Blog Assignment #3

From last week's assigned readings, I have chosen to write about "Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism", by Maxine Baca Zinn and Bonnie Thornton Dill, and "Age, Race, Class, and Sex" by Audre Lorde. After reading these two articles, it occurred to me that there are many similarities between the ideas expressed between them. Both articles appealed to me because they acknowledge the differences created by differing race, gender, and class as well as the power separations that these differences imply.

In "Theorizing", the idea that all women are similar at an essential level is challenged. It is suggested that the many differences at the individual level cloud each person's view and create differing experiences even for people within the same social and racial groups. Class, race, gender, and orientation are suggested as the primary factors that create these different perspectives. In place of the old form of feminism that centered around the circumstances and life experiences of primarily middle-class white women, the article proposes the idea of a multiracial feminism. Multiracial feminism acknowledges the many differences in circumstance and class that affect our experiences and suggests that we cannot attempt to view the differences at an individual level, but only as a whole; Viewing all the differences and their interaction together as a unit, as well as how this positions individuals within the societal power structure.

In the Audre Lorde article, a very similar point is made- that a mythical norm exists (white, male, middle class, educated, heterosexual etc.) in which the majority of power is situated within our society. She also brings up the point that the majority of past and contemporary feminist study has ignored or treated improperly the many differences that can exist between women (and men) as individuals- something that multiracial feminist study seems to be attempting to correct.

Also, as to whether or not situated knowledge impedes our ability to see the world clearly, I believe it does so at an individual level, but at a higher level actually broadens our understanding. For example, a man may not be able to fully understand the way a woman sees the world and has experienced a skewed, or situated, view of the world. A woman would also see the world through a different lens. However, if both of these people were to come together and share their experiences with one another, they'd likely end up with a broader view of the world than if they all had the same experiences. I believe this would also generally apply to people with differing races, classes, and sexual orientations.