Antipatriarchy

Submitted by admin on Sun, 2006-06-04 14:32.

This topic will be treated in the decentralised gathering in Lyon.

Why a focus on queer feminism?

Since 2002 Leiden Conference, there have always been attempts to discuss gender-oriented issues, male domination and heterosexism at AGP's meetings in Europe. In Belgrade, in 2004, the discussion was fiercely resisted, but
aroused also desire and enthusiasm among participants. That's why the organizers of the conference agreed to implement "a focus on the fight against patriarchy and heterosexism" in one of the cities which will serve as platforms during the decentralized part. On the one hand, we wanted to add a focus, but on the other one, we wanted as well this issue to be part of the whole thematic.

We are really decided to insist: this topic can not be ignored.

According to us, who prepared the focus, this is not a subject we have to take "apart", only meant for specialists. On the contrary, this subject concerns everybody, eager to live in completely different world.

If we tackle seriously feminist and queer criticisms, the definition of "politics" will be greatly changed, and its perspectives will be broadened. We always come out with classical, patriarchal definitions which used to de-politicize and to de-historicize subjects, like the body, the relational, the emotional, housework and sexuality...

Actually, we think no real antiCapitalism and no real antiState can be possible if we don't radically criticize gender relations and sexuality in the first place.

At the conference that will be held in Lyon, we would like to create a space meant for thinking crossgenders, sexualities, racisms, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, capitalism, the State and the nation...

What (Pro) Feminisms?

We want to focus on the approaches which take into account feminist and queer criticisms on identity. This is not only the problem that everybody reasons in terms of stereotypes and gender-oriented distributions of parts, but as well that some groups dominate on other groups, with the same and acute mechanisms. We won't fall into the trap: we won't talk about people "oppressed", people "victims" of their own compliance to the domination system. They are not passive, powerless victims, we won't hush they have a relative autonomy. WE aim at creating a space for people who feel concerned, giving everybody the possibility to jeopardize our own social position, often regarded as "leading" (as we are activists) and our complex network of contradictory relations of domination. First, we have
to understand who we are before examining the projections (positive or negative) we perceive in unknown people.

  • The Feminism and its Links to the Industrial Society
    • "The New Technologies: Emancipation... or Oppression and Control? Lately, the feminist approaches have often been criticized, on a harsh anti-industrial basis. Their approaches were seen as secondary, even harmful because they jeopardized an order seen as "natural" and therefore salutary... comparing to the on going disaster. We think it could be interesting discuss issues such as: why there is a craze for neo-antifeminism, without forgetting the emancipation dimension (true or not) the new technologies contribute to, and criticisms as well of what the new technologies represent today, and the impacts they have on the society which produces them. Different cultural approaches are welcome! It has as well been suggested that people interested should gather documents on the subject.
  • Feminism and Racism
    • Projection of the movie entitled "un racisme à peine voilé" by Jerome Host. Actually, it could be interesting, if we could find and put together cross gender or women's groups from not western cultures - may they only exist, or have played important parts for years. Precise propositions have already been made for this subject. Since a few years, the feminist movement appeared divided on that subject, that's why it would be better
      to work on that, and not only between western activists.
    • Work towards linking different topics together. For example, the implementation of machismo and homophobia against "the others" just to secure racist discourse.
  • Self-defense workshops for people, members of a community often subjected to violence (women, lesbians, cross gender people)
  • Contact-improvisation workshops: towards an alternative body practice?
  • Space for speaking about mono-normativity, hetero-normativity, gender-normativity...
  • Feminist info kiosk
  • Tune in the radio Programs "DégénéréE- l'émission pour déranger"...

This is only a small part of the whole content of the conference. Here follows a list of topics suggested (the list, of course, is not exhaustive).

  • Gender, precarity, migration
  • Racism, westernalism, sexism
  • Feminist movements and history
  • Learning from "Black" or "third world" feminisms
  • Solidarity behind checkpoints
  • Economical/ emotional/ sexual work, exchange and exploitation
  • Genders and love, sex and emotional relationships
  • Cross gender policy
  • The genesis of identities, queer think
  • Anti-Semitism and gender
  • Feminisms and ways of life
  • Criticism on the idea of nature
  • Body-related norms, the body and politics

This meeting will be based on the propositions and the experiences every body can bring. Do not hesitate to pop in.

Contact the group responsible for the organization at: stamp-feminisms@pgaconference.org.