its crucial to know that the > players in the conversation know from where they are coming from in order to > build the trust that is needed. For instance, when I teach all women, like I > did for a few years, here in Boston, I could not pretend to be able to write > their learning agendas for them. They're life experiences are not only > different from mine, for instance, but were often different from one > anothers'. I could facilitate the creation of an environment where they > could be themselves and identify what they want and need to learn. I found I > could ask a lot of questions and offer a lot of input on that process, if I > was willing to also take risks and share who I am with them. It seems to me > that the work I've read and heard about that is really useful to me is > grounded in how to create safe and relaxed and loving learning environments > for women so that they can create the kinds of environment they want to > create and need support (resource-sharing, funding. listening to and > bouncing back ideas, etc) to learn how to read and make meanings of their > worlds in their own voices and discourse. I'm just now reading Jenny > Norseman's work and was so happy to be at a workshop here at the ALRI with > Janet Isserlis and Elizabeth Moorish where issues of violence in education > were discussed. I wonder for all of us who are posting on this list: > students, teachers, staff/curriculum developers, literacy thinkers and > doers, I wonder how feminist literacy structures and programs might look- > what might we get out of them that we don't get out of more traditional > programming? Would our goals be the same? I know for me, the Cambridge > Women's Center Women's School, for all of its problems and there were many, > was one of the first places I learned how to teach and how to be a student. > I think too the community of literacy learners that we created at the > Archdale Housing Development in Roslindale MA (at the Archdale Family > Literacy Project) was a place where feminism was practiced. Would my > students agree? I don't know, but I'm going to ask a few of the "alums" this > weekend. And what also does it mean, that while the women in this program > went on to graduate, work, organize and also some just left, that despite a > certain amount of success, we couldn't sustain the program? > > Thanks for eveyone's posts. They have really sparked some questions for me, > > Deborah Schwartz > the Adult Literacy Resource Institue, Boston > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Andres Muro <andresm@epcc.edu> > To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> > Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 5:06 PM > Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:804] RE: Feminism > > > I wanted to bring a "different" position of feminism. I think that > depending on our situation we tend to judge positions and validate them > differently. This is important in terms of literacy and the creation of > spaces for exploring difference. Participants have presented different views > on feminism. In other words, the way we read the word "feminism" is > different for different people. How we read is tied to of hegemony, which > Rockhill is trying to subvert. Once we understand that reading and literacy > is an ideological process, we can conceive that texts have different > interpretations. Being literate to me is exploring those possible > interpretations, validate the ones that bring about justice and question the > ones that bring about injustice. > > > > Andres > > > > >>> ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu 06/20/00 01:23PM >>> > > Andres, > > I think that all relationships can or cannot be places where dominant > culture rule-it all depends on the individuals involved. There are > heterosexual relationship that are equal and feminist in nature, and there > are lesbian relationships that are unequal, violent, and reflective of > dominant culture. > > How would you relate all of this back to literacy, specifically to the > topic of adult female learner leadership? > > Daphne > > > > >>> andresm@epcc.edu 06/20 1:34 PM >>> > > Rockhill argues that consciousness and identity are culturally and > ideologically formed by the dominant culture. Rockhill is searching for a > space where experience has not yet been colonized by ideology and therefore > she can find safety from dominant cultural norms. She argues that one such > space may be lesbianism ,where the possibility of resistance may rest. > Lesbianism is a space where heterosexism can be challenge. Heterosexual > women can also challenge heterosexism. However, for women who have invested > in heterosexuality it could be emotionally harder and more threatening to > adopt a position of resistance. > > > > >>> tcarman@literacyvolunteers.org 06/20/00 09:57AM >>> > > In response to Andres' comment, it strikes me as an odd notion to state > that > > if a woman rejects male-female unions because of gender inequality issues, > > then she her only option is to adopt lesbianism even though she is > attracted > > to men. One of the major arguments for gay/lesbian rights is that the > > lifestyle is not a choice. > > Also, if the argument that we live in a society in which ALL its > > institutions foster gender inequality is valid, then even an institution > of > > female-female unions would foster inequality. > > A woman who thinks that a male-female union, for them, would result in an > > intolerable gender inequality situation, and who is not a lesbian, does > have > > another alternative. If the point is to resist gender inequality, why not > > simply argue for the option of living without a partner? The radical view > > Andres recounted just doesn't make any sense to me. > > > > > > What's your favorite reason to read? Visit http://www.2000reasons.org! > > > > Tracy Carman, Communications Specialist > > mailto: tcarman@literacyvolunteers.org > > > > Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. > > 635 James Street, Syracuse, NY 13203 > > Tel: (315) 472-0001 ext. 201 Fax: (315) 472-0002 > > http://www.literacyvolunteers.org > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov > > [mailto:nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Andres Muro > > Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 11:10 AM > > To: Multiple recipients of list > > Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:786] Feminism > > > > > > I guess feminism can emerge and be expressed in both radical and > > conservative ways. I have read a radical view of feminism that argues that > > we live in a society in which all its institutions foster gender > inequality. > > The union of men and women is one of those institutions that fosters > gender > > inequality. Therefore, radical feminists, even though they may be > > attracted to men, must choose lesbianism as a form of resistance to this > > gender inequality. Can anyone comment on this? > > > > Andres > > > > > > > > > > > >
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