Western feminism and Asian women

[kimpossible]

Do you feel the ideals of Western feminism suit your ideas or needs as an Asian female? Is there such a thing as Asian feminism? If there is a difference, what is it?

[nola]

Asian culture and women are just different than Western culture and women just like the East and West have different mindsets and approaches to everything. I lean towards the Eastern mindset. It's confusing to meld Western feminism and Asian women. I hope lots of academics are working on this as we speak!!!

[kimpossible]

^What would you say specifically is incompatible? Just to open up the discussion a little more. Any personal accounts? Something you've read or witnessed?

[John0101]

Awesome question Kim.

Western Feminism imo largely targets white middle class females. They seek to break down "sexual" orientation identity barriers i.e. men are independant, females are submissive, females are overly emotional, etc. All for the sake of equality. However, such sexual identity barriers are different from culture to culture. I am sure western feminism touches a pun the lives of many AA. The root of these ideas is equality, I am sure many female thinkers in East Asia have similiar ideals but applied feminism is under different circumstances.

For a good starting point, why don't you google the feminist movement in East Asia?

I personally think gobalization and the exportation of american ideas and values contributed to much of sexual orientation identity barriers in many cultures. The rate of female participation in the labor force has grown dramatically (could be caused by economic development) in east asia. The more these countries intergrate into the world economy the more homogenous female indentity will be.

[nola]

If Asian women are different from Western women due to biology or environment the two entities are incompatible. There isn't been alot of scholarship on how Asian women respond differently than Western women to Western feminism. Asian women may be different due to culture and respond in kind.

[kimpossible]

For a good starting point, why don't you google the feminist movement in East Asia?

Because I want YWers to have an intense conversation about it. :smile:

Maybe I need to make a more inflammatory statement.

[Mo'Taka]

But wouldn't feminist issues in east asia be similar in goals and agenda to feminists here?

[SunWuKong]

But wouldn't feminist issues in east asia be similar in goals and agenda to feminists here?

not necessarily. i tend to think that feminism in Asia largely skipped the step of evolution in Western feminism where feminists wanted women to be seen not only as equals, but as the same creatures as men are seen.

of course, i could be just talking out of my ass because i don't really know that much about feminism in Asia.

[kimpossible]

not necessarily. i tend to think that feminism in Asia largely skipped the step of evolution in Western feminism where feminists wanted women to be seen not only as equals, but as the same creatures as men are seen.


that was almost exactly what i had in mind.

in short, i think there's a clash between rejecting all things that may have to do with gender in order to erase all traces of differences between men and women in western feminism, and some cultural or traditional practices or roles that are generally considered masculine or feminine.