Postcolonial Feminism

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬.

• • Postcolonial refers to the period or time following the establishment of independence in a colony. It is a literal description in formerly colonial societies and a description of global condition after the period of colonialism.

  • Feminism is an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and ends sexism in all forms¹

Hence, postcolonial feminism aims to represent and highlight the experiences of the women living in the global south

𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐦

A reaction to traditional feminism: mainstream feminism has failed to incorporate issues of race, class and has the tendency to stereotype and essentialize the case of the “third world woman”².

• Global south women are essentialized as only slaves and victims, so the West feels the need to represent and liberate them. Thus, producing COLONIAL HIERARCHY.

Gender issues stem from the gendered discourse of colonialism.

• The status of the ‘native women’ was used to justify the colonial project as a civilizing or “saving” mission: “White men saving brown women from brown men” ³

• The use of the “Western language” overlooks the experiences of third world women, hence the “subaltern” cannot speak. The subaltern are women who came from the colonized nations. (i.e. Global South women or the third world women).

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲

1. Destroying the difference between subalternity and imperialism.

It is not enough to empower the subaltern and speak for them only to highlight their differences. It is important to see the intersections of globality and locality. To see that the lived experiences of global south women are shaped by both globalization and unique local contexts.

2. Looking at the intersectionality of patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism and imperialism.

Allowing women to work is not enough to give justice and to empower women. There is a need to look into the layers of structures and institutions which reproduce third world women’s oppression.

3. Practice of strategic essentialism

We must place ourselves in the shoes of the colonizer to understand how one can fight it in light of its logic of essentialism. With this, global south women will be able to speak for themselves, divorced from the colonial framework imposed on them.

During the Spanish colonial era, Maria Clara symbolizes purity, innocence, and femininity which represent the (native) Filipino woman⁴. A lot of critics up to date contest Maria Clara as a good representation of Filipino women because it reflects the stereotypes of women being weak, submissive, and obedient. However, this perspective overlooks the fact that Maria Clara was a victim of the restrictions and standards imposed by the colonizers and the Church which are rooted in patriarchy. Maria Clara was not the way she was because it is natural, but because she was shaped by a very abusive colonial project. Until today, we would see women being silenced because of the culture inculcated in us. Most of the time, their narratives are told in the conventions of popular language which does not embrace the entirety of their experiences. And so, what must be done is to allow them to use a language they understand as a tool for empowerment.