Page 276 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

women’s emancipation movements 2053

The practice of sati (widow
burning) in India has been
controversial since the time
of British rule. This photo is
of a memorial for a sati in a
grove.

inists believed that an independent
nation would naturally bring with it
equal opportunities for women.The
decades after independence have
demonstrated that the situation is
far more complex, not least because
women do not always share the
same goals. Whatever the goals,
south Asian feminists must main-
tain a clear distinction between
themselves and Western feminists.
This distinction is the only way to
deflect accusations of sympathies
with a colonial and imperial past.
rounding countries have to negotiate ardent nationalism,
divergent religious practices, secularism, and polarized Stereotypes and
political views to present an agenda directed toward Diversity: Africa
change in women’s lives. The colonial past also influences many aspects of the
In addition to confronting a multilingual and multi- present in Africa, including the perceptions of African
caste society, reformers can appear to oppose ancient women. People in the West often perceive of African
practices. The complexity of a postcolonial society women as victims or as ignorant simpletons who cannot
includes the danger that a platform that advocates mod- manage new technologies, as victims of oppression rather
ernization can be construed as conflicting with tradition. than as agents of change. No typical African woman
Reform that advocates the equal rights of women can be exists, of course, and this simplistic perception of a
manipulated into appearing to be linked with the views whole continent of women is misleading and
held by the former colonial power. counterproductive.
In addition to confronting suspicion of reform, advo- The largest difference between African women and
cates of women’s rights in south Asia must confront the other women in the world is that African women are fre-
tensions among major religions that have sharply con- quently the primary economic providers for their house-
flicting positions. For example, Hindu traditionalists holds as farmers and traders. This complicated power
have supported suttee (immolation of widows on their structure challenges Western understandings of marriage
husbands’ funeral pyres) in the face of feminist opposi- and households as partnerships in which men are the
tion. In the same vein Sikh extremists have continued to main providers, and household funds are pooled.When
deny inheritance rights to women, and Muslims have women challenge the web of social relationships, as in
resisted the granting of maintenance to divorced wives. south Asia, opponents appeal to custom and tradition as
All groups are suspicious of efforts by women to initiate against “colonial” influences.
reform and tend to oppose any reform as an erosion of The education of girls is often an issue between advo-
religious tradition and power. cates of gender equality and the resident power structure
South Asian feminists face many complexities beyond in Africa. Schools both strengthen social values about
simple changes in policy. Before independence many fem- femininity and reinforce domesticity in girls. For example,