She writes:

Native women have always created objects (especially beadwork, ribbonwork, weaving, pottery, and basketry) that carried messages about their communities and cultures. What we would call the fiber and ceramic arts continue to be media in which many contemporary traditional Native women artists work. This work, both contemporary and historical, forms the basis of most Native art collections in museums and the vast market for Indian art. Artists working in less traditional media, including photography, who also use their art to carry messages about their communities, have received less recognition and far less patronage by art consumers. Since the 1970s, Native women have produced an astounding body of images in painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography. They have confidently moved into the role of photographer, using film as a medium to carry messages to their own cultures.

Jensen goes on to address how Native women "combine a search for personal and public identity" through their artwork:

Their work has formed a critique, a different story, that explicitly and implicitly critiques the "vanishing race" genre of romantic photography so popular at the turn of the century and since the 1970s revival of Edward Curtis and other photographers of American Indians. These photographers portray their cultures not as vanishing, but as part of a lively, assertive group of people confident about the importance of their cultures in the past, their importance to the present, and their influence on the future.

Click here to read the full article.

The installation is a collaborative project by Swoon, a New York artist, famous for placing her wheatpaste cutouts on the streets of New York as well as showing them at MoMA, Brooklyn Museum and Deitch Projects, and Tennessee Jane Watson, a documentarian and social activist.

Most visitors stumble upon the unmarked gallery, where a small framed note on the wall invites them into the raw basement to see the piece. Shabby stairs lead viewers underground and one cannot help but be submerged in the somber mood of the installation. Such a departure from a safe guarded gallery in the rest of Chelsea drastically changes the usual gallery experience. The installation includes sound recordings by Watson, shrine elements and an intricate cut out portrait of Silvia Elena by Swoon.

The only explanation of the piece is in the corner of Honeyspace’s street level. The shrine on the table is made out of flowers, candles lighting the posters of the disappeared women, photographs of the commemorative pink crosses spread along the roads of Juarez and snapshots of the girls among their friends and family before their tragic disappearances.

To date, over 500 women and girls have been confirmed killed in Juarez, and more an 1000 have disappeared. Most of the victims are young, poor, and have been sexually assaulted prior to their deaths. The local police has been extremely ineffective in solving the 10 year old terror.

Earlier this year, during the trip to Juarez, Swoon and Watson met Silvia Elena’s mother Ramona Morales. They recorded Ramona’s recount of Silvia’s disappearance, traveled together to Silvia’s grave and brought back photographs of Silvia.

By inviting us to mourn together with them, Swoon and Watson bring emotion into the cold news stories we read and hear everyday of events taking place in Mexico, a place so far away, yet so close.

Essay 1

Write a 3 page essay on one of the following topics (draw on at least three of the readings).

1. Consider how colonialism has transformed gender relationships in at least two different societies. What were gender relationships like before colonialism? How were such relationships transformed during the colonial era? In your view, what impact did such transformations have on power dynamics between women and men?

2. Cross-cultural debates over the relative status of women in relation to men have been volatile both in the past and in the present. Begin your essay by considering the symbolic importance of gender to the European colonial project. How do more recent cross-cultural debates over gender differ from or parallel earlier debates? In your view, what is the most productive direction for such discussions? (There is obviously no right or wrong answer here. This question is an opportunity for you to explore and develop your own perspective on this topic. Make sure, however, you spend at least part of your answer addressing the readings).
   

Essay 2

Drawing upon the readings for the class, examine ideas of development in the post-colonial period for a specific country or countries. How do people relate to the concept of development and/or specific development projects in their day-to-day lives? For example, depending on the readings you choose, you might consider how people define or use the concept of development and how "development" is either something they desire or resist. Do ideas of development at the "local" level differ from or resemble ideas of development in a national or international context? Depending upon which readings you choose, you may also want to consider how such ideas shift over time.

For this essay, you must utilize the book Once Intrepid Warriors by Dorothy Hodgson as well as two other articles from this section of the class that you feel would be appropriate. Make sure you use lots of specifics in your essays.

