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Show Unveiling Liberty Sarah Green gendered practices within any given culture. Perhaps this point is best articulated by Nancy Hirschmann when she asserts that any feminist approach to this issue must "require us to understand not only external limitation, but also the 'internal' limitations on desire itself, the ways in which sexist cultural restrictions actually produce people who will support and perpetuate its power by wanting the 'right things,' the ways in which women "are 'disciplined' to desire and 'choose' the very things that they are limited to" (Hirschmann, 1997). The second key concession made by Centrists is that there exists a "Western bias in much mainstream feminists theorizing" (Guindi, 2005). This perspective concedes that Western (as well as Eastern) feminists "hold and internalize premises and assumptions stemming out of their culture that shape their orientation to feminist issues" (Guindi). Guindi asserts that often, Western feminists have a "hegemonic character . . . imposing their agenda upon women from different cultural traditions." These assertions are common throughout much of Eastern feminist writings on veiling. The Centrist perspective acknowledges and concedes that Western cross-cultural feminist analyses often use Western traditions and practices as the standard against which all outside cultural practices are measured. It is important to note, however, that this concession does not lead Centrists to the same conclusion that is reached by many Eastern feminists, which is the contention that cross-cultural examinations therefore cannot hold value and that there should not be attempts at unified feminist discourse. Quite the opposite, the Centrist perspective finds value in cross-cultural analyses and asserts that it is possible that those embedded in a culture become blindly accepting of traditions due to their positionality within that culture. The Centrist perspective asserts that it is precisely because freedom and unfreedom are formulated differently within cultures, that a cross-cultural perspective is so valuable. Hirschmann articulates this point when she states, "to avoid the trap of cultural relativism, it is crucial that feminists from all contexts be able to make and not simply abandon analysis to the tyranny of an indeterminate 'difference'" (Hirschmann, 1997). Thirdly, the Centrist perspective accepts that in some respects, the veil has increased Eastern women's freedom of movement. This concession accepts, in part, the contention made by many Eastern feminists that the veil acts as a tool of liberation. For example, it allows women to be "desexualized," making it possible for them to engage in public interaction with males without concerns about being sexually harassed, or viewed as "objects" (Guindi, 2005). Further, the veil has allowed Muslim women to negotiate more freely within the "strictures of patriarchal custom" (Hirschmann, 1997). For example, women are able to enter the workforce without having to "feel guilty" about their decision. By wearing the veil Muslim women make a "clear statement that they are 'good' women," meaning they adhere to traditional and religious philosophy, even while engaging in activities which are outside of traditional women's roles (Hirschmann, 1997). This applies not only to the workforce but also to the public sphere in general. By wearing the veil, women assert their Islamic identity, while increasing participation in spheres that have historically excluded them. While the Centrist perspective concedes that, in some circumstances, the veil has allowed Eastern women to increase their freedom, this concession comes with numerous reservations. Centrists are concerned, like many Western feminists, with the limited nature of this type of "freedom." While women may be engaging in practices from which they have historically been prohibited, they do so while accepting the cultural belief that they should not be. Many Eastern Feminist writings on this subject seem to legitimize the contention that Eastern women need to reassure their male counterparts, through wearing of the veil, that they have not forgotten their "place" within society and that while they are engaging in practices which were once off limits, they are not attempting to significantly alter their traditional role. It is, in many ways, advancement accompanied with a symbolic apology. Nancy Hirschmann is particularly concerned with this issue; she contends that while women may be participating within societal parameters to an extent previously unthinkable, they have had no hand in constructing these parameters. She states: Challenges to customary practices illustrate women's power to exert some control over the conditions of their lives by redefining those practices and categories of meaning: women reconstruct their material realities . . . yet at the same time, such values are defined within patriarchal discursive parameters (Hirschmann, 2003). From the Centrist perspective, simply altering one's material reality within society, while accepting persistent inequalities and oppressive parameters, does nothing to address the root issue. One must at least be willing to examine the parameters under which they are subject and determine if they are just. Lastly, Centrism joins with the Eastern perspective rejecting in its entirety any movement toward forced unveil' ing. The Centrist perspective acknowledges that feminism is, at its core, about choice. Much of what has concerned femi' nists, from all factions, for centuries is the lack of choice present in many women's lives. To attempt to "liberate" women by forcibly removing the veil, simply "reinscribes women's bodies as symbols of culture rather than as individual agents, replacing one form of social control with another" (Hirschmann, 2003). For Centrists, regardless of whether (after thoughtful examination) veiling practices are deemed oppressive, women should not be forcibly prohibited from engaging in them. Through these concessions, the Centrist perspective highlights several strengths and weaknesses within Western and Eastern perspectives on veiling. While the Centrist per' spective does concede other arguments made by Eastern and 40 |
