March 2016

SEMINAR: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY – WHY FEMINISM?

The seminar participants, after the professors’ presentations, discussed how feministic subversive knowledge and action can and should question epistemic canons in science as well as the other canons such as politics and economics that are the construct and product of the minority on the power positions. Feminism as the set of ideas, movement and theory is not monolithic and does not belong to anyone; therefore it should not be associated with only one context because feminism and feministic ideas were developed both in the East and West. It was concluded that feminism is for all people and it is important that both men and women find the models of action together through the ethos of cooperation and respect, but also to encourage people for changes that are necessary to eliminate discrimination and exclusion of women as well as the other marginalized groups.

They all agreed that feminism is still a controversial phenomenon and there is a fear of feminism and it is the reason why young women do not want to identify themselves as feminists and why women’s movement in B&H is not banded and strong enough to give more significant results in equality promotion. Fear of feminism is unjustified and comes mainly from pamphlet and sexist texts and messages that are indicators of ossified institutionalized patriarchy resistant to every try of changes in power relations. With a reminder that International Women’s Day should be commemorated as a symbol of memory on two demonstrations of workers in New York in the middle of 19th century and fight of women for voting rights at the beginning of 20th century the message that political and civil rights should not be taken for granted was sent to young people.