Handbook on feminism handles typical queries

Handbook on feminism handles typical queries

Persoalan Pokok mengenai Feminisme dan Relevansinya (translated
from Some Questions on Feminism and its Relevance in South Asia)
By: Kamla Bashin and Nighat Said Khan, 1986
Published by: PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1994
Price: Rp 3,500, 66 p.

JAKARTA (JP): Every Sunday evening SCTV airs the Hidden Room
series, a curious and delightful look at weird experiences. Last
Sunday was no exception.

Clancy, a dentist and mother of four, tumbled into fantasies
that became real. The male leads of romantic novels she had read
popped into her bathroom, kitchen and medical practice room.

After a long day of these funny experiences, her
unsuspecting husband and children didn't change despite her brief
hysteria. They continued to demand that she care for the entire
noisy lot, including the cat.

Working mothers like Clancy are a rich source of humorous
(and serious) films -- they are always living hilarious,
balancing act all-give-and-no-take lives. In reality, of course,
this is far from amusing.

This role is among the issues that Nighat Khan and Kamla
Bashin point out -- in a serious manner -- in Some Questions on
Feminism and its Relevance in South Asia. Their translation is
now available in Indonesia. The writers are from Pakistan and
India respectively, and are both long time feminists in their
countries.

The short book was recently translated in a notable
cooperative effort between publisher PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama
and women's advocacy group Kalyanamitra. The interesting question
and answer format highlights universal questions about feminism
and throws in a few specific ones for South Asia.

Khan and Bashin live in societies known for their
particularly harsh attitudes and treatment toward women. The most
notable and drastic is wife burning.

Indonesian women can find some comfort in the fact that we
do not share such customs.

However, the rest of the typical views in the book hit home.
For instance, is the feminist the destroyer of the peaceful home?

"Yes," the writers say. Feminists do destroy homes, "but not
peaceful ones."

Peace in the home, not merely women feigning peace, is the
foundation of democracy, they argue.

For Indonesian readers championing indigenous values and
expectations about women, further reading into the issue may
bring more caution in championing our low divorce rates compared
to "the West."

Other typical questions, or rather, assumptions discussed
are: Doesn't feminism only concern middle class women? Don't
feminists get upset over trivial things like the word "chairman"?
Why do women activists exclude men in their groups? Aren't
feminists bra-burners and men-haters? Why is feminism surrounded
by such controversy?

And on feminism and motherhood: "We only wish that each
woman has a right to choose whether and when she wants children,"
that parenting, too closely associated with mothering, should be
shared with men. "Only then would motherhood be creative and
fun."

A valuable contribution here includes a simple, general
definition of feminism: "an awareness of oppression and
exploitation towards women in society, at work and in the family,
and conscious action by women or men to change this condition."

Feminism is seen as "the only -ism which enters the
sacredness of the home," and brings every woman face to face with
her brother, husband and family. It isn't like questioning
capitalism, for instance, because she must dispute a role which
has long been considered undisputable. No wonder such awareness
makes everyone uncomfortable.

The personal nature of the problem makes it hard for many to
see the sensible: "Families would have more resources...if women
are not forced into constantly needing protection. The
responsibility and economic pressures over men would be less."

The urge to contemplate a woman's position in her family and
community comes out in the discussion of each query.

There hasn't been a thorough debate on feminism in Indonesia
yet, but numerous articles in the media already reflect the
conflicts. The Indonesians calling for a comeback of the main
role of motherhood and homemaker may well gain insight from the
book's arguments.

That is, as a woman noted, "if they read with their hearts,
not only with their eyes."

The book is welcome because translated works on feminism are
rare, and most English books are for the already initiated,
delving deep into theoretical discussions.

People are often left bewildered by the differences in
feminist discourse. They are disappointed by the disjointed
"shopping list" collection in local books. Dinamika Gerakan
Perempuan di Indonesia (The Dynamics of the Women's Movement in
Indonesia), is an example. It is just a collection of points with
no editorial effort to bring the various ideas together.

But like the philosopher Toeti Heraty Noerhadi recently
said, such awareness of injustice does not rely on theories, but
on perception. Theoretical debates are needed to sharpen thorough
analyses, to question ingrained and possibly wrong beliefs.

Yet reality, where a woman stands in relation to family and
society, and confused societal backlash against a woman voicing
her opinions and options must be addressed first.

It is on this level that a question and answer book is so
important.

-- Ati Nurbaiti