Essay 3

Answer two of the following questions (one chosen from each category). Each of your two essays should be 4-5 pages in length. For these final essays, you have a great deal of freedom in shaping how you want to answer the questions. You are responsible for coming up with a thesis or argument largely dependent on your own interests and ideas. If you need help in formulating your thesis, come see me or visit the Writing Center.

1. (a) We've considered how the technocentric focus of many development projects obscures other aspects of people's lives that may be important in understanding why poverty exists. Write an essay that explores some of the factors that may be relevant in perpetuating poverty for certain groups of people (giving some attention to gender dynamics). Such issues may include, but are not limited to, historical processes, class hierarchies within or between countries, access to education, particular family formations, the role of the government, and economic dynamics ranging from the relationships between various countries to the inadequacy of either subsistence or wage labor. Choose two dynamics (or three if you're succinct) that you are interested in exploring further and consider how they may (or may not) be relevant to ongoing poverty in particular places. Draw on specific examples from the readings or films, particularly materials from the latter half of the course.

   (b) Choose one of the following issues for debate explored in the last section of class - the relationship between First and Third Worlds, population dynamics, or environmental issues. Explore its role in relation to issues of poverty. Draw upon readings and films from throughout the course to substantiate your point of view. Make sure your argument works not simply at an abstract level but considers people's daily lives as based on such materials.

2. (a) Design a project (either development or otherwise) intended to create some form of social change. Describe where this project would take place, what its goals were and how you would want to go about putting your vision into practice. What kinds of problems would you envision and how would you go about addressing them? Feel free to be as creative as you wish but make sure your essay isn't overly vague; situate it in the world of everyday life as far as possible.(b) After a semester of pondering "development," what are your personal views on the concept. Do you see it as useful or not useful? Explain why. If you see the term as useful, describe how you would like to see it defined and used. If you do not find the term useful, suggest an alternate concept or way of thinking about the world that you find more helpful in thinking about social change.

   (c) Design a question of your own (if you choose this option, please discuss your idea with me as soon as possible).

Originally created 22 January 2009 at 3:13AM.

after talking to you
yesterday
& confessing
things
I have only
confessed
to myself...
to my creator

I realized
why I fight
so hard
for every girl

I want
every girl
to have nothing
to worry about
except her dolls
& her tea parties
& maybe
just get a little upset
for a short period
of time
because
there are no swings
left at the playground

then she smiles
when she sees
there is
plenty of room
on the slide
or
the jungle gym
or
the sandbox

i fight so hard
for little girls
because
i never
want them
to feel
the pain of

a grown woman

who doesn't know
how
to trust
to love

a grown woman
who was never protected
by those she loved

from harm
& hurt
& pain
& boys
& men

so i protect them
& love them
& give them
someone to trust

so they can grow up
beautiful
& happy
with everyday smiles
that will make
the world
strong
& beautiful
& peaceful

I want them all
to bloom
to bloom
to bloom

beautiful

According to the survey, conducted immediately after the election with over 3,200 youth ages 13 – 17 across the U.S., more than four in ten girls ages 13 to 17 say the election has had a positive impact on their desire to be a leader despite becoming more aware of obstacles women face.

Read more at supreme being.

Sometimes I forget how deep the problem is, then I am brought back to reality by incidents like this.

The full conversation is below.  I've edited it a bit for clarity and have added commentary (in italics) at the end of some of the text to explain my thought process further.  I welcome comments and suggestions on where do we go from here.  I'd especially like to hear from fathers of daughters and women or girls 21 and under.

Father of daughter: Ayo. Haven't heard from you nor seen a twit.  Why did you ask if I had a passport?

Me: You know brother I was so offended by the remark you made about that female emcee I had to reevaluate.  I was just curious about the passport because of where we are from.

Father of daughter: Sorry. I'm me, no holds barred. I say things.  Didn't mean to offend you.  I'm honest with myself though. I couldn't even tell you what I said.  If it was about Nina B, I love her as an artist and a person.  She knows that too! I'm not Gandhi yo!  Just a young man.

