![The Politics of Feminism](/api/image/getissuecoverimage?id=picture_2000_61007.jpg)
The Politics of Feminism
Politike feminizma
Rada Iveković, Pismeni intervju za Ženske studije
More...Rada Iveković, Pismeni intervju za Ženske studije
More...(Iz: Gilles Deleuze / Felix Guattari, “Capitalisme et Schizophrenie”, Mille Plateaux, Ed. de Minuit, Paris 1980, str. 333-345, 351-355.)
More...(Iz: Film Theory and Criticism, Introductory Readings, Third Edition, prir. Gerald Mast i Marshall Cohen, New York, Oxford University Press, 1985, str. 801-816)
More...(Iz: Joan Mellen, The Waves at Genji 's Door, Japan through its Cinema, 1976, str. 252-269)
More...Keywords: prostitution; radical feminism; sexual exploitation; abolitionism; capitalist exploitation of labor
We can approach the issue of prostitution from different ideological positions. Approaches to this problem that are most often discussed are liberal, Marxist, and feminist.The first part of the paper will critically present the liberal approach to the issue of prostitution, together with legal models of regulation of prostitution which are based on values generated within liberal politics. This paper aims to show the inadmissibility of defining prostitution as a legitimate profession that needs to be decriminalized or legalized.With this in mind, a correlation between the Marxist and radical feminist approaches will be presented, with the idea of showing that left-wing should adopt an abolitionist approach to the issue of prostitution. (MacKinnon 1982). The Marxist approach to prostitution primarily highlights class issues related to this phenomenon.Prostitution is defined as a social phenomenon that is a consequence of capitalist exploitation of labor, which enables the Marxist relation towards prostitution to be characterized as abolitionist. Accordingly, most space will be left to show the place that prostitution, along with other forms of commercialized sexual activity, has within radical feminist theory.The paper will adopt the categorization of prostitution as sexual exploitation, which further entails the acceptance of an objective approach to the phenomenon of prostitution (Barry 1997).An objective approach implies an evaluation of the inherent harmfulness of prostitution, which will be presented on an individual and collective level.The evaluation of the harmfulness of prostitution emphasizes the connection between prostitution and two types of exploitation, capitalist exploitation of labor, and sexual exploitation.The paper comes to a normative conclusion about the activity of the left political scene, which should be aimed at eliminating commercialized forms of sexual activity.
More...Keywords: prostitution; radical feminism; sexual exploitation; abolitionism; capitalist exploitation of labor
We can approach the issue of prostitution from different ideological positions. Approaches to this problem that are most often discussed are liberal, Marxist, and feminist.The first part of the paper will critically present the liberal approach to the issue of prostitution, together with legal models of regulation of prostitution which are based on values generated within liberal politics. This paper aims to show the inadmissibility of defining prostitution as a legitimate profession that needs to be decriminalized or legalized.With this in mind, a correlation between the Marxist and radical feminist approaches will be presented, with the idea of showing that left-wing should adopt an abolitionist approach to the issue of prostitution. (MacKinnon 1982). The Marxist approach to prostitution primarily highlights class issues related to this phenomenon.Prostitution is defined as a social phenomenon that is a consequence of capitalist exploitation of labor, which enables the Marxist relation towards prostitution to be characterized as abolitionist17. Accordingly, most space will be left to show the place that prostitution, along with other forms of commercialized sexual activity, has within radical feminist theory.The paper will adopt the categorization of prostitution as sexual exploitation, which further entails the acceptance of an objective approach to the phenomenon of prostitution (Barry 1997).An objective approach implies an evaluation of the inherent harmfulness of prostitution, which will be presented on an individual and collective level.The evaluation of the harmfulness of prostitution emphasizes the connection between prostitution and two types of exploitation, capitalist exploitation of labor, and sexual exploitation.The paper comes to a normative conclusion about the activity of the left political scene, which should be aimed at eliminating commercialized forms of sexual activity.
