Rhetorics of Connection in the United Nations Conferences on Women, 1975-1995
Open Access
- Author:
- Nicklen, Challen Louise
- Graduate Program:
- Political Science
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 26, 2008
- Committee Members:
- Nancy S Love, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Lee Ann Banaszak, Committee Member
John Philip Christman, Committee Member
Melissa Wright, Committee Member
Holloway Sparks, Committee Member - Keywords:
- global feminism
transnational feminism
United Nations
social movements - Abstract:
- Abstract One of the most critical discussions in recent feminist theory and practice has centered on how women as a group, although intersected by multiple dimensions of difference, can build connections which will allow for effective political action. This concern emerged in both national and transnational contexts when women of color and others began to critique the idea that women could act together on equal terms because they all experienced a similar form of oppression as women. Women of color suggested instead, that in order to form non-colonizing relationships, feminists must recognize that the ways in which women understand their concerns as women are shaped by other factors such as race, class, nationality, and sexuality. The question that feminists have sought to answer is how to recognize the diversity among women while at the same time not sacrificing the “unity” thought necessary for political action. Attempts to answer this question have lead to an expansion of what I refer to as feminist “rhetorics of connection” in both national and transnational contexts. Rhetorics of connection most generally refer to the varying ways in which feminists use terms such as solidarity, sisterhood, unity, alliance, and coalition to describe the connections between women. By emphasizing that these are rhetorics, I draw attention to the significance of the words used to describe connections and how the words are used, in what context and with what objectives. In this dissertation, I explore the rhetorics of connection that emerge in the context of the United Nations Conferences on Women (Mexico City 1975, Copenhagen 1980, Nairobi 1985 and Beijing 1995) and more specifically the concurrent Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) fora. These events provided a unique opportunity for women from different parts of the globe to come together to discuss issues of concern to women. The significance of these events can be seen in the suggestion by numerous feminist activists and scholars that the conferences and fora led to the development of a truly international women’s movement. The creation of this movement is frequently described as a movement away from conflict amongst women, especially between Western and non-Western women, in Mexico City and Copenhagen to a respect for difference in Nairobi and Beijing. In the dissertation, I show, by employing the notion of the rhetorics of connection, that rather than simply moving from conflict to connection, there are multiple, sometimes competing rhetorics of connection employed by varying groups within the context of these events. This project contributes to two important conversations in feminist scholarship. First, it adds to the existing historical work on the UN conferences, especially the NGO fora. While numerous participants recounted their experiences and provided analysis of the fora and conferences in a variety of publications including newspapers, magazines, newsletters as well as women’s studies journals, few scholars have assessed the four UN conferences together as this project does (exceptions include Fraser 1987, Winslow 1995, Zinsser 2002, Antrobus 2004). More importantly, while many scholars have noted that the fora can be used to trace the changing ways in which women see their relationships with one another (Miles 1996, Desai 2002, Basu 2003, Moghadam 2005), little attention is paid to the language used to describe connection as well as the ways in which the context of the fora shapes the ways in which connection is understood. Secondly, this project contributes to the theoretical work on connection, most specifically discussions of solidarity. It does so by providing concrete examples of how activists have, in practice, negotiated the question of how to have effective political action and still allow for the recognition of the multiple differences that exist between women.