Tuesday Draft Questions 5/26: Grace Grotz

1. In the Teen Vogue op-ed, “What Ecuador’s Feminist History Can Teach Us All”, Bani Amor reflects on the impact of Ecuador’s history of strong female activists, noting, “about 40 percent of our congress is made up of women, ranking 20th in women’s governmental leadership worldwide. The U.S. comes in at number 100” (3). What are some differences between American feminist history and Ecuador’s? What can the U.S. learn from Ecuador’s history and changing constitution?
2. Julieta Paredes’ interview, “Communitarian Feminism” discusses the importance of dialogue around feminist terminology. Paredes explains how “communitarian feminists”, “opt for the strategy of challenging the meaning of the concept of Feminism and Feminist, then discuss which type of feminism we are referring to or which meaning we are giving to feminism” (124). Why is discussing terminology so important and how does this relate to Elizabeth Martinez’s “A Word on Terminology”, which discussed the definition of “Chicano/a”?
3. In “Dissidence and Community Feminism” by Julieta Paredes, Paredes describes her fight as “a struggle that continues striding forward swinging back and forth between a passionate love for utopia and the stubbornness of our struggles to attain it” (2). Is a utopia, or an ideal society, ever attainable?