[Editorial] Feminism, a Different Way of Looking at the World
The 9th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women, known a party for feminists, ended Friday at Ewha Womens [sic] University in Seoul after five days. The 2,500 participants from 79 nations reaffirmed that feminism takes not only interest in sexual differences between women and men, it is also an entirely different, wide-ranging, and sensitive worldview.
The theme was "Embracing the Earth: East-West/North-South," there were some twenty sub-themes. The themes that were discussed covered all of our lives, including family, sex, women's health, gender, science and information technology, economics and labor, agriculture and the environment, politics, and globalization. The arguments made were bold and original, with calls for active women's leadership such as "if women want to change the world they have to sit in the driver's seat," to possibilities about a "futures economy" that could be an alternative to the capitalist market exchange economy.
Men have led the world so far and they have themselves revealed that there are limits to their ability to resolve a lot of conflict. The conflict between advanced and developing nations, the confrontation between East and West, the various forms of conflict and discord within different countries and societies proves that. That is why there is hope in women, who are tender, careful, and sensitive to pain and oppression. Korean society is in greater need of feminine sensitivity more than ever before, with its increasing conflict and confrontation and social disparity.
However there is much that women must resolve. The statements that "love and power shouldn't be begged for" or that "feminist leadership should be applied to men in alliance" presents an approach for the movement and tasks for the spread of feminism. The statement by one organizer that the event "provides something important to take out into the street" is suggests some direction for the women's movement.
The Hankyoreh, 25 June 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
Feminism, a Different Way of Looking at the World |
