liberation struggles movements around the world is an important part of our celebrations and reflections on International Women's Day.
ROS KAPLAN reports of women in the colonial and semi-colonial world against imperialism and their own oppression as women.
Solidarity perhaps
evel MOTe WrZCRI year as the west. and in particular the US. carries out and backs wars in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. These rapidly escalate Wals call to horrifying proportions, as we saw he Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
Important questions
ale belllg raised as to the nature of our support, our understanding and how we as feminists in the west identify with women strug. gling in the 'third world' It has been argued that too much importance is placed side take, when supporting national struggles, instead of letting. women these struggles speak for themselves. Mistaken 'Coverage of internationa isses. otten revolves around su, orpeciallyh in especially regard to particular libera"The problem with this is, that it's recording struggle in an unnecessarily polarised way.
'For example, 'Western/British feminists must (or, must not) support armed struggle' - rather then reflecting une voltes those themselves (Roisin Spare Rib, March 1983).
I would approach this differently and say that it is of fundamental imporLallle that do take sides, do support national liberation struggles.
This is directly related to our politics on western imperialist domination and subsequently effects on une wonens national and revolutionary on the dual struggle movement internationally.
The unwillingness Take noes dne a ConTusic over western Silling Lue fence' attitude over the debate over the Israell inof Lebanon, some ot the teminist press.
Zionists were deman ding equal voice when articles started appearing on Palestine, some complaining bitterly about the antiSCHUUSON woner WnG dared raise the question of solidarity WiLD PalestiHidls.
On the , other hand Jewish women Israel were the most active in the anti-war movement. The anti-Zionist feminists were physically assaulted in the streets as they marched in DACK protesting azalls. the attempted genocide in Lebanon If the historical and present day effects of western domination in the third is adequately. ехрютса Inen we can fall into a dangerous trap of concentrating solely on the oppression of women by the male society they live in. This leads to a aue to suooorl nalulal struggles because they do immediately raise IUU seperate demands for wullic Women in lne • UnIre are the most pressed section the world's population.
Thev are oppressed as nemioers of national groun or ethnic minority. as black and Asian women in South Atrica (and this and as ei sal vadoreins. Palestinians Their countries are exploited economically, providing cheap labour, raw materials, used as markets want to you brothers t we did not cheet you, ut the society has cheated us e oppressors have sown ads of oppression within us, o that you oppress us and we oppress you We wanted to show you our brothers whan we took the child on one shoulder, thể gun on the othar that we have broken with them and that yau must do the same Wa wanted to cry to you pur brothers yau must lift us our fe lifted goi aght yo TOT western consumel COOCS Lesulng grounds for the latest arms anu uuas This and much more leads the whole society into poverty, starvation and military and political repression. The greatest burden of this falls on w ulcll Women's oppression within a society is often used to justify western domination and colonisation.
Wanted to ask you But now we demand of you our comrades not to take part any more not to allow yourselvas to strike us wben they strike you We demand of you that we go together on the same road and in the same step How otten do we hear of the 'benefits' the west is bestowing on the 'third the liberalising effect it has on the situation of women, pulling them out the traditional - and into the sweat shops as cheap labour.
Benefits such as cheap consumer goods, make-up and western films showing women as sex objects.
At the same time, the west has propped up traditional institutions such as to take your part of our burden e3 we have taken our part of yours in the game of the opprassors, Ile (Popular Front for the Liberetion One loumnal (PFLP) )
the family, the tribe, acUVCV encourazed sel tarian divides in order to and lUIC JUDICSS greater ease, thereby increasing the exploitation and domination of women.
Faced with an occupying foreign power, the op. pressed group will aiso respond by a gathering in of peopie mio wilal is secuie and familiar - the family allu Womer traditional society and its values.
This becomes especially evident wnen In a com munity like the PalestiSolar.
'Israel's' 1948 borders, the continuation of village and home life is necessary for the of the contulualius r alesumar identity and daily survival.
So it is not surprising that 'feminism' can often become equated western influence and domination. during ee shake n hite example, Iran revolution' women's veils were forcibly removed ir public as a 'westernising measure' humiliating Inem, forcing them back into the protection of the tamily.
Western feminism was equated with sexual pro misculty, another import trom the west It is these effects on the women's : participation their liberation struggles that we perhaps don't pay enough • aLLCiILIUll LU Women in countries E like Vietnam, • ала cuda • nave Decome radicalised as part of the DOWNS ant- nochals movement in their counPtry. % and their growing involve- Through this struggle e ment in politics, once the & sole domain of men, they see the liberation of their E adine in remele bot ridding themselves foreign domination and as a revolution within society.
SONC national movements women organisc as woluch. lalsc seperate demands for women and fight for more participation women such as in El Salvador and But this very much depends on the conditions which people are struggling Palestinians, the overriding question is the liberation of Palestine.
nel parapahon in tne yet token.
Their contribution to seen ll traditional mothering and supportive roles.
But there are concrete historical reasons for this "backwardness , one being the phenomenal problems continuingd struggle when yo arestar eless younger womnel are becoming more and - manv have been imprisoned and tortured. Their commitmen to the struggle is immense The tallure of the Algerian and Iranian revolutions to give equal rights to women has led to a great deal of pessimism toware. imperialist movements.
While I'm not for one trying minimise the oppression women face in traditional Islamic society, as explainabove the biggest obstacle to their liberation (and ours) lies perialism and the international ruling class.
Only through the sucCersiml deteal of western domination will women be in a far better position to struggle for full equality men Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
The right to education access to fertility 1 control, the reduction of the rates of infant mortality can on v be achieved with the overthrow of capitalist Conulauou feminists raise in the west The demands have to be drawn out of the anti-imperialist struggle, not imposed in an artificial way isolated from the experiences and consciousness of the mass of women.
Building on our inter nationalist tradition in the wolcu • movcucu. ol ing, the anti-nuclear and aut-moc as HO VC ments in the west is one Malor wav we call SuDOUr and defend women in their struggle for liberation internationally.