Womanist Alice Walker Pdf
Womanist Foremothers Alice Walker, Chikwenye Ogunyemi, Clenora Hudson-Weems. Womanist perspective and participate in womanist social/spiritual movement. The chronological first conception of Womanism can be captured through Alice Walker’s quotation, “womanism. Womanist thought. A womanist is, according to.
Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Theory [ ] Womanist theory, while diverse, holds at its core that that both femininity and culture are equally as important to the woman’s existence. In this conception one’s femininity cannot be stripped from the culture that it exists within. At first glance, this seems similar to the thought process of third wave feminism, which embraced the concept of intersectionality. The difference lies in the valuation placed on intersectionality within the theoretical frameworks.
Womanism espouses the idea that the culture of the woman, which in this case is the focal point of intersection as opposed to class or some other characteristic, is not an element of her femininity, but rather is the lens through which femininity exists. As such, a woman’s Blackness is not a component of her feminism; instead, her Blackness is the lens through which she understands her femininity. In discussing womanist theory, one must acknowledge the racism that was perceived by black women in the feminist movement.
This perception fuels two different conceptions of Womanism’s relationship with feminism. Some Womanists believe that the experience of Black women will not be validated by Feminists to be equal to the experience of White women because of the problematic way in which some feminists treated blackness throughout history. As such, they do not see Womanism as an extension of Feminism, but rather as a theoretical framework which exists independent of Feminist theory.
This is a move from the thought of Black Feminists who have carved their own space in Feminism through academia and activism. However, not all womanists hold this view of Feminism. The chronological first conception of Womanism can be captured through Alice Walker’s quotation, “womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender” Under this description, the theories are intimately tied, with Womanism as the broad umbrella under which that Feminism falls. Theoretical origins [ ] Alice Walker [ ] Author and poet first utilized the term 'womanist' in her work, In Search of our Mother's Gardens: Womanist Prose. Windows 8.1 Pro Activation Key Pastebin.
She explains that the term womanist is derived from the southern folk expression 'acting womanish.' The womanish girl exhibits willful, courageous, and outrageous behavior that is considered to be beyond the scope of societal norms.
She then goes on to say that a womanist is: A woman who loves another woman, sexually and/ or non sexually. She appreciates and prefers women's culture, women's emotional flexibility.[she] is committed to the survival and wholeness of an entire people, male and female. Not a separatist, except periodically for health.
Loves the spirit. Loves struggle. Loves herself. According to Walker, while feminism is incorporated into womanism, it is also instinctively pro-humankind. The focus of the theology is not on, but race and class-based oppression. She sees womanism as a theory/movement for the survival of the black race; a theory that takes into consideration the experiences of black women, black culture, black myths, spiritual life, and orality.