Feminism in the Global South

Our world is largely divided into two parts geographically: the Global North and the Global South. The Global North constitutes wealthy and industrialized countries with economies that are largely capitalism driven or mixed. This includes the USA, Canada, Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The remaining developing and underdeveloped world, including Africa, most of Asia, Latin America, islands of Oceania and the Caribbean, constitute the Global South.

Historically, the Global South has been a victim of imperialism and colonialism by the West. These nations pushed economies back by decades and centuries, and devastated cultures and peoples' lives. Oppression manifested in many ways, with gendered domination being one of them. As a result, the North-South divide is evident even today.

The Colonial Past

Colonization began in the 14th century with Spanish and Portuguese explorers. Christopher Columbus, an infamous explorer, set sail on to discover India but landed on the Americas instead. His governance involved the brutal treatment of the native Taino race in the Caribbean. Slowly, entire continents of North and South America fell under Western countries: Britain, France, Spain, Portugal. Indigenous populations were wiped out slowly.

The American Revolutionary war, from April 19, 1775 to September 3, 1783, saw 13 colonies snatched away from Britain. However, this was merely a power transfer from British white elites to the American white elites and slowly, the USA began colonizing and occupying foreign lands too, including Texas and other western states following the Mexican American War of 1846. The American occupation of the Philippines from Spain in 1898, and Cuba from 1898 to 1902 are some notable events too. Native Americans, known as Red Indians back then, witnessed systematic genocide and rapes.

Moreover, Africa was heavily colonized by the West for its rich natural resources. French colonies existed in Algeria, parts of Morocco, English colonies were established in Egypt, Sudan, South Africa. Belgian Congo, where King Leopold caused one of the most brutal genocides, Italian Libya, and Spanish colonies in parts of Morocco were also established. In Africa, colonizers employed brutal tactics, including sexual violence against women, forced labor by them. Mussolini, moreover, had established concentration camps in Libya. Apparently no one cared because they were not "European" Jews. 

From South Asia, primarily India, also known as "the jewel in the crown", the British plundered $6 trillion from 1765 to 1938, however Utsa Patnaik estimated the actual figure to be around $45 trillion. Southeast Asia was heavily under Western colonial influence too. Myanmar was part of the British Raj, along with Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam were under French Indochina. Indonesia was the Dutch East Indies. The Philippines came under USA control. Women were pushed into forced labor in plantations and factory. Sexual exploitation was not a rare phenomenon either.

Native populations from Australia and New Zealand almost disappeared as part of the colonization process, which is the reason we see these two islands so Westernized today.

The World Wars and Decolonization

The growing imperialism in Europe brought it to disaster in 1914, sparking World War I with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. The colonizing powers, Britain, France, and Germany, coerced soldiers from their colonies into wars that was never theirs. After four years, the war ended with the victory of Britain and France. German colonies were transferred amongst the members of their alliance, and the Middle East was divided primarily between Britain and France. Due to financial losses, however, colonies like Egypt, South Africa, and Iraq were able to gain independence.

Two decades later, the rise of Nazism in Germany and Fascism in Italy led to World War II in 1939, the bloodiest war in human history. Before and during World War II, Japan, the ally of Germans and Italians, the Asian colonizer wanting to be viewed as equals with the Europeans, invaded China to dominate Asia. The Nanjing Massacre was one of the deadliest massacres caused by the imperial army.  Resources from occupied lands were stolen. Sex slaves, or comfort women, were trafficked from Korea, China, and Southeast Asia. Once again, women’s bodies became battlegrounds for male dominance! This is the story of literally every other colonized land.

After six years though, the war ended in Allied victory with Britain, France, the USA, and the USSR prevailing. Europe was war torn and gradually lost control over its colonies in Africa, Asia, and other regions.

Feminism in South Asia

Particularly in India, feminism can be divided into three phases:

• 19th century: Men played pioneering roles, contrary to what happened in Europe, in dismantling oppressive patriarchal structures. The Sati system was abolished by the efforts of Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a Brahmin male. Women's education was championed by the Phule couple, Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar advocated for girls' education and the Widow Remarriage Act. These changes took place when the feminist theory was not even popular in India!

