Myriam Boulos, *What’s Ours,* 2023. From the current *Festival of Political Photography 2024* at the Finnish Museum for Photography in Helsinki. Myriam Boulos is part of this festival.

Sisaruus. Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger with Elif Erdogan:

When we talk about feminism, let’s talk about love

Let’s start with feminism and define it as a social and political movement that seeks equality and challenges the gender-based societal norms and expectations that can limit people. Feminism gets its power from the drive to create a society that is fair for people of all genders.

During the past four decades, the definitions of feminism changed frequently as feminist discourse and activism expanded. In the ’60s and ’70s, feminism prioritized issues like reproductive rights and women’s workplace equality. Since the ’90s, feminism has emphasized global diversity and intersectionality with other social movements, including those fighting for trans rights and sex- workers’ rights. This breadth and diversity is crucial to feminism today, which addresses issues of gender, race, class, ability and sexuality. Technology has played a significant role in this expansion, with the rise of feminist blogs and social-media activism allowing for wider dissemination of feminist ideas and lowering the barrier to organizing.

When we talk about gender, let’s talk about gender minorities

The concept of gender is integral to discussions of feminism. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, expectations, and identities associated with being male, female, trans, or non-binary. It is influenced by social and cultural factors. Gender is a fluid and dynamic concept; it varies across cultures, societies.

Despite the widespread movement for gender equality among feminists, until recently there has been a lack of attention to gender diversity within the movement itself. The related lack of language around this issue is one factor hindering a deeper understanding of it. This is a significant gap, given the marginalization and discrimination experienced by people who do not conform to traditional gender norms.

Feminist critic Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s concept of “strategic essentialism” proposes that marginalized groups can re-appropriate, as a means of political action and mobilization, the essentialist narratives or identities that are used to exclude or oppress them. In this way, people fighting patriarchy can join forces to unite with and empower each other. To create a more inclusive and intersectional movement for true gender equality, let’s acknowledge gender diversity as a central part of feminism.

When we talk about women, let’s talk about intersections

The term intersectionality was coined by human-rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw and first used by Black feminists in the late 1980s. The concept describes how different social categories, such as gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or class, interact and overlap, resulting in compounding effects. When feminism, as a social and political movement that advocates for gender equality, employs an intersectional strategy, it can address how certain forms of oppression impact people differently according to their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or other factors. Intersectionality provides a way for those who have been typically excluded from discussions about women’s rights—such as BIPOC women and trans people—to have their voices heard and their needs addressed. Intersectionality recognizes that different forms of oppression are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another. By centering intersectionality in feminist discourse and activism, the movement becomes more inclusive and effective in addressing systemic oppression.

Some feminists are apprehensive about intersectionality, fearing that it is a threat to their agenda. They feel, for example, that championing trans rights in the context of feminism can negate the notion of womanhood when there is still far to go to improve women’s rights. However, we believe the battles for women’s rights and trans rights are interconnected: they both aim for bodily autonomy and gender-related healthcare and fight concepts such as gender- based violence and strict gender roles. By working together, both groups strengthen their efforts to promote equal treatment and representation in areas such as employment, education, healthcare, and politics.

When we talk about history, let’s talk about language

Artists working fifty years ago spoke about their work and their relationship to gender and womanhood with different words and in different contexts
from the ways we speak about them today. Since language is constantly changing, its use can be problematic. As the curatorial team, we worked hard to understand the contexts of the particular time and place in which these artists entered the debate about gender diversity. When we observe patriarchy and how it works, let’s look at how women have lived and have been treated throughout history. But at the same time, let’s talk about the present and how history relates to contemporary ways of discussing gender in a broader sense. Language is nuanced and an important tool—for example, when minority groups discuss their positions, identities, and struggles.

When we talk about women, let’s specify which women we’re talking about. If we’re discussing, say, white women in a particular part of Europe, let’s mention that—and the parameters that go with it. If we talk about women as a gender, then we also talk about transwomen. And when we talk about people who have grown up within patriarchy, we talk about all people. Different people from different backgrounds and experiences have different lenses on the social situation and different languages to express their views. When we write or say something in a public space, let’s use inclusive and specific terminology.

When we talk about feminism, let’s talk about love

We still sometimes hear that feminists hate men, but this is neither true nor useful. Feminism is a movement based on justice and equity, both of which stem from the notion of love. Feminism does not stand against a particular group or individuals but rather seeks to address and combat the structures of sexism, gender inequality, and discrimination in all forms. These issues are not caused by any specific enemy, but by social systems, beliefs, and patriarchal structures that perpetuate injustices and inequity. We are all impacted by patriarchy, no matter our gender. All of us, men included, navigate our society’s dominant gender roles and expectations; we all internalize patriarchy. It is comparable to the situation in which white individuals benefit from racist ideologies even if they do not consciously subscribe to them. These systems are perpetuated through socialization, media representation, and institutional structures that normalize and reinforce particular values and beliefs. Intersectional feminism works toward gender equality just as it campaigns for racial equality and equity for all people.

Let’s dismantle the patriarchy and create a more equitable world for all genders to give and receive love.

This text from Objektiv #27 is based on a conversation between curator Orlan Ohtonen and director Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger from the The Finnish Museum of Photography. Published online in order to highlight the ongoing Festival of Political Photography 2024 at the museum. In Finnish, ‘sisaruus’ is a term with no gender-based connotation. The word is derived from the feminine word ‘sisar,’ (sister), but when used as a noun ‘sisaruus,’ it can equally refer to any gender.