Our Voices, Our Choices

A Pathway Towards Feminist Global Collaboration

In the third instalment of our five-episode series on feminist development policy we discuss how the tool of intersectionality can help us illuminate some of the root causes of inequality, which often go unquestioned. We discuss how the current and dominant economic system perpetuates gender, racial and many more injustices, while exploring alternatives that center human rights, gender justice and care.

A podcast with:

This series was initiated by an emerging network of practitioners aiming to re-think development policy from a feminist perspective; FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders, a feminist non-profit initiative to advance gender equity in the in civil society sector; and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Audio production by Grettch.

Download the transcript here.

Shownotes:

2. AWID, Building Feminist Economies:
https://www.awid.org/priority-areas/building-feminist-economies

3. Bhumika Muchhala, For the South, all Roads in Global Economic Governance Lead to Inequality & Vulnerability:
https://www.ipsnews.net/2021/10/south-roads-global-economic-governance-lead-inequality-vulnerability/

4. Capire.org hosts several articles on various topics around feminist economies

5. Christian Dorninger et al., Imperialist appropriation in the world economy: Drain from the global South through unequal exchange, 1990–2015:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095937802200005X?ref=cra_js_challenge&fr=RR-1

6. Gender Development Network, Making trade work for gender equality:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/536c4ee8e4b0b60bc6ca7c74/t/595bc0383e00be98e37ea3dd/1499185211883/GADN+Making+trade+work+for+gender+equality+July+2017.pdf

7. Jayati Ghosh, Feminist Economies Series, Institute for New Economic Thinking:
https://www.ineteconomics.org/research/experts/JayatiGhosh

8. Jason Hickel, Less is more, How Degrowth will save the World.

9. Johann Redl, Are the SDGs intersectional? ETH Zürich:
https://wp-prd.let.ethz.ch/WP0-CIPRF91243/chapter/are-the-sdgs-intersectional/

10. Nim Raph, Why Trans Liberation is a class issue:
https://neweconomics.org/2021/08/why-trans-liberation-is-a-class-issue

11. Vandana Shiva, How economic growth has become anti-life:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/01/how-economic-growth-has-become-anti-life

12. Neha Kagal et al., Towards an intersectional praxis in international development: what can the sector learn from Black feminists located in the global North? https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13552074.2020.1717179?journalCode=cgde20

A Pathway Towards Feminist Global Collaboration

In the second instalment of our five-episode series on feminist development policy we discuss four aspects of Knowledge as Power that we believe need to be addressed in order to achieve more Feminist Global Collaboration: the different knowledge paradigms we value, the knowledge we exclude by prioritizing some over others, the phenomenon of knowledge extraction and reflecting on the knowledge held by who is actually doing development, and to what end.

A podcast with:

This series was initiated by an emerging network of practitioners aiming to re-think development policy from a feminist perspective; FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders, a feminist non-profit initiative to advance gender equity in the in civil society sector; and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Audio production by Grettch.

Download the transcript here. 

Shownotes:

2. Aram Ziai. Development Discourse and Global History, From colonialism to the sustainable development goals: www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-

3. Claudia Horn and Isadora Cardoso. COP26 Was a Flop, but the Climate Justice Movement Is Still Growing:
jacobin.com/2021/11/cop26-clima…ement-latin-america

4. www.decolonizedevelopment.org

5. Grada Kilomba. Plantation Memories, Epsiodes of Everday Racism.

6. Keya Khandaker and Lata Narayanaswamy. The unbearable whiteness of international development:
www.globalstudies.ugent.be/the-unbeara…elopment/2/

7. Miriam Lang, Lyda Fernando, Nick Buxton. Beyond Development: Alternative Visions from Latin America:
www.tni.org/files/download/beyo…opment_complete.pdf

8. Professor Sylvia Tamale. Re-Routing Knowledge Production in Africa: In Search of Our Roots.

9. Tim Kornprobst et al. Postcolonialism & Post-Development: Practical Perspectives for Development Cooperation:
www.researchgate.net/publication/34…nt_Cooperation

10. White Dominance and Inclusion: Spectrums of Organizational Characteristics. This work is adapted largely from the works of Tema Okun, Kenneth Jones, and Partners for Collaborative Change found at Changeelemental.org:
changeelemental.org/resources/kicki…premacy-culture

A Pathway Towards Feminist Global Collaboration

A debate is brewing in Germany concerning the implementation of a feminist development policy, but what will this look like in practice? How can feminist approaches challenge the current development narrative and pave the way towards a collaborative practice based on gender, racial, environmental and economic justice and solidarity? 

A podcast with: 

This series was initiated by an emerging network of practitioners aiming to re-think development policy from a feminist perspective; FAIR SHARE of Women Leaders, a feminist non-profit initiative to advance gender equity in the in civil society sector; and the Heinrich Böll Foundation. 

