AN EXERCISE IN WORLDMAKING 2009 - ISS

14 SANJUKTA CHAUDHURI
Kimberly Crenshaw (1989), with the intent to “address the fact that the experiences
and struggles of women of color fell between the cracks of both feminist
and anti-racist discourse”, arguing for the need to understand the intersections of
both gender and race and its ‘multiple dimensions on Black women’s experiences’(ibid).
3 Gender- defined as a ‘socially constructed category, that carries with it expectations
and responsibilities that are not biologically determined’ (Rathgeber, 1995:
204) Gender refers to the ‘socially constructed differences between men and
women’. It is about the social roles of men and women and the relationships between
them, which in turn get formed by the ‘social, economic and political condition,
expectations and obligations within the family, community and Nation’
(Mazurana, Parpat et al.: 13)
4 Reproductive Arena - ‘defined by the bodily structures and processes of human
reproduction. This arena includes sexual arousal and intercourse, child birth and
infant care, bodily sex difference and similarity […]. Gender is a social practice
that constantly refers to bodies and what bodies do, it is not a social practice reduced
to the body’ (Connell, 2005 : 71)
5 For example, young people could adhere to a particular cultural, political stand
within ‘conservatism’ which is in consonance to the needs of the ‘modern situation’
(Mannheim, 1952: 297).
6 Youth Activism - young people’s participation in various forms of civic and
political engagement. This may range from exercising the right to vote, participating
in demonstrations, protests, volunteering, service-learning programmes, debating-literary
clubs, advocacy campaign for policy changes, sensitization of media,
consumer boycotts etc. ‘Activism implies action that expresses dissent,
attempts to effect change, or works to place issues on the political agenda’ (Kassimir,
2006: 22)
7 Example: ‘Riot Grrrl, an independent young female rock group that began in
the early 1990s, is seen by many who study girls’ cultures in the United States as
illustrative of this movement Garrison (in Mack-Canty, 2004: 161) A network of
Riot Grrrls was created from the fans of this music group, based largely on zines.
[…] The name “Riot Grrrl” was chosen to reclaim the vitality and power of
youth with an added growl to replace the perceived passivity of “girl.” For the
girls involved, Riot Grrrl bands and the fan clubs around them have helped to
change the way they think and act and how they see themselves in their everyday
lives (Rosenberg and Garofalo, 1998: 809–10).