Exam 1: Chapter 4 Flashcards
The author suggests that there is one primary reason why Black women have expressed difficulty in identifying with mainstream feminist theory. What is she referring to?
Mainstream feminist theory focuses on the single aspect of womanhood and the lives and concerns of White middle-class women are placed at the forefront of these liberation efforts.
Black women have a hard time identifying with this because they not only deal with issues of gender inequality, but with racial inequality as well.
This can cause stress because it is almost as if they are asking women of color to stay loyal to feminist ideas or stay loyal to their racial or ethnic communities.
How can interconnected identities be used to the benefit of alternative minority groups (race and/or ethnic) AND White women?
Interconnected identities can be used to the benefit of alternative minority groups AND white women.
In focusing on social structural oppression faced by Black women who are battered, what is an example of harm done to these women due to “cultural insensitivity”?
An example of harm done due to “cultural insensitivity” faced by battered Black women is singling them out as a “Strong Black Woman.” This gives the impression that they do not need alternative or supplemental assistance because of their familial and personal resources.
It undervalues their violent encounters because they aren’t in abusive relationships as long as White women, essentially saying that the battery they experienced is okay to a certain degree.
What are some criticisms?
Criticisms include:
(1) May be viewed as being too limiting because the examination expounded here is rooted in Black and critical race theories and focuses on Black women specifically.
(2) Can be seen as deeming Black women’s victimization as normal and caused by their personality or genetic traits.
(3) It can be assumed that all Black women have the same experiences.
(4) Does not benefit responses and prevention of intimate partner abuse.
How can interconnected identities be used to better theorize and inform criminal justice policy? Please provide an example.
This encourages criminologists to look at more than just gender, but things like race and class as well and how these identities intertwine and can shape an individuals’ experiences.
What are some of the strengths of BFC?
BFC advances feminist criminology because it opens the field to considering gender, race, and class analyses of criminality, victimization, and observation of CJS. Highlights need to consider intersectionality in all crime-related concerns.
What is Violence against Women Act (VAWA)? Give an example.
Legislation passed in 1994 that sought to improve CJS response to domestic violence, sexual assault in the U.S. In 2000 it then included equal pay, child care, drug/alcohol addiction, and pro-choice options. In 2006 it finally included research and training.
What is Mainstream feminist theory? Give an example.
Places gender as the primary consideration in women’s liberation efforts. Does not include race or class.
What is Black Feminist Criminology (BFC)? Give an example.
Addresses concerns in the lives of Black women in four themes: social structural oppression, the Black community and culture, intimate and familial relations, and the Black woman as an individual.
What is intersectionality (aka interconnected identities)? Give an example.
Theory which considers class, race, gender, sexual orientation, do not exist separately from each other, but are intertwined.
What is structural oppression? Give an example.
Laws, policies, customs and practices systematically reflect and produce inequities based on one’s membership in targeted social identity groups.
