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Series to examine feminism as global issue

February 21, 2003 By Barbara Wolff

Recent international pressure has helped a Nigerian woman sentenced to death for bearing a child out of wedlock to obtain a reprieve. This incident underscores the fact that feminism is becoming global in scale and nature.

The international dimensions of feminism in the 21st century will be examined this spring in a series of lectures sponsored by the A. E. Havens Center at UW–Madison. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Speakers will address:

  • how feminists from different cultures can form common agendas and work together cooperatively,
  • how such entities as the European Union and United Nations spur and obstruct women’s international consciousness and collective action, and
  • how the language of international human rights might be used to make global gains for women.

“We are paying a lot more attention to the status of women around the world than we used to, and while we are seeing distressing events like the Nigerian’s accusation and conviction, we also are seeing encouraging responses to international pressure,” says Myra Marx Ferree, one of the conference organizers and UW–Madison professor of sociology. “Americans, including American feminists and sociologists, have tended to focus on what is happening in our own country and imagine everything else is a long, long way away. Sept. 11 shattered that illusion. This series is giving us a chance to explore inter-relationships between feminists and scholars from around the world.”

Upcoming speakers scheduled include:

  • Amrita Basu, Amherst College. Basu will consider “Women’s Purity, Women’s Violence: The Case of Hindu Nationalism” at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 11, in 206 Ingraham. She will lecture on “Negotiating the Space between the Local and the Global: Women’s Movements Transnationally” at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 12, in 8417 Social Science.
  • Julia Szalai, ELTE University in Budapest. The editor of a trilingual journal of the social sciences and humanities, Szalai will talk about “Conflicts of Class, Gender and Race in Hungary’s Post-1990 Welfare Policy” at noon, Monday, March 24, in 8417 Social Science. She will discuss “Hungary’s EU-Accession from a Global Perspective: Will Women’s Post-1990 Gains Wither Away?” at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 26, in 8417 Social Science.
  • Dorothy Stetson, Florida Atlantic University. Stetson will speak consider “Are Women’s Movements Feminist?” at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 1, in 206 Ingraham.
  • Amy Mazur, Washington State University. Mazur will consider “The Varieties of State Feminism” at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 2, in 8417 Social Science.
  • Sonia Alvarez, University of California-Santa Cruz. An expert on Latin American feminism, Alvarez will talk about “Beyond the Boom: NGOs in Latin American Feminisms, Past, Present and Possible Futures” at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 8, in 206 Ingraham. She will address “Latin American Feminisms” at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 9, in 8417 Social Science.
  • Peg Snyder, United Nations Development Fund for Women and Columbia University. Snyder will consider “African Contributions to the Global Women’s Movement” at noon, Monday, April 12, in 8417 Social Science. She will speak about an “Unlikely Godmother: The UN and the Global Women’s Movement” at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 16, in 8417 Social Science.
  • Hilkka Pietilä, freelancer, Finland. Pietilä will lecture on “Feminism in Finland: The Equality Movement Confronts Feminism,” at noon, Monday, April 28, in 8417 Social Science. She will consider “Feminism in a Global Agenda: Women and the United Nations,” at 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 30, in 8417 Social Science.

The UW–Madison European Union Center (EUC) joins the Havens Center in sponsoring some of the speakers. In addition, the EUC will host its own transnational lecture series on Friday and Saturday, April 4-5. Topics will include trafficking in women, labor force participation, domestic violence and sexual assault, families and sexualities, the law and the courts, and more. For more information, visit the EUC Web site or call Catherine Farry, (608) 265-4766, or Crister Garrett, (608) 265-4778, eucenter@intl-institute.wisc.edu.

For more information about the Havens Center series, visit the Havens Center Web site or contact Patrick Barnett, (608) 262-1420, havensce@ssc.wisc.edu.