Me: But that's the point. You didn't speak about her being a dope emcee. You spoke on her body.  As a woman in hip hop our talent always gets downplayed by brothers in the community. Our talent plays second fiddle to our exteriors.  Then brothers play off their comments or justify them by saying "I'm real with mine," and think it's ok.  But it's not ok.  That's the thought process that keeps the culture stagnant.  Not saying you have to be Gandhi but think how fly it would have been if you had spoke on her interior and respected her by not commenting on her physical in such a public forum.  That would have been DOPE.  I would have been like, "Wow. He really IS a revolutionary brother."

Father of daughter: She's attractive. I'm not perfect.  I understand you though.  I don't see it being that serious.  Just don't.  I twit the first thing that comes into my head.  I don't twit to change the world or on some political stuff.  Just my means of saying what I feel.  I'm always twitting about women I see.

Me: Yeah that's part of the learned behavior we will need to break free of before we ever progress as a culture.  I understand exactly why you don't see it as that serious.  You aren't a woman or a woman in hip hop.  But I sincerely believe in unity between both brothers and sisters before we can erase what's been festering generation after generation in hip-hop culture.

We see you young brothers, caught in the hustle. Although you don't see it, just know that we love you.  You're young, strong and brave and you were born for the struggle.  Forgive us for our negligence. Know that we love you. - Amir Sulaiman, "Brother"

Father of daughter: Hey! I'm a 28 year old guy living my life and having a great time.  I'm no different from the next guy! Please don't place me there.  Yeah I feel I'm a good dude, but I put my pants on one leg at a time.  I work hard and I play hard.  I much rather play though.  I really place no emphasis on taking things too serious.  That's how you grow old and cold.  I have fun, let loose and say what I feel, regardless of the world watching.

I was most amazed by this comment because he doesn't realize that his objectification of the sister is not typical of every man.

Me: I'm not saying you shouldn't be you, but you asked why you hadn't heard from me so I answered you honestly.  I'm not saying you should change.  Be you.  But know those ARE the learned behaviors that keep women second class citizens.  Even in the so-called progressive cultures.

Father of daughter: Be cool yo.  The world is not that serious.  You'll give yourself a heart attack.  I raise my daughter as I raise my son.  Even her mom feels second to none.  I didn't degrade the woman.  I did say something like she was busty!  Did I tell her to wear a revealing shirt...no! Am I gonna look? I sure am. This world is what it is.  Change it and you get the golden ticket.  I stopped trying to save the world and started saving myself.  After I'm dead this shit will keep on.  People will be as they always have been and will do the same old shit.  As long as I take care of mines and my kids and can wake up every morning with a clear conscious.  I'm good.  Second class citizens...women! I can name more women with good jobs and MBAs than I can name men.  Revolutionaries? The same cats we look at in history books as revolutionaries died of drug overdoses, took government jobs or sold out in some other shape or form. The rest got killed or deported. I'm living.  Not all worried with the world's ills.  I just wanna make some money and feed my kids.  The rest is too much for me to worry about.

As I was reading this, I couldn't help but also hear, "She was wearing a short skirt.  She must have wanted it."  I also took for granted that by using the word "revolutionary" it would be taken as a adjective (def: involving or causing a complete or dramatic change) not a noun.

Me: Like I said do you.  The divine path I have been given by the creator IS to change the world for women and girls.  And the comments you just made make me say, "WOW there is much work to do."

I'd really love to give him a copy of "Very Young Girls" and "Beyond Beats and Rhymes".

Gender and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Politics of Women's Resistance
By Simona Sharoni
Published by Syracuse University Press, 1995
Original from the University of Virginia
ISBN 0815602995, 9780815602996
199 pages

Once Intrepid Warriors: Gender, Ethnicity, and the Cultural Politics of Maasai Development
By Dorothy Louise Hodgson
Edition: illustrated
Published by Indiana University Press, 2004
ISBN 0253214513, 9780253214515
333 pages

Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood
By Fatima Mernissi
Published by Basic Books, 1995
ISBN 0201489376, 9780201489378
242 pages