FORGOTTEN Voices

A few feminist #bookstagrammers are organising a group post to highlight the issues faced by non-males and males the world over. The group post aims to adhere to the RIGHT kind of feminism, as in that which acknowledges the adverse effect racism and non-inclusive feminism has upon our ability to realise gender equality. Each and every one of us is negatively affected by gender inequality in different ways. The aim of this post is to identify one "thing" which affects you personally, while learning about those completely different "things" that others within the group are affected by.

 

A very simple example: I am negatively affected by "sexism", and I would like to start a discussion how this impacts me. Another member of the group might be negatively affected by "Islamaphobia", something I (as a non-religious, white European) have never had to deal with. Another member of the group might be affected by social conceptions of "masculinity", but has never been affected by sexism or Islamaphobia. By posting together, we can learn about the challenges others face in the fight for gender equality, while also creating a space in which we can discuss our own challenges.

 

So, the photo challenge (again, very simple): We each write our one "thing" on a piece of duct tape and take a photo of this restricting us in some way. It could be silencing us (as pictured) or binding us (our hands, our pens) or restricting our access to opportunities (doorways, money). The point is that the duct tape is breakable. It might be painful, and far from easy, but it is possible to break free from these restrictions.

 

It would be great if every photo could feature a book or article which helped you personally to break free or rage against these restrictions and, in doing so, share these insights with the wider #bookstacommunity.

 

The first posts will go up on the 19th October 2018. If you have any questions or would like to join the group chat, please send me a message @theopenbookshelf.

 

For more posts like this, please follow the #forgottenvoicesofliterature or #feministfriday tags!