Books Journals..
Awakening
12F-1, 431 Kuang-fu South Rd., Taipei, Taiwan.
After recovering from financial difficulties. The Awakening has appeared again. Established in 1982 in Taiwan, this women's organisation was forced to stop publishing their monthly magazine in June 1984. Refusing to give in, the women strove for its survival. In October, 1984, three months later. The Awakening came out with a new format and the following objectives:
- to raise female consciousness and encourage self-development;
- to extend a helping hand to women in need;
- to work towards an equal, just, mutually-respected and harmonious society for both sexes.
Pomography/Rape War
by Helen Dune, 436 Lisgar Street, Ottawa, KIR 5H I.Canada
This handbook was prepared as part of an ongoing campaign to arouse awareness of how rape, wife battering and all kinds of violence are related to social values, mentality cultivated through pornography and other mediums. It is a collection of articles covering a wide range of issues.
The Ahfad Journal
Ahfad University College for Women, P.O. Box 167, Omdurman, Sudan.
The Ahfad Journal includes reports of research, literature reviews, historical or critical analyses and comments about the status of women in developing countries and their role in development. It is a multidisciplinary, bi-annual publication appearing in June and December. It is prepared by the Ahfad University College for Women in Sudan.
Female Crime in Rural and Urban Areas of Pakistan
Women's Division, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Pakistan.
The findings of this study reflect the startlingly low status of women in Pakistan. Based on interviews with female convicts in four prisons in Pakistan, the study shows that women are convicted for crimes committed against them and are pushed into criminal behaviour by a system which offers them no option. It proposes the following recommendations:
- All adverse marriage practices should be socially condemned and if possible, legally prohibited.
- Divorce should be deemed natural, rational and necessary if all other means of adjustment fail.
- Literacy and women's knowledge about their rights should be encouraged.
Women Protagonists of Change, Society for International Development.
Palazzo della Civilta del Lavoro, EUR, Rome (M)144, Italy.
This journal of the Society for International Development (SID) is a collection of articles from women activists expressing their viewpoints on diverse women's issues. The contributors range from grassroot activists to policy planners, from developing countries in the South to developed countries in the North.
In the first section of the book, there are articles presenting the various settings that have led to the displacement of women socially, politically and economically. In the second section the empowerment of women is highlighted through positive experiences of women. Three inspiring examples which emphasise feminist thought are included as well as in-depth proposals for the future. There arc brief listings of resources, organisations and publications specially on women and development.
It is a useful resource for the ongoing debate on women and development and helpful in preparing for the Nairobi Decade Forum.
La Mala Vida: Solo Quien Conoce La Mala Vida Puede Vivir la Buena
Una publicacion Libre de Mujeres, Apartado Postal 47659, Caracas 1041, Venezuela.
A new publication by the same group of women who used to bring out Una Mujer Cualquiera! It is not meant to be an academic publication but an open space for organised and unorganised women to express their opinions on the political, cultural and social aspects of life as these affect women. It has a generous dose of humour.
A Dialogue on Third World Women: Learning Through Humanities
Edited by Annie Posthuma and Cecilia Eckhardt. Third World Women's Project of the Institute for Policy Studies, 1901 Q. Street N.W., Washington D.C. 20009 USA, 1984.
Based on a series of talks, the articles in this book are designed to inform women in the United States of the situation of women in the Third World so that North American women can learn from their struggles, understand their situations, the differences and similarities of women's oppression, and develop links of solidarity. They are written by North American women and one Brazilian woman who, through their work, have been concerned with the situation of Third World women.
Mothering: Essays in Feminist Theory
Edited by Joyce Trcbilcot, Rowman and Allanheld, 81 Adams Drive, Totowa, New Jersey 07512 USA, 1984. US $ 10.95, paperback.
This book explores the role of mothering in feminist theory, emphasising the connections between theory and issues of daily life. It brings together the work of twenty women who are trying to create a new concept of mothering that will better express their own values. They represent a wide range of theoretical perspectives, including liberal feminism, socialist feminism and lesbian feminism. Their papers contain discussions of patriarchy, realisations of women identified values and strategies for change. Whatever their point of view, all the contributors agree: mothering must now be defined by women.
Jornadas de Feminismo Socialista,
MARIARSA, Impresores, Tomas Breton 51, Madrid 7, Spain, 1984.
This book is the collection of the papers and reports presented at the Meeting of Socialist Feminists held in Madrid, 29-30 January 1983 with the participation of 5(X) women from all over Spain. Discussions focused on four themes: 1) The theoretical basis of feminist socialists. 2) Feminist alternatives in daily life. Relation between the private and the public sphere. How feminism has changed and transformed women's lives. 3) Feminism, political power and institutions. 4) Forms of participation and of coordination.
La Mujer en el Uruguay: Ayer y Hoy
Grupo de Estudios Sobre la Condicion de la Mujer en el Uruguay (GRECMU), Juan Paullier 1174, Montevideo, Uruguay. 1983.
The image and role of women in Uruguay from an economic, social and cultural perspective, the search for the roots of sexual discrimination is the focus of the articles in this book, which has been prepared by GREMCU, an interdisciplinary feminist research group. The book stresses that this discrimination is expressed not only in unequal opportunities, but also in relations of power, domination and subordination