If we want to rethink gender and
development, we have to start problematizing the stereotyping of both global
south men and women–not just women. One way to do so is by highlighting
grassroots forms of resisting the hegemonic representation, and another way is by
learning from the local knowledge of activists in different cultures and
countries. In this essay, I will illustrate
the "Hometown Baghdad” project as an example
of alternative media activism that challenges
the stereotypes of Iraqi women and men.
White (1997) mentioned that: “In the gender
and development literature men appear very little, often as hazy background
figures. ‘Good girl/ bad boy’ stereotypes present women as resourceful and
caring mothers, with men as relatively autonomous individuals, putting their
own desire for drink or cigarettes before the family’s needs” (p.16). This
simplistic dichotomous understating applies in times of peace as well as in
times of war. Societies outside the western world are seen as groups of oppressive
“powerful”/violent men and victimized “powerless”/peaceful women (Mohanty,
2004). Such simplistic dichotomous understating led to ignoring the complexity
of the intersection between class, race, nationality, and sexuality as well as
the effects of the unequal global economy and colonial power relations between
first and third worlds. This act of ignoring was obvious in the U.S discussions
to justify the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq after September 11. Abu-Lughod
(2002) argues that instead of analyzing the historical and economical roots of
oppression and suffering in the Arab and Muslim world, western feminists rhetoric
was engaged in saving Muslim women from their seemingly oppressive societies.
Here, I should refer to a profound point by Mohanty (2004) that Western feminist
world-view dominant discourse was not only produced by Western feminists but
also by scholars from developing countries who also adopted this universal
patriarchal framework. In the example of saving Muslim women’s rhetoric, many scholars and activists from Muslim and Arab
countries contributed to that rhetoric, and even encouraged the U.S invasion of
Afghanistan and Iraq under the pretext of rescuing Muslim women.
Far from this dominant scholars’ and
activists’ discourse, alternative media activism is located as channels or
tools to tell different stories. As an alternative media activism project "Hometown Baghdad”, an online web series, challenges the dichotomous understating of Iraqi
people as oppressive violent men and victimized women. "Hometown Baghdad” project tells us a lot about the stories of
people who were terrorized by war and how they struggle daily to survive the
war. Mainstream media coverage of armed conflict makes us, as audience, forget
that these are flesh and blood human beings living their lives in the countries
where there is a war. Mainstream media objectifies people and turns them to
just numbers of deaths and injuries. "Hometown Baghdad” videos humanized
Iraqi people and show their struggle to achieve their personal goals and wishes
in life such as love (Episode 11 - "Saif Heart Noor"; Episode 36 -
"Zaghareet"), education (Episode 1 - "Brains on Campus"),
friendship (Episode 21- “My Best Friend Zaid”), and dating (Episode 15 -
"Kiss and Tell"). The videos also show the consequences of war such
as insecurity (Episode 14 - "Barbwire"), and poverty (Episode 26 -
"Beggar At the Gate"). Additionally, the videos show the context in
which some anti-American feelings start to grow in Iraq. In Episode 37 - "One
of Thousands", an Iraqi family changes their attitudes toward Americans
after an American soldier kills a family member. "Hometown Baghdad”
as an alternative media activism project humanizes Iraqi people, especially men, and it
shows the roots and the context of war instead of repeating the dichotomous
representation that echoes the simplistic dichotomous understating of
mainstream media.
References
Abu-Lughod, L. (2002). Do Muslim Women
Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and its
Others. American Anthropologist. 104(3):783-790.
Mohanty, Ch. (2004). Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses.
Pp. 17-41 in Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing
Solidarity. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
White, S. (1997). Men, masculinities, and
the politics of development. Gender and
Development. 5:14-22.
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