Nivedita Menon

"Between Globalization and Cultural Nationalism: Feminist Politics in the 21st century"

Abstract:

This paper explores the possibilities of working out a third space for a radical politics of culture, differentiated from, on the one hand, Hindu and generally right-wing as well as Left articulations of cultural nationalism, and on the other, the libertarian and celebratory responses to globalization from progressives. The geographical context of this exploration would be India, and to some extent, South Asia, but I expect to articulate questions about 'cultural identity/ies' that would have more general theoretical resonance. In the face of a renewed and relentless moral rhetoric through the 90s from the Right, targeting women as the repositories of cultural purity, one kind of critical response has been from the globalized elite, celebrating 'choice,' 'individual freedom' and 'women's right to their bodies.' In this debate, the Left seems to have fallen into the trap of equating 'anti-globalist/anti-imperialist' with 'nationalist,' in the process, taking positions similar to those of the Right. Thus, an older feminist and marxist critique of commodification and problematization of 'choice' is no longer visible. What are the possibilities of a renewal of feminist politics along these lines? Are there the conceptual resources for such a renewal, is there already the emergence of such a politics on the ground? I hope to suggest lines of inquiry as well as to trace some answers to my questions.