• 1915 to 1947 era: This period saw bizarre nonviolent independence movements led by Gandhi, who was initially an orthodox Hindu, but slowly began championing women's issues and Dalit rights. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a Dalit who himself suffered under caste patriarchy, was one of the loudest voices in favor of women and annihilation of the caste. He famously quoted, "I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved." Periyar, another social reformer was a vocal critic of the caste patriarchy. The primary difference between Gandhi and Ambedkar-Periyar was that while Gandhi wanted to reform caste, Ambedkar and Periyar wanted to destroy it.

• Post 1947: In 1947, India gained its independence from the British but had to be partitioned on religious basis into India-Pakistan. The main leadership of India had been pro women's rights. In the first general election, the Hindu Code Bill was one of the main issues, with both Nehru and Ambedkar fighting for it. The purpose of the bill was to modernize Hindu personal laws, with the key goal of gender equality. Although Nehru succumbed to Brahmin pressure and did not implement the entire bill in one go, but slowly. Ambedkar was heartbroken and resigned from the ministry. Indira Gandhi, the first woman prime minister of India, serving from 1966 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984, was known as the Iron Lady and took bold decisions, especially during the 1971 India Pakistan war. Moreover, the Islamic community throughout South Asia maintained conservative personal laws that had been targeting women specifically. A famous case involved Shah Bano, a woman divorced by triple talaq who could not be granted alimony due to Muslim personal laws. Rajiv Gandhi, under Muslim pressure, felt that positive steps would seem as attacks on Islam. However, in 1985, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Shah Bano. The Sikh community in India is much more egalitarian. Both men and women are required to follow the same practices, especially the 5 Ks of Sikhism.

Legally, remarkable progress has been achieved, but the ground reality is different. Many are still not aware of their rights. Girls are denied education even today. Domestic violence is rampant, especially in rural areas, and instances of female feticides occur. 86 rape cases are reported daily, however actual figures are much higher due to under-reporting, lack of trust in the system, and notoriously corrupt police. This corrupt system also has roots in British colonial systems, which no one ever cared to fix. Violence against dalit women is still a norm today due to mainstream focus on upper caste women.

Middle East and Islamic Feminism

After World War II, the Cold War began between the USA and USSR. The Middle East, rich in oil and gas, became a strategic battleground for both. Britain and France had begun leaving their colonies one by one. In 1948, the region of Israel-Palestine was partitioned without even consulting the Palestinian Arabs. This resulted in one of the worst wars and what some claim as an ongoing genocide in Palestine to this date. The borders of Syria and Iraq were drawn by Europeans, which obviously could not be trusted! The Kurds, thereby, face systemic exclusion, discrimination and even violence in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. In Iran, the Shah, the pro West dictator installed via a CIA coup, was toppled due to anti Western sentiments in Iran, during the Islamic Revolution of 1979, resulting in an anti West theocracy.

Even today, countries like Syria and Yemen are victims of civil wars waged by corrupt governments and Islamist groups. The terrorist group ISIS conducted insurgencies in Iraq and Syria, with women being the worst victims as they were subjected to public executions, sold as sex slaves and burned alive on refusal. In Iran, heavy restrictions exist on women's mobility and attire, treating them as property of fathers and husbands. Many apostate women and feminists are against Islam as a result. Although, Islamic feminists like Nawal El Saadawi from Egypt and Azizah al-Hibri from Lebanon support the reinterpretation Islamic scriptures from the lens of gender equality rather than patriarchy. 

On a brighter side, countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE have started giving more freedom and rights to women in the globalized 21st century. Although women still lack divorce and family rights in Saudi Arabia and face restrictions in the UAE. A lot has to be achieved in the Middle East. 

The Israel-Hamas war of 2023, triggered by the October 7th massacre/terrorist attack in Israel, resulted in one of the worst man made catastrophes in Gaza. Mass displacement was there,  food scarcity, starvation and famine, schools and hospitals were demolished and more than 60,000 Gazans died. This event is widely considered as a genocide, and the civilized Western world remained silent with the USA funding Israel. There were reports of women using tent cloth during menstruation which is not hygienic at all.

