Diversity

diversity

March 29th, 2006

“Like a woman.” Often used as an adjective but also appearing in noun form. More specifically, the term relates to writer Alice Walker’s understanding of a woman who takes her identity from what both her sex and her ethnicity offer. Walker (1984) coined womanist to describe a black feminist, defining the term in the preface to her collection of essays. In ‘Search of Our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist Prose.’ It is also applied self-descriptively by other feminists of color, with the intent of avoiding any racism implied in feminist, which, when applied to black women, often requires a qualifier, e.g., black feminist. Derived from WOMANISH-meaning characteristic of a woman and considered unsuitable for a man (e.g., “womanish tears”)-it nevertheless has a very different meaning.

jonah lomu

Entry Filed under: Cultures