نوع مقاله : پژوهشی
نویسنده
دانشیار جامعهشناسی، پژوهشگاه علوم انسانی و مطالعات فرهنگی، تهران، ایران
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
The present research deals with the descriptive and explaining analysis of the data collected in the book "Gender and Empire" to show how successful this work has been in analyzing the topics of colonial studies. The innovation of the subject starts from adopting the approach of gender studies, in which the social roles and role functions of the two sexes, as well as gender relations in the mechanism of colonialism, are discussed. Methodologically, the present study is based on a qualitative approach and is based on documentary study of the collection of articles of this work. The findings show that the chapters of the book have a historical aspect and are mainly focused on the encountering between colonists and natives in the early colonial period, and are indifferent to the Middle East narrative of British colonialism and the interaction of colonists with Muslims. It overlooks the kinship systems and, as a result, passes through various situations effective in gender subjugation during colonialism. However, it introduces the strategic exercising power of the colonizers, including direct and organized rejection, as well as structured discrimination on the one hand and attempts to assimilate. At the same time, it deals with issues related to gender, including race, violence, migration, childhood, medicine, missionary life, imperial rule, and finally decolonization during the 18th to 20th centuries. In conclusion, the critical reading of these texts has data on the emergence and manifestation of native identities in the struggle of daily situations of power and resistance.
Today's world, which found its arrangement in the new world order after World War II, with a confrontation between the two great powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as the gradual liberation of colonial countries, the formation of an alliance between European countries in the form of regional pacts and their subordinate organizations, and the establishment of the United Nations, has generally reorganized our historical perception of the history of the world. To the minds of the current generation, the violent and turbulent historical past of these societies is unknown. Their efforts to conquer and colonize other countries are less worthy of study and analysis. This is partly due to the culture-building of dominant countries in order to erase the effects of exploitation, violence, and subjugation. Therefore, although colonialism has ended in the form of governance, the colonial process has not left the minds and continues to have the upper hand in the way the past is read and the production and reproduction of its own story. Gender studies that examine the status of women and the relationships between the sexes in relation to each other and social institutions are significant. Despite this importance, due to the dominance of patriarchy over the structure of the scientific institution and knowledge production, the subjectification of studies, and the formation of thematic circles of discussion and opinion, this field of study is not considered important, does not have much priority in Third World research programs, and is marginalized as a free discussion. Despite the complexities of the subject and the multiple layers of discussion, it has been basically passed over in a simply and cannot be considered important enough to find its own independent research path as a substantive nature. The book “Gender and Empire”, however, examines the history of British colonialism with a focus on gender, and in this respect, its critique is important.
Materials & Methods
In terms of methodology, the present study is a qualitative approach based on a documentary study of a collection of articles published in the book “Gender and Empire”. Qualitative document analysis is a type of theoretical analysis of findings that is made possible here with the help of a specialized theoretical apparatus of social sciences. Regarding ethical considerations, it should be said that in the present study, the ethical aspects of library study, including the originality of texts, honesty, and trustworthiness, have been observed.
Discussion & Result
The writing of “Gender and Empire” is an important step in preserving and documenting the experience of colonialism, racism, the exercise of power over indigenous people, the use of naked violence, and the like, especially against women. The contribution of this book is to shed light on the dimensions of women's experience on both the colonial and the colonized sides, to show that reducing the forms of actors of this period to three major groups of colonizers, immigrants, and natives is a reduction of a complex reality in which actors had completely different experiences depending on gender, age, and social status. Talking about women cannot be without considering children and telling the stories of the forced transportation of Indigenous Australian children. The authors have also tried to address the issue of motherhood in their own way and show the meanings it has, whether during the initial period of the colonial invasion, during the colonial period, or in the liberation and nationalist movements. Health, as one of the most important topics in women's and family lives, goes beyond addressing women's diseases and addresses the issues of femininity and masculinity treatment. Introducing a wide range of resistance practices and related strategies in the face of the oppressive power of the colonialists is one of the golden parts of the different chapters of the book, which demonstrates the power of the powerless. The book focuses on nationalist struggles and introduces women's activities in this regard. Unfortunately, however, and during the discussions, we clearly understand that colonial societies continue to fail to preserve the name and status of their active and militant women due to gender stereotyping.
Conclusion
This type of literary criticism reminds us that language is a discursive matter, and therefore, it is not possible to formulate a narrative that is consistent with the reality of the situation by constructing an imported language. It also encourages us to consider the researcher's principles, foundations, and analytical strategies in examining the cultural and political implications of the authors, as is evident from the multiplicity of these works. Adopting such an approach moves us away from confronting Eastern women as passive, humble, and naive (in Fanon's words) and leads us to new positions of identity. First, identifying the context and relationships that seek to disempower them, and second, the resistance positions they choose by adopting activist strategies. At the same time, this recognition opens the way for criticism and perhaps identifies them as a political group that has long stood out with a unique subjectivity against the usual reading of Third World women as victims, passive and objectified.
کلیدواژهها English