More...Keywords: gender-based violence; the Left and feminism; social reproduction theory; structural violence;COVID-19;
The paper analyzes the key arguments in the left-feminist approaches to gender-based violence as one of the main mechanisms underpinning the capitalist system. Already present in the works of classical Marxist thinkers, it was only during the socalled Second Wave period that this theme became articulated as a distinct issue within a more specifically feminist perspective. In the contemporary approach provided by the social reproduction theory (SRT), gender-based violence becomes a research subject intertwined with other aspects of structural violence – global, ecological, class-based, racial, heteronormative. In this paper, a brief history of the left-feminist approaches to the phenomenon of gender-based violence is followed by the treatment of some of the burning questions and challenges of the SRT approach, particularly in the context of the crisis caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This crisis has made plainly visible that the contemporary capitalist society is based on the labour of essential workers – male and female, exposed to multiple forms of systemic violence. Additionally, the paper analyzes the ways in which SRT can help overcome the stage of mere description of the problem of structural violence and provide a theoretical foundation for its proper analysis; this would include both general criticism of the system, and the treatment of specific instances of violence. Finally, the papers discusses the tools provided
More...Keywords: gender based violence against women; international standards; needs of women victims of violence; institutional response; Serbia
International standards in the sphere of protecting women from gender based violence have impacted legislation, public policy and practice, obligating the states to introduce appropriate systems of prevention, protection, support, and integrated policy. This paper focuses on the needs of women who have experienced violence in family and intimate partner relationships, especially those coming from a background of multiple social marginalisation. The existing research shows that institutional actions and procedures do not provide the safety/security to women and their children, nor the services that can adequately respond to their complex life situations and meet their multidimensional needs – especially not over extended periods of time. There are many challenges to organising a comprehensive and effective response of the institutional mechanisms that would be aligned with the victim’s goals and interests, ensuring her participation in the decision-making process, taking into account her understanding of empowerment and justice, while showing understanding of the factors that contribute to women waiving the access to formal legal procedure. With the global strengthening of conservative policies, anti-feminist ideas and movements are on the rise, openly opposing the concept of women’s human rights. This also limits the possibility of providing protection and support to women victims of violence; additionally, it undermines the autonomous work of women’s organisations and their radical social demands.
More...Keywords: body; fitness; fitness culture; anthropology of the body; anthropology of sport
In this article, I tackle the issue of relation between the human body and fitness, from a sociocultural perspective. I deploy theoretical standpoints of anthropology of the body, and focus on social and cultural conventions about physical appearance, subsequently defining the human body as a resource shaped by culture, and not just a mere physical entity. The body in sport, athletic body and the fit body are perceived as products of a discourse, in this case – the fitness culture. To gain a comprehensive insight into the concept of fitness culture, I offer the comparation between relation of sport and the body, and relation between fitness and the body. Seemingly, the fitness industry represents a wide polygon for various cultural practices, that are actually a constituent part of a widespread cultural pattern and acquired, self-regulating bodily practices. Fitness is defined as a social and cultural construct, masqueraded as a form of leisure and individual recreation in a contemporary society, and the body in fitness is perceived as a site of subjugation and desire to achieve the ideal (fit) body.
More...The author investigates the conditions in which Vjekoslav Balin from Šibenik grew up, his schooling and his escape into exile, time in refugee camps in Italy, inclusion and engagement in political emigration and his study of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. Based on the available documentation the author follows Balin’s illegal arrival in Zagreb in 1958, his arrest, inquisition in Belgrade, trial in Šibenik and stay in the prisons on Goli Otok (1959-1965), relocation to the correctional facility in Stara Gradiška at the beginning of 1965 and his murder on 25th September 1965 in the local section of isolation and solitary confinement. The authorinvestigated everything presented on the basis of available documentation and the testimonies of Vjekoslav Balin's fellow prisoners and sufferers.
More...Keywords: Julije Derossi; writer; literary historian; Croatian politician;
On the 28th November 2010, Professor Julije Derossi died in Zadar. He was born on 9th July 1928 in Trogir. He taught the Croatian language at the High Pedagogy School and at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb. He lectured it in Gospić. Due to political persecution he was not allowed to work in his profession from 1972 till 1980. He had issued expert works from 1955, in newspapers, magazines, almanacs and books. He participated in international linguistic conferences, edited books and proofread them. He was a member of several editorial boards, newspapers professional associations and societies. He resolutely defended and advocated anindependent Croatia, the Croatian language and its purity. His particular expertise was recognised with his transcribing of the Bartol Kašić’s Bible, from his manuscript from 1625, (together with Mrs. Zalta Derossi and Dr. Petar Bašić) (Biblia Slavica, IV 2,1, Bartol Kašić, Biblia Sacra, Padernborn-Munich-Vienna-Zürich, in 1999) and Zadar's (Zagreb) manuscript of Marko Marulić Od naslidovanja Isukarstova (About Following Jesus), from 1500. From 1989 he was a member of the Croatian Democratic Union. For his professional work he received the annual award from the city of Zadar, honourable citizen’s award from the town of Gospić, and the lifetime achievement award from the city of Zadar. He received the state decorations three times. He was buried on the 30th November 2010, in the Sukošan cemetery. On the 3rd of December he was sadly remembered in the city of Zadar.
