Womanism & Emilie Townes
Womanism is similar to feminism as it fights for justice, however womanism specifically fights for women of color. The term was coined by Alice Walker in which she made women of color transform from animalistic and desexualized people into "outrageous, audacious, courageous or willful." "Women of color are women who love music, dance, the moon, the spirit, loves love, food, and roundness... and loves herself. Regardless." Alice Walker's definition of womanism
Womanist Ethics
An important woman who contributed to Womanist Ethics is Stacey Floyd-Thomas. Floyd-Thomas focused on Womanist Methods to critique Christian Ethics. To successfully critique Christian Ethics she uses gender norms, theological methods, research methods, and pre-/post-modern society. When comparing traditional methods and womanist methods she created five womanist pillars.
1. Radical Subjectivity
2.Traditional communalism
3.Redemptive self-love
4. Critical Engagement
5.Appropriation & Reciprocity
Stacey Floyd-Thomas
What is
Appropriation
Appropriation is taking something and using it as your own without getting permission from the owner or giving them credit. We discuss appropriation in the context of culture and communities.
What is
Reciprocity
Reciprocity is an exchange of ideas, objects, activities, fashion, and more, in which both parties mutually benefit. It is also giving credit to the people, culture, or communities the ideas came from.
Emilie Townes
Emilie Townes is womanist, author, scholar, and dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is a professor of womanist ethics and society. Townes has written multiple works of womanist writings and also wrote the groundbreaking book Womanist Ethics and the Cultural Production of Evil. In this book Townes explains that evil has become a part of our culture. Evil is so embedded in our lives that it is found in most every aspect of our day to day lives. Townes focuses each chapter of this book on a stereotype of Black women. One chapter specifically focuses on the "Mammy figure" and uses Aunt Jemima products as examples. Townes showed us that the best way to fight this appropriation is through counter-memory; using real life truths and memories to show how stereotypes and caricatures are not real. This inspired us to dive into research about other products and brands committing cultural appropriation.
The significance behind this quote by Angela Davis brings light to many societal issues, like appropriation, & rather than people coming together to change them we allow it continue.