Audio production by Grettch. 

Download of the transcript:
A pathway towards feminist global collabouration (PDF)

Shownotes: 

Carmen Gonzalez “Climate Change, Race, and Migration”, 2020: 
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4bw094qc 

"In der Wirtschaft" Podcast with Aram Ziai: 
https://inderwirtschaft.home.blog/2022/03/07/folge-42-aram-ziai/ 

Interview with Gustavo Esteva – What does it mean to be “underdeveloped”:
https://magazine.manypeaces.org/2019/05/16/gustavo-esteva-what-does-it-mean-to-be-underdeveloped/ 

Jason Hickels „The Development Delusion: Foreign Aid and Inequality.” 2017.  
https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2017/08/development-delusion-foreign-aid-inequality/ 

Julia Schöneberg & Aram Ziai „Dekolonialisierung der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit und Postdevelopment Alternativen“. 2021:
https://www.nomos-shop.de/nomos/titel/dekolonisierung-der-entwicklungszusammenarbeit-und-postdevelopment-alternativen-id-95611/

Miriam Lang & Dunia Mokrani “Development critiques and alternatives: a feminist perspective” in Beyond Development. Alternative Visions from Latin America (pp.41-60). 2013.

Podcast: Rethinking Development: https://www.rethinkingdevelopmentpodcast.com/ 

Rachel Cargle “When Feminism Is White Supremacy in Heels”:
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/politics/a22717725/what-is-toxic-white-feminism/ 

Saranel Benjamin "We can’t just say we’re ‘doing decolonisation’ and think we’ve done a good job“:
https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/saranel-benjamin-we-cant-just-say-were-doing-decolonisation-think-weve-done-good-job/management/article/1697238

Uma Kothari, "Feminist and postcolonial challenges to development”:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320253088_Feminist_and_Postcolonial_Challenges_to_Development

Post-Development - Questioning the whole paradigm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsrK-XuSZZQ

A Pathway Towards Feminist Global Collaboration:
https://fairsharewl.org/podcast-a-pathway-towards-feminist-global-collaboration/

What does it mean to have a body that the majority of society believes does not exist or should not exist? A body that exposes as a matter of opinion what many believe to be a fact? A body that goes beyond the narrow categories of man or woman? Julius Kaggwa from Uganda, Eliana Rubashkyn from New Zealand, and Irene Kuzemko from Moscow are intersex, or inter*. Actually, in all modern countries and societies, a binary understanding of gender dominates - allowing only two options: Man or Woman. In this episode, we learn first-hand about the struggles that intersex people face in this heteronormative world of ours, and their efforts to achieve self-determination.

A podcast with:

Illustration: CC BY ND NC 4.0 Arinda Craciun

The binary gender narrative speaks of men and women. Those who in the course of their lives, do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth are called transgender. What they are allowed to call themselves, what gender is written in their passport, who they are allowed to marry - all this is often not their decision or can only be fought for through expensive and humiliating procedures. Argentina is often cited as a role model when it comes to the rights of trans* people. But what struggles do trans* people still have to fight for there? How does the situation look in comparison to Thailand or Germany? And where is trans* activism headed?

A podcast with:

Illustration: CC BY ND NC 4.0 Arinda Craciun

The Binary gender narrative is one which speaks strictly in terms of men and women. This division was strongly influenced by European Christian colonialism and is neither natural nor without alternatives. Yet each and every day, people all over the world either classify themselves within the binary narrative, or are classified by others: be it in conversations through the use of pronouns, or by going to a public restroom, which in so many cases, forces one to choose between these two poles. How did this narrative become so dominant? Which parts of the world (still) look at gender differently? And how is LGBTQI+ activism changing this narrative? We look to Argentina, Thailand, Uganda, and many more countries for answers…

A podcast featuring:

Illustration: CC BY ND NC 4.0 Arinda Craciun

In this episode, we talk to environmental activistsfrom Colombia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe about why the climate crisis is a feministissue and why the climate justice movement must embrace intersectionality inorder to affect more equitable change. We hear why we must do more than justlisten to climate activists calling out the lack of political will to keepfossil fuels in the ground, and instead listen to those on the ground who bring extensive knowledge and experience ofclimate change first hand. We discuss how eco-feminist spaces online can protectclimate activists from harassment, how digital storytelling can improve thelives of those most vulnerable to environmental injustices, what the limits ofsocial media are in light of the digital divide, and how cultivating a cultureof care within the climate justice movement - both online and offline - is bothnecessary and beneficial to its goals. (A Podcast by Esme Nicholson)

Participants
Maria Alexandra Escalante, Meera Ghani, Maggie Mapondera
A Podcast by Esme Nicholson

