Thanks for this, Ariel—a wonderful discussion of the slippery concepts of women’s empowerment and oppression by Serene Khader.
But I would like to say, the full recording of the lecture reinforces my earlier assertion that most “good (desirable) things” (microcredit, women’s empowerment, poverty alleviation and so on), move lock-step with “bad (undesirable) things” (reinforcing gender stereotypes, assuming that women’s work is infinitely expandable, loading women (or people) with more and more uncompensated effort).
MP, when I say Yin and Yang, this is what I am talking about. Nothing good comes without a bad attached to it, or vice versa.
Her point is challenging the pop-culture understanding of the idea of “empowerment” of women—whether of the South or the North.
Ariel, since you get what Dr Khader is saying, then you surely get a glimmer of what I’ve been struggling to articulate. Here and in my own life.
I find words are necessary, even as they get in the way. Emails will never replace conversation.
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