More...Keywords: selective tradition; society; Protectors of fireplace; Krasno;
The term of selective tradition by Raymond Williams was analysed in this paper through elements, which the society Protectors of Fireplace (Čuvarice Ognjišta) from Krasno selected amongst the heritage of their local society. Williams, under the term of selective tradition understands, one of the three levels of culture, defining it from living culture of a certain time and place and from the culture, which was recorded. Living culture is available just to those who live in a specific time and place, while recorded culture encompasses different things from art to usual fact and is actually the culture of a period. The culture of selective tradition works as a connection of these two levels. The next important characteristics, which Williams related to the term of selective tradition, in the paper indicate the place, which the Society has in the local community, the direction of its work and importance which it enjoys through its members and other people who participate in its work. This conclusion is based on the results of fieldwork, data obtained from the Society’s leaflets and articles published in daily newspapers and on websites.Cultural tradition, according to Williams can be understood as a process of continuous selection and reselection of order. This society used the selection of folk costume, which has exceptional strength thanks to its visual quality, then the presentation of parts of the customs, dances and songs and then entered into the field of selective tradition. Emphasising the originality, indigenousness, antiquity in relation with public discourse in which these determinants were very often mentioned and almost always positively evaluated, brought the recognition of its own heritage from something that was recognised as foreign and invented, as in the case of a carnival parade, which was refused. This is a process of conscious selection and turning to those, which are recognised as ‘ours’. Different sorts of parades, manifestations and the hosting of the guests can be used as places for the presentation of a community. In these cases, the society has the legitimacy to represent the whole local community exactly in those elements, which have been extracted by selection. If a society wants to be recognisable, the selection is inevitable, although according to Williams the extraction of significant number of areas of living culture could be unacceptable. This is especially seen in tourism, the production of souvenirs, the creation of cultural products, which have to have necessary strength in written connotations in order to direct to those things, which their creator wants. Selective tradition is now recognised as an inevitable way for a community to present itself to others.
More...This interpretation focuses on Ibsen’s play Nora or „A Doll’s House“, including a critical review of one of the prefaces (the most frequent ones in students’ editions) where Nora is presented as an infantile woman controlled by her husband – an interpretation which is not based on the original text. It also includes a critical review on the feminist analysis of the play, which reduces Nora to women’s rights struggle by overlooking the mechanisms which Ibsen uses to question the 19th century society and culture. It tells us about things that should be avoided in a literature class: namely, the lack of interpretation implies discrediting the play’s author, the play itself, as well as preserving the basic values upon which the present-day society is constructed.
More...Keywords: violation of a grave; judicial practice; Autonomous Province of Vojvodina; crime statistics; judicial statistics
The subject of this paper is the analysis of court proceedings conducted in connection with the criminal offense of violation of a grave (Article 354 CC) which were held before the courts on the territory of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The analysis covers all finalized court cases of the aforementioned courts for the period from 01.01.2010. (i.e. from the introduction of the current organization of courts in the Republic of Serbia) to 01.07.2018. The research is primarily focused on the statistical presentation and analysis of data obtained from court decisions (which the author independently obtained from courts in original, raw form), as well as the identification of relevant criminal (material and procedural) and criminological characteristics. On the basis of the totality of the results, different regularities were noticed, with regard to the spatial and temporal distribution of the court proceedings, the types of court decisions, the type and amount of criminal sanctions imposed, as well as with regard to the characteristics of the perpetrators of the criminal offense in question. As a unifying conclusion, it can be stated that the crime of violation of a grave is relatively less represented in the practice of courts in the territory of AP Vojvodina, and that its spatial and temporal distribution is uneven (due to the absence of more specific regularities considering criminal expression). The penal policy regarding the crime in question can be characterized as in principle harmonized with the one at the level of the entire state regarding the same criminal offense. On the other hand, it is noticeable that the mentioned penal policy is somewhat stricter in relation to the general penal policy of the courts in the Republic of Serbia. However, this factual situation is potentially somewhat relativized by the specific features of the analyzed court proceedings (above all, the high percentage of recidivism and the frequent presence of other aggravating circumstances), as well as by the fact that all prison sentences were imposed only in the lower third of the envisaged range of the sentence (from one month to one year, although this criminal offense is punishable by up to three years in prison). Regarding the characteristics of the prosecuted perpetrators, it is noticeable that the convicts for the crime of violation of a grave were mainly nationals, and dominated by: adults over juvenile offenders; male over female; general recidivists over special recidivists; persons without education, with primary and secondary education over (non-existent) highly educated offenders; unemployed persons and persons without permanent employment over permanent employees. Considering possible strategies for prevention, it was concluded that important criminogenic factors are the low level of education of most perpetrators and their unfavorable socio-economic status, which gives grounds for assuming that timely educational work and providing conditions for improving their material opportunities could achieve significant results in the domain of both general and special prevention, especially in relation to the identified most risky categories of potential perpetrators (recidivists, illiterate persons, persons without primary education and persons in a state of severe social vulnerability).
