Multicultural Feminism

I loved this week's readings by Gloria Anzaldua and bell hooks.  It's hard to choose just one topic to write about because there are so many important ideas in the readings for the week.  hooks' book Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, is so interesting and provocative, and her ideas stretch me and occasionally make me a little uncomfortable because of the implications if she is right--which is a feeling I like.

One really interesting quote from the book is this:

“Women are the group most victimized by sexist oppression.  As with other forms of group oppression, sexism is perpetuated by institutional and social structures; by the individuals who dominate, exploit, or oppress; and by the victims themselves who are socialized to behave in ways that make them act in complicity with the status quo.  Male supremacist ideology encourages women to believe we are valueless and obtain value only by relating to or bonding with men.  We are taught that our relationships with one another diminish rather than enrich our experience.  We are taught that women are ‘natural’ enemies, that solidarity will never exist between us because we cannot, should not, and do not bond with one another.  We have learned these lessons well.  We must unlearn them if we are to build a sustained feminist movement.  We must learn to live and work in solidarity.  We must learn the true meaning and value of Sisterhood.” 


I like how this quote lays out the various levels on which sexism functions: institutionally and interpersonally, and men and women can all be perpetrators of it.  I think it's interesting how she draws upon the cultural idea that women are women's worst enemies, which unfortunately is an idea that has a lot of traction in our society and forms a significant barrier to both sisterhood and political solidarity.  We've all heard the essentialist assertions: women are catty, women are judgmental, women just backstab other women all the time.  I obviously don't believe this based on my own personal experience, but the prevalence of the cultural idea makes me think: If women can't be friends with women, and women can't be friends with men, who am I supposed to be friends with?!


If anyone out there is reading this blog, can you tell me what you think about this idea?  If you are a woman, did you go through a stage in your life (as I did) where you felt you did not know how to form bonds and emotional connections with women?  Where do you think you learned this?  And did you/how did you re-learn the art of forming sisterhoods?  And if you are a man, how do you react to this quote?