Editorial: Gitanjali More, Christoph Mayer, Katharina Prott

Shownotes
TierrActiva Colombia: an environmentalcollective that calls for ‘systemic change, not climate change’: https://www.facebook.com/tierraactivacolombia/

Communities forFuture: an organisation that connects grassroots climate projects: https://communitiesforfuture.org/

WomIn African Alliance: an organisation that campaigns for an ecologically-just alternative to large-scale fossil fuel and mineral extraction: https://womin.africa/

FRIDA - The Young Feminist Fund: an organisation that advocates for funding young feminist activists engaged in intersectional climate justice work: https://youngfeministfund.org/

Deeply intimate questions are often asked of people seeking asylum on the basis of their sexual orientation. Yet, few have ever dared live out their sexuality. This podcast listens to the global experiences of LGBT asylum applicants. Not only do fewer States grant asylum on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity but LGBT applicants struggle with issues of proof and credibility. Mohamed tells how German asylum officials overly rely on the narrow stereotype of the promiscuous gay man. In South Africa, we hear how homophobia and high rejection rates sent Pukkie into prostitution. And in the US, we find out that hermetically sealed borders may now be opening up. A podcast by Abby d'Arcy.

Participants: Mohamed, Johannes Mikolajetz, Katrin Hugendubel, Victor Chicalogwe, Pukkie Sibanda, Neela Ghoshal.

Editors: Jana Prosinger, Joanna Barelkowska.

Shownotes:
"Homosexuality in the asylum process - stereotypes, discretion and heteronormativity" (in German) by Johannes Mikolajetz, Working Paper #26, 2020
http://hlcmr.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/WP-26-Homosexualität-im-Asyl…

Humboldt Law Clinic Grund- und Menschenrechte / Humboldt Law Clinic for constitutional and human rights:
http://hlcmr.de/eng/

ILGA EUROPE - working towards equality for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex people in Europe:
https://ilga-europe.org/

PASSOP - advocates for LGBTI refugees and confronts homo-, trans- and xenophobia in South Africa:
https://www.passop.co.za/

Human Rights Watch report, by Neela Ghoshal: “Every Day I Live in Fear” Violence and discrimination against LGBT people in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and obstacles to asylum in the US: https://www.hrw.org/report/2020/10/07/every-day-i-live-fear/violence-an…

Music: CC-BY "Adrenaline" by "KrySoar"

In this episode, we hear from feminist activists on three continents who, because of the coronavirus pandemic, are relying on social media to push equal rights legislation, focusing on issues that have been exacerbated by SARS-CoV-2. We hear about reduced abortion access from an American reproductive rights organisation that was launched unintentionally by a single tweet. We also talk about how the pandemic has stripped female Indian garment workers of hard-earned rights, hearing from a trade unionist who is connecting mill workers on a social network that doesn’t need the internet. And we talk to feminist campaigners in Turkey about the increased risk of domestic violence and femicide during lingering lockdowns and why women’s names are constantly trending on social media. (A Podcast by Esme Nicholson)

Participants: Erin Jorgensen, Alex, Lamuel Enoch, Sujata Mody, Irem, Melek Arimari

Editors: Gitanjali More, Katharina Prott and Christoph Mayer

Shownotes:
The US Reproductive Rights Group that grew out of a hashtag:
https://shoutyourabortion.com/

India’s offline answer to Facebook and Twitter
https://gramvaani.org/

An online monument to Turkey’s femicide Victims
http://anitsayac.com/?year=2020

The women striving to stop femicide
http://www.kadincinayetlerinidurduracagiz.net/for-english

Illustration: CC BY NC ND 4.0 Arinda Craciun

As Covid-19 disrupts lives and societies across the globe, we talk to feminist activists about its intersection with gender and race. We hear how they’ve quickly adapted their digital practices, not only to circumvent the limitations of stay-at-home measures, but also as a means to tackle the virus’s impact on existing gender and racial inequalities. We hear how a Lebanese digital security expert has created a safe space for women and trans folks by ditching new technology for old and launching a lockdown radio station. We talk to activists from Brazil, India and Uruguay about their initiative to make the internet mirror all its users as the pandemic shifts our lives online. And we hear how social media is being used in Kenya to teach coding to girls whose access to computers has been curtailed by lingering lockdown measures. (A Podcast by Esme Nicholson)

Participants: Mariana Fossatti, Abir Ghattas, Linda Kamau, Anasuya Sengupta, Adele Vrana.

Editors: Gitanjali More, Katharina Prott and Christoph Mayer

Shownotes
Feminist participatory radio
https://hammamradio.com/

The campaign to make the internet less white, less straight, less male and less Global North in origin
https://whoseknowledge.org/

Teaching girls who've never used a computer how to code
https://akirachix.com/

Illustration: CC BY NC ND 4.0 Arinda Craciun