More...Keywords: Contemporary Macedonian poetry; fluent speech; cultural difference.
This text is related with the readings of several poetry collections from the contemporary Macedonian literature scene, with a special accent of the mutual project of Elena A. and Lililka S. named as „#ПоезијаБезЛактоза / #ФотографијаБезЛактоза“ (“#PoetryWithoutLactose / #PhotographyWithoutLactose”) (2015), which through one post-engagement and as well as with one courageous post-autonomy in an original media shaped way want and desire these verses to be read as fluent as water, these photographs/drawings/art and design shapes to cleanse us as the water does it because water is the master of the fluent speech. This definition “fluent speech”, borrowed from Gaston Bashlar, is related to a speech, in which there is no stopping, a continuous and unremitting speech which softens the rhythm, but joins the different rhythms in one equal, monolithic substance as well. The need of this “fluent speech” arises from the problem of the cultural difference which the authors carry inside and deep down within themselves.
More...Keywords: roles of women; public spheres; politics; the academic community;
This paper presents two spheres of public engagement of women in the contemporary society of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH): politics and the academic community. An insight into the first sphere, the political one, provides an introductory, succinct overview of the development of societal roles and positions of women during the period of Jugloslawia (1945-1992). Afterward, it focuses on the current position of women in another public sphere, the academic community. The applied method was a test(questionnaire). The first challenge was to determine the exact number of women engaged in the teaching process at the chosen public university in BiH (University of Zenica) since it was not possible to obtain data through the official internet websites or from the relevant published documents. According to these official documents, the total number of employees based on contracts for full-time or piece-work engagements in 2017 was 520. But, these documents did not contain data on the number of men and women who are engaged as teachers. Based on data available on the internet websites of faculties of this University, there were 65 women engaged as teachers; all were full-time employees since these websites did not present persons engaged as teachers on other legal bases. Results confirmed, while women were not taking the managing positions, men were undoubtedly dominant in higher education institutions managing positions. Although women fairly successfully graduate from all three university study cycles, afterward they face the so-called „glass ceiling“, disabling them or making it very hard to officially enter the education institutions as employees, which limits any future advancement. Women who managed to become faculty members were very often faced with gender-based stigmatization and/or segregation. Further analyses should establish why women, as employees of HEIs, hesitate and decline to accept managing positions. Also, it is necessary to enhance the higher education institution’s methodology of reporting, for HEIs to provide clear data on the number of women engaged in the teaching process, and data on their status (assistants or senior assistants, and assistant, associate or full professors). When a total number of women employed as teaching, administrative and technical staff inan HEI is given, the actual state of gender equality in any of the mentioned three segments is presented.The importance of women’s participation in politics becomes also clear in this point since it is extremely important to have political awareness and readiness for solving problems and creating relevant policies for the above issues.
More...Keywords: Census; 1851; the village of Soko; kadiluk Gračanica;
In the hijri year of 1266 (1850/1851), a population census was carried out in the Bosna eyalet, including the villages in the area of the kaza (Qadiluk) of Gračanica. We are publishing parts of the census on this occasion. These parts are concerned with the Soko village near Gračanica, that is “kala-i-Soko” (Soko fortress), which was the official name of this settlement. The census included 97 houses, with a total number of 304 males living there (129 able-bodied, 115 minors, 53 elders and 7 soldiers). The census bring a lot of new data on the population that was unknown earlier, and as such is a valuable source for genealogical, ethnological and historical research.
More...Ljubomir Erić, Leksikon ljubavi i seksualnosti, Službeni glasnik,Beograd, 2017, 413 str.
More...Keywords: Bosnia-Herzegovina; archaeology; Paola Korošec; Ružica Bižić;
Paola Korošec and Ružica Bižić are some of the first women archaeologists in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Although their activity in the field of archaeology in Bosnia-Herzegovina was relatively short, they are significant as the founders of so-called women archaeology in this country. Paola Korošec was primarily interested in medieval archaeology in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Ružica Bižić focused on prehistoric archaeology. Along with necessary biographical information, this article briefly presents the works of these two scholars related to archaeology in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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