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Department of Pacific Affairs · ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
This course will consider what it means to be ‘feminist’ in contemporary Pacific society, and the goals of indigenous Pacific feminist action and advocacy. Through a series of guest lectures, the course will showcase the stories of various self-identified Pacific feminists, revealing their triumphs and challenges in articulating a vision of change in their own contexts. Students will also engage with a range of Pacific media – print and digital – to consider key issues pertinent to feminist struggles in the region, and strategies adopted by feminists to address these. Finally, the course will interrogate the occurrence of ‘feminist backlash’ in the Pacific, and consider its roots and consequences. Topics covered under the course: - What is Pacific feminism and who can be a Pacific feminist? - Feminism and Pacific cultures: inherent tensions or opportunities for respect? - The foreignness of feminism: do foreign ideas and actors do more harm than good? - Effective Pacific feminist strategies: from solidarity to coalitions to movements - Feminist backlash: who drives anti-feminist sentiment in the Pacific and how? - Feminism as critical reflection: achievements and continuing challenges
Reflective piece
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Feminist campaign
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
This course comprises some 65 hours of activity over 12 weeks, both interactive/seminar based and independent research. The course comprises a maximum of 3k words of assessment or the equivalent. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on the individual's ability in reading and writing.
None available Preliminary Reading Ahmed, S. 2017. Living a Feminist Life. Durham: Duke University Press. Ahmed S., Winter, B., and Ermarth, E. 2000. Whose counting? ; Who counts (or doesn't count) what as feminist theory? ; What counts as feminist theory? In Feminist Theory Alver, J. (2017) Pacific feminist voices - will they be heard? http://www.broadagenda.com.au/home/pacific-feminist-civil-society/ Brimacombe, T., Kant, R., Finau, G., Tarai, J., & Titifanue, J. (2018). A new frontier in digital activism: An exploration of digital feminism in fiji. Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, 5(3), 508-521. doi:http://dx.doi.org.virtual.anu.edu.au/10.1002/app5.253 Bulbeck, C. 2009, Sex, love and feminism in the Asia Pacific: a cross-cultural study of young people's attitudes, Routledge, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon;New York. Charter of Feminist Principles for Pacific Feminists http://www.fwrm.org.fj/images/PFF/PFF-Charter-Final-2Dec2016.pdf Hawkesworth, M. 1999. Analyzing backlash: Feminist standpoint theory as analytical tool Women’s Studies International Forum 22(2):135-155. Jolly, M. (2005) Beyond the Horizon? Nationalisms, Feminisms, and Globalization in the Pacific. Ethnohistory 52 (1): 137–166. doi: https://doi-org.virtual.anu.edu.au/10.1215/00141801-52-1-137 Jolly, Margaret (ed) 2008. Re-membering Oceanic Masculinities. The Contemporary Pacific 20(1). Norlander K. 2013. Empathetic reading. The art of reading a text in its own terms Swedish Secreteriat for Gender Research. George, N. (2010). 'Just Like Your Mother?' The Politics of Feminism and Maternity in the Pacific Islands. The Australian Feminist Law Journal, 32, 77-96. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.virtual.anu.edu.au/docview/744489639?accountid=8330 McPhillips, K. (2002) Feminism and Religion in the Pacific Region: Some Critical Reflections Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 83-90 Ralston, C. 1992. The Study of Women in the Pacific The Contemporary Pacific, Vol. 4, No. 1 , pp. 162-175 Trask, Haunani-Kay 1996. Feminism and Indigenous Hawaiian Nationalism. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 21(4):906-916. Tusitala Marsh, Selina 1998. Feminism: migrant overstayer or model citizen? In Kalpana Ram and J. Kehaulani Kauanui (eds) Migrating Feminisms: the Asia-Pacific Region. Women’s Studies International Forum.