African Feminism

Africa is also a victim of European colonization with incorrectly drawn borders, naturally making it a continent prone to wars and genocides. The Congolese civil war, Sudanese civil war, and Rwandan genocide all saw reports of sexual violence against women. The Boko Haram insurgency in West Africa, mainly Nigeria, shows cruelty against women, often accusing them of being witches and murdering them. The group wants a return to traditional African values, while simultaneously using Western guns. Ironic!

Women's rights in Africa, however, date back to the pre colonial era. Europeans reinforced sexism by giving power only to African men. These effects are observed even today after Africa is largely independent. Since Africa has distinct cultures and geography, all women have different experiences. Africa is however, unfortunately, ignored by Western feminists. The essay "White Woman Listen! Black Feminism and the Boundaries of Sisterhood" by Hazel V. Carby addresses these issues. The concept of global sisterhood, treating women as one group, has neglected the experiences of black women in Africa, as well as women from other continents.

Some African Feminist Theories

• Womanism: Developed as a critique of liberal feminism dominated by middle class white women. It was developed for African diaspora women, however, not continental African women. The focus is on Black women's experiences.

• Motherism: Proposed in "The Afrocentric Alternative to Feminism" by Catherine Obianju Acholonu, it emphasizes "dynamics of ordering, reordering, creating structures, building and rebuilding in cooperation with mother nature at all levels of human endeavor."

• Femalism: Developed by Chioma Opara, it stresses the importance of African women's bodies and their unique experiences.

Latin American Feminism

In Latin America, indigenous races were destroyed by the colonizers, hence most of feminist theory was derived from Western feminism. In the 1800s, the word feminism was not common, but the struggle for women's rights was relevant. Manuela Sáenz, a woman born in Quito, now Ecuador, fought for women's emancipation. Along with her, many Latin American women fought for independence against colonization.

The 1900s saw the struggle for rights to suffrage, protective labor laws, and education. Feminist councils were conducted in Mexico and Argentina. The rise of neoliberalism in the 1970s, peaking in the continent in the 1990s, however, saw feminist groups becoming fragmented. Although, the 21st century saw a revival, with Latina women having deep influence in public policies. Colectivo Feminista Sexualidade Saude of Brazil currently provides health education for women and professionals.

But, today, Latin America experiences high rates of violent crime. Central American countries see gang violence as pretty common. Women are often victims of sexual assault in these. Nayib Bukele, after being elected, took prompt action in El Salvador, and since then conditions have improved to a great degree. He has been showing authoritarian tendencies recently though.

Feminism in South East Asia

Buddhism is the main religion, followed by Islam in the South East Asian countries. Prosperous countries like Singapore have strong economies, as do Indonesia and Vietnam. Women usually play an active role in politics and enjoy legal rights, yet feel marginalized in male dominated cultures; Buddhists in these countries still believe that rebirth as a woman indicates less merit earned in a previous life.

Women generally have access to quality education, with Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos being exceptional cases with lower rates. Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines have more female graduates than their male counterparts, whereas Vietnam and Indonesia have almost equal numbers of male and female graduates.

In Myanmar, a brutal civil war has been going on since the Junta takeover in 2021. At this point, there is no need to repeat that women are the worst sufferers in areas of conflicts, as this is obvious. India, China, Russia, Japan, Ukraine (yes, you read that right), and other countries keep funding it for personal interests, apparently more important than women's safety.

Final Thoughts

Across continents, despite cultural and religious differences, one pattern remains consistent, the intersection of patriarchy with colonial and capitalist power structures.

The first wave of liberal feminism in the nineteenth century focused primarily on women's rights within the system. The second wave of radical feminism in the 1960s identified patriarchy as a system that oppresses women. The third wave of feminism in the 1970s brought post colonial feminism, which has been effective in discussing issues of women across various social spheres through the lens of intersectionality. The Global South's feminist movements remind us that women's liberation cannot be separated from anti colonial, anti imperialist, and anti capitalist struggles. True feminism must account for the diverse experiences of women worldwide, not just those in privileged positions in the Global North.